Whitworths Full of Super Coconut Raw Bars

I've picked up some of the Whitworths Full of Super range before (the cayenne flaxseed crisps were very moreish) and so decided to give the coconut raw bars a go as well. I've become a lot more conscious about what I eat and am increasingly picking vegan options for snacking made with natural, wholesome ingredients as frankly there's just as much choice nowadays and without dairy it just has to be better for the planet.

This is a mix of:

Coconut flakes (25%), sunflower seeds (22%), agave nectar, almonds (10%), cashews (10%), buckwheat, golden flax seeds (3%), chia seeds (0.6%), vanilla, quinoa, acai.

So all things I recognise and feel good about putting in my body. The bar is gluten free with no soy and suitable for vegetarians but also has no dairy or eggs in the ingredients so also okay for vegans (although there is risk of contamination). Sugar as we all know is not good and impressively this bar has less than 10g sugars in total all from unrefined sugars.

It's quite high in calories (245) and fat but you would expect that from nuts, seeds and coconuts but it does also mean you get nearly 7g of natural plant based protein, a really good source of fibre (almost 6g!) and it contains 34% of your vitamin B12 of the day, which is something those avoiding animal products can struggle to get enough of in their diets.

What I like about these raw bars is that Whitworths make two smaller bars in each pack so you can eat them in two sittings if you like, which makes it last longer. They're fairly filling and after lunch, I find one bar is enough to curb a sweet craving.

These are much more solid than say a Nakd bar with a sturdier, thicker texture and feel more substantial. It's a little sweet with a really strong coconut flavour, which you would expect. It does taste quite raw and wholefoods-esque rather than the more mainstream options like Nakd but nutritionally this probably holds up better and contains less sugar. The coconut flavour is very full on and might not be to everyone's taste, especially if you're used to sweetened fake coconut in things like Bounty or sugary coconut yogurts but I really enjoyed it.

The only thing that stops this being a regular to my snack bar box is the price. £1.50 is a lot for one bar and even on £1 is still much more expensive than a lot of other options out there. For a big well known company like Whitworths I would expect these to be more accessible - there are loads of bars in Holland and Barrett cheaper than this. Nakd Bars are also much cheaper and offer multipacks too so this is kind of where it falls down. It's a very nice bar and nutritionally good but also rather pricey.

Price: £1.50 (bought on £1 promo at Tesco)
Bought at: Tesco
Per Bar: 245 calories, 16.4g fat, 6.4g sat fat, 9.9g sugars, 5.7g fibre, 6.9g protein

Pret Protein Packed Superbowl

Expensive as it is, I do like to treat myself to a Pret now and then and like the fact they are first with new trends and offer genuinely healthy lunches on the go. The new protein packed superbowl caught my eye today as I was in need of a less carby lunch following a carb heavy breakfast and this ticked the box nicely.

It's all simple real food. Chargrilled chicken and egg form the protein basis and it's on a bed of lentils and quinoa - both pulses known for being good vegetarian protein as well as low GI. Chuck in some healthy fats from avocado, superfood spinach and then parsley, peas and lemon juice for flavour and a seed mix for crunch and extra protein and you've got a rock solid nutritional lunch right there.

Is it the most exciting taste ever? No, it is as you expect simple wholefoods but they do all taste great and complement each other nicely if not setting your taste buds nicely. What I like about Pret is that it tastes fresh. The avocado is firm but ripe and very creamy rather than mushy, the leaves aren't wilted but perky and crisp and the chicken in particular is very flavoursome and tender rather than the nasty stuff you get in cheap pre-packed salads.

It's just a good tasting healthy lunch and it really kept me going. I also bought a bag of kale crisps from there and this tided me over until dinner time with no need to snack. I can't afford to spend £5 on a salad every day but it was a good fit for me today.

Price: £4.99

Bought at: Pret A Manger

Nutrition per bowl: 411 calories, 16.9g fat, 3.9g sat fat, 3.6g sugars, 32.7g protein, 1.3g salt

Score: 7.3

Elephant Food Superfood Snack Nuttin' But Energy Megamix

You can't beat a good bag of trail mix for just carrying around for a little munch on when you're out and about or just something you can dip your hand into at the office or at home. However, I'm fed up of those standard boring bags of just raisins, sultanas with a few nuts (usually cheap peanuts) thrown in. So when I saw this mix by Elephant Food, the combination blew my mind,

This instead is the far more exotic sounding mix of raw cacao nibs, raw brazil nuts, cashews, roasted tamari almonds, sunflower seeds and toasted buckwheat clusters covered in 70% cacao dark chocolate, What an absolutely intriguing and original idea. The Elephant Food superfood snack range comes in little 30g individual satchets for eating in one or, as I bought, larger 100g bags that are also resealable.

Looking into the bag I was really impressed by the wide range of things going on. This is one bag where they haven't skimped and there's a really even mix of the ingredients. All the nuts and seeds are good quality and it's a really fantastic mix of textures and flavours with no two handfuls being the same. The star of the show I have to say is the dark choc coated buckwheat clusters - they are seriously good and addictive. Buckwheat is a low GI grain and it's crunchy texture pairs perfectly with the 70% cocoa choc which has just the right level of sweetness but also a dark intensity that marries beautifully with the buckwheat but also when you eat a piece along with the nuts and seeds. Frankly I could really happily buy a bag of these just by themselves.

The tamari almonds have a slight saltiness to them which also works fantastically with the other flavours. There's just so much going on with these and I found as well as eating from the bag by the handful it made a nice topping for yogurt or porridge as well. It's a genuinely healthy snack with the magnesium and minerals from the nuts and seeds, great for boosting your energy, and even with the choc buckwheat clusters, the product is only 6.3% sugars or only 3.2g per serving. It's also a good source of fibre and plant protein.

The bag is also resealable which I appreciate helping keep things fresh but also making it perfect to carry out and about with you without the fear of fishing seeds from the bottom of the bags. This is a top quality snack and really quite unlike any other trail mix I've seen. I'd be interested in trying more from Elephant Food

Price: £2.49
Bought at: Holland and Barrett
Nutrition per serving: 269 calories, 18g fat, 5.5g sat fat, 3.2g sugars, 4.3g fibre, 7.7g protein, 0.01g salt

Score: 8/10