Product Review: Weil by Nature's Path Organics, Banana Manna Pure Fruit & Nut Bar

Andrew Weil, M.D. has a bevy of new products bearing his name, produced by Nature's Path Organics. As a Nature's Path Organics Products fan, I was excited when I saw this item at a local trade show.

Now, excuse my ignorance, but I hadn't heard about Dr. Weil until the moment I picked up the bar, much less his non-profit organization, The Weil Foundation. That's what comes from our having turned the TV off some three years or so ago.

The Banana Mann Pure Fruit & Nut Bar comes in a small foil-wrap package bearing the image of Dr. Weil and is banana yellow coloured. I like that all the ingredients in this bar are organic, including the spices (I noticed traces of cinnamon). I'm also pleased that Nature's Path managed to make this a completely vegan product, and that it is Kosher. Cool. Finally a food that just about anyone can eat... oh...sorry... if you have a nut allergy, you can't touch this. Definitely has nuts, not that you would notice.

This bar weighs in at 180 calories, 50 of which come from fat. OUCH! Not trans or saturated fats, but you know, that seems pretty high in fat content to me. It's loaded with iron, 3 g of protein,4 g fibre, 29 g of carbohydrates and 22 g of sugar. A diabetic's nightmare. I'm not sure where to place this product. Do I consider it a snack bar? Yes, absolutely. Do I consider it a health bar? No.

I tested this product while at the trade show. I was trying to open the package one-handed. Not a good idea. This is definitely a two-hand opening kind of job. Once I got it open, I took a sniff. The product had a nice banana bread smell, a bit of vanilla scent too. I was looking forward to a great snack to re-energize me for the rest of my romp on the trade show floor. The first bite killed my enthusiasm.

The bar had the consistency of a soggy half-baked banana bread. It was so sweet that I almost gagged. It was not at all what I was expecting in terms of a fruit/nut bar. I suppose that the consistency would be great if you're a toothless child, but I found it rather uninteresting as far as bars go. The sweetness of the date overpowered the natural banana sweetness, which would have been wonderful with the almond. I guess I was expecting one thing and got something else. What it was, however, was still not something that I would reach for as a snack.

While I'm not all that keen on this product, some campers and hikers may like to carry it with them during their expeditions. The sugar alone would be a good option for those emergency snack fits on the trail. Just be certain to pack out what you pack in, because the packaging isn't recyclable.

The product is a bit on the pricey side for me at almost $2.00 per bar, but then I'm notoriously frugal too. It might be the product for you.