You Mean to Tell Me a MAN Invented the LUNA?!
Written: Jul 20 '01 (Updated Jul 20 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Nutrition customized for women, Indeed Nutritional, YUMMY
Cons: Maybe price
The Bottom Line: Surprisingly, LUNA bars are a delicious and nutritious way to have a snack.
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| willeftk's Full Review: Luna Bars 1 Bar |
Yes, that’s right a man by the name of Gary Erickson invented the LUNA bar in his mother’s kitchen in 1990. Shocking when you consider that LUNA claims to be The Whole Nutrition Bar For Women. I guess you could say that Gary is in touch with his feminine side, huh?
LUNA bars were introduced to the public in 1992 and it seems there has been no looking back for the folks at Clif Bar. Clif Bar is named for Gary’s father, Clifford Erickson, which I found an interesting bit of trivia. Where did I find out all this non-essential information you ask? Why, at the web site www.clifbar.com, of course.
The Lovely LUNA
Ok, let me tell you that I am no health food nut. This was in my memory my first nutrition bar. I have always been the type who shudders at the word “nutritional” because it has always equated “tasteless” to me. LUNA changed all that for me and I can actually say that I enjoy a good energy bar now and again!
LUNA bars come in several different flavors and there should be one that will fit just about anyone’s taste.
- Chai Tea
- Tropical Crisp
- S’mores
- Chocolate Pecan Pie
- Sesame Raisin Crunch
- LemonZest
- Nutz Over Chocolate
- Toasted Nuts ‘n Cranberry
- Key Lime Pie
- Orange Bliss
I have tried three of these flavors and all were quite good. The flavors I have tried are LemonZest, Chocolate Pecan Pie and Nutz Over Chocolate. Each bar weighs in at 1.69 ounces and each of the three flavors I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing contains LunaPro which is a mix of soy protein isolate, rolled oats, soy flour, rice flour, roasted soybeans, and crisp rice. There are other ingredients added to the LunaPro depending upon the flavor of bar you enjoy.
Of the three bars I’ve tried, I must admit that LemonZest is my favorite. That is not to imply that the others are bad, but when I want chocolate, I want REAL chocolate and though these chocolatey bars are good, they leave me wanting the real McCoy. The LemonZest was sweet and had just enough lemon flavor to make me happy. It was almost like eating a lemon bar, which is one of my favorite confections. It looks sort of like a Rice Krispie Bar but with oats and other “natural” things. There is this yummy icing type of coating and it was just plain yummy!
Nutrition Information, Please
The nutrition information will vary from flavor to flavor so I will give the information for the fattiest bar I’ve tried which is the Chocolate Pecan Pie (Oh yeah, I kept the empty wrappers in the cupboard and yes, my husband thinks I'm nuts).
Total Fat…………..4.5 g
Sat. Fat……………..3 g
Cholesterol………..0 mg
Sodium…………….125 mg
Potassium…………105 mg
Total Carbs………..24 g
Calories……………180
Vitamins & Minerals
- Vitamin A 25%
- Vitamin C 100%
- Calcium 35%
- Iron 35%
They also contain about 20 other vitamins and minerals including Vitamin E (100 %) and Zinc (35 %) but in the interest of time and space, I will leave it up to you to discover those if they are of major importance to you.
I won’t lie to you and say that this bar would suit me as some sort of meal replacement. I can’t find that recommendation on the packaging or at the web site. I think this bar is perfect for mid morning stomach grumbles or maybe in the afternoon when supper is still hours away. As a snack, I would say it’s perfect and the nutrition is a boon as well.
Where Are They Sold?
I was able to find LUNA bars at my local grocer for about $1.59 per bar. The price was not any higher than all the other nutrition bars surrounding them. They were located in the health food aisle of the store, but they were easy to find among all the nutrition bar choices.
A Company With a Conscience!
One item I think is important to mention is the fact that with each LUNA Bar sold a portion of the proceeds goes toward the Breast Cancer Fund. My mother is a breast cancer survivor and so this little tidbit was very appealing to me. If you go to their web site you will find that Clif Bar supports several worthwhile charities and that gives me a great feeling about buying their products. If you would like more information about the Breast Cancer Fund, their URL is www.breastcancerfund.org.
A Note of Thanks
This review is part of an unnamed write off hosted by Kimm, kminer. Her intention was to showcase instances of epinions doing exactly what they set out to do, namely informing Joe Public of products. Kimm’s challenge to us was to find a product we tried because of a review we had read at epinions. A list of participants will be located and updated on Kimm's review:
http://www.epinions.com/content_31987175044
I can assure you I would never have tried a LUNA Bar before reading the excellent review by Suzer entitled “Call 911 – I need resuscitation now! Luna Bar”. Suzer is a well -respected Advisor at epinions and she’s a riot. Here’s the URL to her review if you are interested in reading her experience with LUNA.
http://www.epinions.com/content_30134931076
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
willeftk
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 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Kelly
Location: Chaos Central
Reviews written: 171
Trusted by: 163 members
About Me:
Mother of 4 seeking quiet and solace...
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