Are "Larabars" truly raw and does anyone...

[goingrawchelle]

eat them? thanks

[Hygeia]

Yes I eat them and yes some of them are raw. Look on the side and it will either read "vegan" or "raw". So it depends on which one you get.

Enjoy, they are yummy!

[goingrawchelle]

Thanks! Hopefully they're not too expensive.

[Hygeia]

I usually pay about $1.69 a piece, you can get them on their website by the box also but it seems to be the same price so go figure because I'm sure you'll have to pay s&h too.

Around here I find them at the supermarkets, HFS and some pharmacies like CVS or Rite Aid.

[sonyan]

I'm just in the 'planning' stage of taking myself and the kids (6 yr old w/ADHD, 4 yr old w/PDD) raw. We plan to go raw in may, after my comp exams are over and I have time to prep foods. So I really have no useful "raw" info to contribute....

HOWEVER, my youngest has been gluten, casein, corn and IgG and igE allergen free for over a year, and LaraBars are one of the few prepackaged things he can have. And we LOVE, LOVE them. They are yummy and filling. In fact, I credit the wrapper of larabars and her website with generating an interest about going raw for me.

WF and Central Markets (if you have those) often put them on sale for 5 for $5. We stock up during these times, buying cases at a time... lol.

[Adensspell]

I eat them! They make me feel great! The jocolot or however you spell it ones are only 90% because they use roasted cocoa beans and also the lime and lemon ones use flash pasteurized juice. However, they are in very small amounts and they are really conveniant as snacks for families and college students. A lot of people recommend making your own, and it can be a fun activity to do, but some of the people don't remember that many of us have large families or deadlines for papers. I say eat them and if you feel great than keep going! Good luck on going raw!

[Pitaya]

hey Rawchelle, (lovin the screenname!!)

i posted something very similar last week! i found out that even though all Larabars say "uncooked"........and they are..........doesn't mean the ingredients are not. like the juices used and honey and nuts and cacao powder

also pparently a few of the flavours aren't raw.....like apple pie and the lemon one

sorry if this is heartbreaking.....i loved these when i started out raw, but now am steering away from them except for when i'm travelling....fresh fruit and veggies are much cheaper anyway!!

[goingrawchelle]

thanks for the heads up. These sound great...especially for my purse for those "gotta have something" times. :D

[Liserpiece]

I found the raw Larabars really helpful when just starting out raw, a great transition food for me. Now, however, when I eat them they upset my stomach. I think as I got more and more accustomed to the raw fruit and veg my system became less tolerant to those early transition foods. I also really loved Lydia's Organics and can still eat them... when I can afford 'em! :)

[Hygeia]

There are some that say "vegan" and some DO say "raw" so you just have to look at each flavor to see what you're getting.

Pitaya - are you saying that even the one's that say "raw" are in fact NOT raw? That suprises me, I thought you could always trust it was raw if it said so.

:mad:

[Pitaya]

hey michele.......yes, sadly we need to really watch everything - even when it says raw. it's all about the jargon - they can say raw if the bar itself is not cooked, but that doesn't mean the ingredients have to be raw too.

also......nuts........lots of them in grocery store say "raw" but they in fact are flash heated or otherwise processed to remove the shells. i guess the logic there goes that since humans must avoid the toxicity of certain shells, and thereby stores cannot sell them with toxic shells, then they can technically say this is raw.....

there is also alot of hype about USA almonds, which i'm not sure if you've heard/read here on the board yet......apparently they are pasteurized but being sold as raw.

this was all so disapointing to me when i first found out, but you know what? the end result has been fantastic: i've learned to just use raw ingredients and make my own food, especially the green smoothies i live on, and i am good to go

i also learned that contacting companies is very useful - especially with email - just email your favourite companies and ask if anything is cooked/pasteurized or heated in any way........be careful about your wording, as all companies use the play on jargon to their advantage when they can. it's the world we live in!

best of luck on your journey and i'm sure we'll connect again on this great board : )

[Pitaya]

rawchelle........other options for purse i've been finding helpful lately:

bananas
apples
mixed nuts (often dehydrated with my fave seasonings.......if you look up nut recipes you'll find a zillion.......and they are raw and soooo yummmmy!)

i always keep stuff in my purse in case hunger strikes and i'm stuck for a healthy place - this often happens in the city i live in.

