gluten free product review: Good Greens Bars & Dr. McDougall’s Right Foods

As the gluten-free market expands, I am always learning about new GF products. I had the opportunity to try two new-to-me brands recently. First up: Good Greens Bars.

Good Greens Bars is a greater Cleveland based company “founded on the belief that good nutrition provides health, joy, energy and access to an extraordinary life.” Located in Shaker Heights, their products can be found in an array of CLE grocery stories including Marc’s, Heinen’s and Mustard Seed Market.

I initially received four of their full sized bars: one of the wildberry, one of the chocolate raspberry and two of the chocolate coconut:

In addition, from a good friend, I received sample sizes of the chocolate peanut butter, the chocolate raspberry and the chocolate coconut:

Their product pitch: A candy bar that’s good for you? No way! you say, but you better believe it- Good Greens has created a local and truly revolutionary product that everyone can love. Gluten free, vegan, low glycemic and dairy free, our bars are perfect for celiacs, vegans and diabetics, and anyone who wants a delicious healthy whole food bar.

MY THOUGHTS ON THE BARS:

• I can’t say I’m a HUGE fan of the eat-this-candy-bar pitch, but it’s 100% true. It was hard to believe this had so many good-for-you ingredients when it felt like you were eating a candy bar!
• The wildberry flavor was not covered in chocolate and had the texture of a softened LUNABAR. It made for a good on-the-go lighter lunch option when paired with a huge Gala apple on one busy Saturday.
• PIP Mom – a huge coconut fan – tried one of the chocolate coconut bars and really enjoyed the taste.
• The raspberry and coconut bars had little bits of each of those ingredients throughout the product. A great surprise with the coconut, but in the case of the raspberry, it meant getting seeds stuck in my teeth.
• As a snack, power bars tend to not satisfy me on their own and unfortunately this was the same case with this bar. I did like using the samples as a sweet treat to finish off a meal. (Again with the bonus of the chocolate!)
• Compared to other bars on the market, I would tend to buy Good Greens based on their taste & nutritionals – only 195 calories per each “normal” sized bar with a fair amount of protein (10 grams) in each as well.

Learn more about Good Greens Bars by visiting their website, follow them on Twitter and “like” them on Facebook.

Next up: Dr. McDougall’s Right Foods:

About the company & its founder: As the founder and medical director of the nationally renowned McDougall Program, Dr. McDougall has helped thousands improve their health and their quality of life by teaching people about the benefits of a plant based, heart healthy diet rich in good starches like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, rice, pasta and legumes.

They have quite the array of products but I was interested in their organic and low sodium ready-to-serve soup selections. I received their Black Bean soup, Chili Bean soup, Lentil soup, Light Sodium Lentil soup…

…Organic Vegetable soup, Organic Tortilla soup, Organic Lentil Vegetable soup and Organic Chunky Tomato soup.

MY THOUGHTS ON THE SOUPS:

• The heartiness of these soups was most impressive. Sometimes prepared soups just don’t have enough veggies, etc., but that wasn’t the case with these. The ratio of broth to veggies was superb.
• The flavors themselves were great. Low sodium did not mean low on taste. I highly enjoyed the chunky tomato and the chili bean.
• The actual cost to purchase a box is high. At Whole Foods, I noticed one box was more than three dollars. But in defense, it’s important to remember the quality of the product you’d be buying.
• While I appreciate the type of material used in the packaging, opening the carton could have been a hot mess. I was afraid to try and open it by tearing thinking I would have lentil soup all over my kitchen walls. I busted out the scissors each time to stay safe from soup attacks.
• Overall, I’d definitely considering buying their products in the future as I was impressed by the quality of these Dr. McDougall soups.

Learn more about Dr. McDougall’s Right Foods by visiting their website, follow them on Twitter and “like” them on Facebook.

Have you tried any new-to-you products that you really enjoyed?

Disclosure: I was offered free samples of these products in exchange for my review on the blog. As always, my thoughts and opinions on these products are 100% my own. Many thanks to Good Greens Bars and Dr. Mcdougall’s Right Foods for this opportunity.