Review: PureFit Nutrition Bars

The good people at PureFit http://www.purefit.com/ were kind enough to send me a sample of each of their bars to review. (First off, can anyone tell me how to make a link like I see all the time on everyone else's blogs????) Anyhow, I take reviews very seriously: I have a monthly column in my homeschool newsletter that goes to about 400 families. I review Christian homeschool curriculum and reading materials. My idea of a true review is one where I am completely objective, and I give my honest opinion.

Oh, I had such high hopes for PureFit. They were so nice in their e-mails, in their letter to me, and in the publicity papers they sent. Poor Robb Dorf spent the last six years creating this formula, and if it was good, he could have found no better cheerleader than he found in me. My family was excited too! We were going to get free bars that marketed themselves as tasting like candy bars with the nutrition of energy bars. What's not to like?

Well, it turns out, PureFit is not to like. Sniff, my three-year-old, JK, was the only one who ate all his samples without complaint. Please see the photos and further explanation below.

Here are the bars, unopened, being desired by all of us. The flavors from top to bottom are: Berry Almond Crunch, Granola Crunch, Almond Crunch, Chocolate Brownie, and Peanut Butter Crunch. Look at how they beckon to us!

Next, I let them tease us by just peeking beneath their tempting covers. Oh, the chocolate was definitely calling my name. How I had such high expectations for you, dear, dark choco.

Here the bars are cut into five pieces, one for each of us to try. I figured I should get the family involved and test all our taste buds.

So, here's a basic rundown:

Berry Almond Crunch: barely tasted the berries

Granola Crunch: very mild flavor

Almond Crunch: bland taste

Chocolate Brownie: disappointing, no real strong cocoa flavor

Peanut Butter Crunch: had mild peanut butter taste

None of them had any real crunch to them. They were very chewy and made us all very thirsty. I think if you were on a trail, you would need to have water handy at all times while eating these.

Here are some random honest comments from my family - I apologize to PureFit in advance:

"Texture of slimy chalk"

"Chocolate tasted toxic"

"It just got worse the more you ate"

"I realized I didn't have to finish them"

"Does not taste like a candy bar"

To be nice, because really I am, I am ending on some good notes:

A three-year old likes them!

Very filling

Would be good for someone who's really hungry

Vegan and gluten-free

Please know that I did not solicit them. I am not in the habit of reviewing, but these sounded so promising. I wish PureFit the best, I really do. But, if they want an honest last word from me - don't sacrifice flavor for health. Let me know if you work on the formula, and I'd be more than happy to do a retest and hopefully a positive review.