A few days ago we shared the story of Sarah and Andrew, creators of the healthy and delicious Squarebar. Today I wanted to share a bit more about the product itself. Sarah and Andrew were kind enough to send me three bars to sample, and that’s all I needed to say that this is not your average snack bar.
Squarebar comes in three flavors: Cocoa Crunch, Cocoa Almond, and Cocoa Coconut. I had a really hard time deciding which was my favorite, but in the end I am a huge fan of coconut, so I think the Cocoa Coconut came out on top.
With all three bars I was also impressed with the addition of subtle flavors that add to the taste and make the bars truly unique. For example, the Cocoa Almond has a slight hint of cinnamon that really rounded out the flavor. If you can’t decide which one to try, you can purchase a combo pack to try each flavor out for yourself.
During our conversation, Sarah told me about the ingredients that make up the Squarebar. Here’s a quick rundown of what Sarah had to say about the two most important ingredients:
- Coconut: Squarebars contain both coconut oil and coconut nectar. “We love coconut oil…it’s like our cure-all. We use it for everything in our household! So yeah, we really love it. It has the lauric acid in it, and the only other place you can get that is breast milk. It’s so good for you.” The coconut nectar also gives a unique taste that complements each flavor in a different way.
- Brown Rice Concentrate: “The reason why we picked brown rice protein is because it does have a complete amino acid profile. Brown rice itself doesn’t, but they use these enzymes – it’s actually a really cool process – to separate the carbohydrate from the protein, and then it comes with a complete amino acid. So it’s really good for athletes, pre- or post-workout.” Sarah and Andrew also chose brown rice because it’s not one of the common GMO crops.
And then there’s the list of what’s not in a Squarebar:
- Sugar Alcohols: “A lot of people are wanting these high-protein, sugar-free products but they’re full of sugar alcohols. Sugar alcohols are mainly coming from GMO corn, and they’re not good for you. A lot of people have stomach problems and bloating after eating them.”
- Animal Products: Squarebar is also vegan-certified and contains no animal products.
- GMOs: As discussed in our interview, Squarebar has been Non-GMO Project verified since the get-go.
- Gluten: Sarah follows a gluten-free diet herself, and during our interview she discussed how challenging it can be to go gluten-free. “Gluten is in everything, so that’s one of the things that’s harder to stop, but I would say it’s probably the biggest.”
In her article “My Top 5 Protein Bars For You and the Planet,” fellow Breaking Muscle contributor Heidi George describes the Squarebar: “Their bars are perfect for a late morning or afternoon snack to tide you over until your next meal and are most effective when devoured in three bites!”
Although it is quite tempting to eat them in three bites, that doesn’t mean you’ll be hungry an hour later. One of the things that impressed me most about Squarebar is how satisfying it was. Unlike other snack bars that are loaded with processed ingredients and cause a sugar crash, not to mention bloating and discomfort, eating a Squarebar provides just the right balance of sweetness and sustenance.
“We wanted to make something that was balanced between the good fat, low glycemic sugar, and protein so that it’s actually satisfying…it’s been so amazing to have people come back and tell us, ‘It’s so nice, you feel so good after eating it and you’re not hungry any more!’ That’s the whole point of eating a snack, so that’s what we were really trying to do.”
You can find Squarebar at various health food stores or a box of 12 at Amazon.