[goingrawchelle]

Great idea, Pitaya! Thanks. :D

[Riiiya]

i'm glad they exist and enjoy them a lot (esp. when on sale for 1.29 or less!) but they also give me good ideas for my own bars- i just buy the same ingredients, put them in the food processor, roll them into bars and into the fridge....MMMM!!!

[Theogirl]

Anyone have a recipe for making your own? I've never seen them here in Canada.

[goingrawchelle]

I came across this recipe for lara-type bars earlier today at...

www.bunnyfoot.blogspot.com/2006/02/homemade-lara-type-bars.html


homemade lara-type bars
makes 1 bar
1 Tablespoon dates, pureed
3 Tablespoons dry ingredients (nuts, dried fruits, coconut, oats, etc.)

pit dates and whir in a food processor or mash by hand until they're one sticky mass. this will be the base, the "glue" that will hold it all together. to this base, add about 3 Tablespoons of finely diced dried ingredients - the nuts of your choice (almonds, cashews, pecans, hazlenut, etc.), dried fruit, oats, spices, etc. with your hands mix it all together and form into a tight ball. roll this ball into a rope and then pat it flat into a rectangle. tightly wrap in plastic wrap (the wrapping will help the bar hold it's shape as you further mold it) and apply pressure to the top using a flat surface - a cutting board works well. to shape the sides you can take two knives and apply pressure to opposite ends of the bars. refrigerate wrapped. for larger batches shape into a larger square, chill and cut into desired bar shapes with a very sharp knife.

some tasty combinations:
cashew: 1 Tablespoon dates + 3 Tablespoons cashews
almond coconut: 1 Tablespoon dates +2 Tablespoons almonds + 1 Tablespoon unsweetened coconut
almond spice: 1 Tablespoon dates + 3 Tablespoons almonds + 1/4 teaspoon each: cinnamon & nutmeg + 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger.
cranberry coconut: 2 Tablespoons minced dried cranberries, 1 Tablespoon unsweetened coconut

[Theogirl]

Mmmm! Can't wait to get some dates and try it out!:p

[FloridaPatty]

if the order is $25 or more. I like them. They're a good price and they're handy in a pinch. Much better than most everything else out there.

[Banshee]

I'm a big fan of these instead of Lara Bars......

http://danstarco.com/products.php?product=2&flavor=3

I bought the bulk box, and keep a few in my bag at all times to take care of any craving....they are yummy!!!

[kaybee]

hey all--use the search tool to check the old threads and search for larabars. the rawness of them is REALLY questionable. its fine if you want to use them, but dont eat them thinking youre getting pure raw food because your probably not. im willing to bet the almonds they use are pasteurized and i would be VERY surprised if the dried fruits in them are actually low-temperature dried, though I dont know for sure. Also, I dont believe theyre organic, which means that you could be getting pesticides in the dried fruit you dont know about.

kb

[Conscious Midwife]

You can also use the banana and search fo

LIAR BAR or LIAR BARS ;)

RAW harvested and RAW prepared are not synonymous.

Their website does a good job of getting to the RAW unadulterated truth of things.

GOOD LUCK

[Aleesha Sattva]

that sucks. i just bought 3 boxes at costco today.

[YayaAnanas]

The website is really good about giving detailed information regarding the quality of the ingredients and which products fit into the "raw" category.

In the FAQ portion they do mention that the bars labeled "raw" are heated below 118 degrees so those should be fine!

https://www.larabar.com/secure/index_.php

[livin]

homemade lara-type bars
makes 1 bar
1 Tablespoon dates, pureed
3 Tablespoons dry ingredients (nuts, dried fruits, coconut, oats, etc.)

pit dates and whir in a food processor or mash by hand until they're one sticky mass. this will be the base, the "glue" that will hold it all together. to this base, add about 3 Tablespoons of finely diced dried ingredients - the nuts of your choice (almonds, cashews, pecans, hazlenut, etc.), dried fruit, oats, spices, etc. with your hands mix it all together and form into a tight ball. roll this ball into a rope and then pat it flat into a rectangle. tightly wrap in plastic wrap (the wrapping will help the bar hold it's shape as you further mold it) and apply pressure to the top using a flat surface - a cutting board works well. to shape the sides you can take two knives and apply pressure to opposite ends of the bars. refrigerate wrapped. for larger batches shape into a larger square, chill and cut into desired bar shapes with a very sharp knife.



I bought a bunch of ingredients last night & thought I would figure out how to make my own "Larabars". Thought I needed coconut butter/oil to hold it together, then I found this recipe. I'm going to try it today, but may still add a little coconut butter since I bought it.