Kashi Granola Bars Vs. Barbara's Organic Granola Bars

My family is a big fan of granola bars. We have tried pretty much every variety available in the grocery store. In more recent years we have been trying to find the ones that are the healthiest. My children love granola bars, but I don't want them to eat one with tons of sugar and very high calories. We prefer the "crunchy" granola bars over the "chewy" varieties, mainly because the kids don't get as sticky. I decided to do a direct comparison of Kashi's TLC Roasted Almond Crunch Granola Bars, and Barbara's Crunchy Organic Peanut Butter Granola Bars.

On the box.
The first thing I notice about Barbara's is the fact that they are organic. Kashi is not organic. Barbara's claim to be wheat free, whole grain, low sodium, no trans fat, 3g fiber, and 4g protein. Kashi claims to have no fructose corn syrup, 7 whole grains, naturally sweetened with wildflower honey, 4g fiber, and 6g protein. Both have a serving size of two bars (wrapped together in on pouch), but the ingredients and nutrition facts are quite different. Kashi has 170 calories per serving, 6g fat, and 8g of sugar. Barbara's has 200 calories per serving, with 9g fat, and 9g sugar.

Taste
I actually find both Kashi and Barbara's granola bars to be quite tasty. My kids would agree, and never turn either one of them down. Kashi's Roasted Almond Crunch does not have huge pieces of almonds, but definitely has a very nice almond flavor, a great crunchiness and a slight sweet flavor. Barbara's Peanut Butter Granola Bars have a thin layer of peanut butter on one side that is rather delicious. I find them to be much sweeter than the Kashi brand, but still very crunchy and nice.

Sugar is a big issue for me when I am choosing product for my family. Both have a relatively low amount of sugar compared to some other granola bar brands, but Kashi with only 8 grams of sugar per serving wins this one over Barbara's 9 grams. Kashi also wins as far as total number of calories having 30 calories less than Barbara's.

Another notable difference is the size of each package. Kashi's bars come in a box with 6 individual pouches containing a total of 12 bars. Barbara's comes with 5 individual pouches with a total of 10 bars. However, one serving size of Kashi bars is 40 grams, and one serving of Barbara's bars is 42 grams.

Barbara's Organic granola bars have some history that they share on the back of the box. It says "One of our first products was a naturally scrumptious crunchy granola bar, which gained a dedicated following back in the 80's. Now we've come full circle with our new, delicious baked organic granola bar. Golden toasted whole grain rolled oats and creamy peanut butter are lightly sweetened without anything artificial. With incredible wheat free flavor, satisfying protein and natural fiber, it's no wonder Barbara's bars lead the pack in healthy snack choices. One crunchy taste says it all."

On the back of the Kashi box, it says "Our unique combination of 7 whole grains, for hearty natural goodness you can see." I have to admit I am drawn to the fact that Kashi is able to pack 7 whole grains into their little granola bars.

In conclusion, my family likes both varieties of granola bars, but if we had to pick one that we like better it would be the Kashi TLC Roasted Almond Crunch. They have less calories, less sugar, more fiber and more protein than Barbara's. I do love that the Barbara's brand is organic, but I would still choose Kashi first.