Product Review: Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars

I'm always searching for healthy snack bars for my family, especially for my daughter to bring to school. It can be challenging to find bars that contain natural ingredients, and are fairly low in calories, sugar and fat. However, there's one granola bar that I buy often and that's Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars.

Nature Valley Crunchy Granola bars come in a variety of flavors. They offer Oats N' Honey, Apple Crisp, Cinnamon, Maple Brown Sugar, Peanut Butter, Pecan Crunch, Roasted Almond, Vanilla Nut, and a Variety Pack.

Each box contains packages with 2 bars in each package. A serving size is 2 bars (42 grams). Each serving contains 180 calories, 6 grams of fat (from nuts and a little bit of canola oil), 0 grams of trans fat, 0 mg of cholesterol, 160 mg of sodium (7% of the RDA), 29 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of dietary fiber, 11 grams of sugars, 4 grams of protein, and 6% of the RDA of Iron.

One thing I like about these bars is their crunchiness. They can be a little crumbly and messy, but they have the most satisfying crunch when you bite into them. Also, if you just want one bar for a quick snack it's still pretty satisfying and you'll ingest only half of the calories. I've samples most of the flavors except for the Pecan, Almonds and Vanilla bars, and they all taste delicious. My favorites are the Oats 'N Honey and the Peanut Butter.

I did notice a discrepancy in nutritional information between the box of Oats 'N Honey that I purchased and the information on the Hidden Valley website. On the website it shows that there is high fructose corn syrup in these bars, and on my box the sugars are only honey and brown sugar. I personally think that high fructose corn syrup is something to watch out for as it's in so many packaged products, but like most things in small doses it's all right once in a while.

Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars are a healthy, energizing snack for kids and adults. They're crunchy, sweet, nutty and whole grain wholesome so you can enjoy them without feeling guilty. There are plenty of flavors to try so that you don't get bored, and if you're not sure whether or not you'll like a certain flavor, just purchase the variety pack. I recommend these granola bars for a healthy snack.