Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut Granola Bars-Peanut: Snack Review

I've occasionally purchased Nature Valley Sweet and Salty Nut Granola bars in the Almond flavor to have on hand as a snack. Recently, I decided I'd try it in the Peanut variety, which, I had been skeptical about trying because I wasn't sure I'd like the Peanut Butter Coating it was dipped in. I didn't want to purchase a box of 6 - 1.2oz bars and have them go to waste.

When I ran across the 6 pack of the Peanut variety of Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut Granola Bars at Wal Mart for a mere $1.98, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try them.

As expected, the bars were made up mostly of nuts, with oat filled granola filling in the gaps. Then the bottom of the bar was covered in that peanut butter coating. I was very pleased with the many fresh, uncrushed peanut halves scattered throughout the bar and was definitely surprised to find that I liked the peanut butter coating so much! The bar indeed, was both sweet and salty, satisfying both pallets. This was too good to be 'healthy'. I checked the ingredients and found that, unfortunately, corn syrup and sugar were among the first 3 contents on the ingredients list. But, on a good note the calorie count was lower than that of a candy bar, and it had no cholesterol. Also, since it was mostly peanuts, it had protein, and fiber!

I thought about 2 of my favorite nut candy bars, which I eat often enough, and I wondered if the Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Peanut Granola Nut Bar could satisfy my taste for a Snickers or PayDay candy bar if the desire for one arose. I closed my eyes as I took another bite of the Sweet & Salty Nut bar and let the peanut coating melt on my tongue. I tried to evaluate if, in a candy bar line-up with a Snickers, and given the fact that I wasn't experiencing an overly powerful craving for chocolate at the time, would I be able to distinguish this granola bar from a 'less healthy' candy bar? I decided I would not, and the granola bar would probably meet my needs and save me some calories when chosen in place of a candy bar! Now, if they had only drizzled chocolate over the top, it would truly become a no-brainer!

Nutritional Information:
Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut Granola Bars, Peanut can be purchased in a box of six bars. 1-1.5oz bar has 9 grams of fat and 170 calories, 4 grams of protein, 2g Dietary Fiber, 11 grams of sugar, 0 Cholesterol, 150mg Sodium, 2% Iron, 2.5g Saturated Fat, 0g Trans Fat, and a total of 19g Carbohydrates.

The ingredients include: Roasted Peanuts, High Maltose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Rolled Oats, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Palm Kernel Oil, Crisp Rice, Rice Flour, Sugar, Malt, Salt, Wheat Flakes, Whole Wheat, Fructose, Peanut Butter, Peanuts, Yogurt Powder, Cultured Whey Protein Concentrate, Cultured Skim Milk, Yogurt Cultures, Canola Oil, Water, Maltodextrin, Nonfat Milk, Soy Lecithin, Color, Yellows 5 & 6 Lake, Red 40 Lake, Blue 1 Lake, Other Color, Natural Flavor, Almonds, Baking Soda, Honey, Sunflower Meal, Mixed Tocopherols added to retain freshness.