Nanuki Boom Bars: Are they really all that?
Health bars have always been a no-go zone for me. Growing up, I absolutely hated health bars especially Nature's Valley and those Woolies ones. I would not go near them , no matter how hard my mother tried to coax me into eating one of them. It wasn't necessarily the taste that put me off, because I mean how could I know what it tasted like if I didn't even bother to try it out. No, it was more the advertising around it (somehow adverts for health bars were always really boring compared to those for chocolate an sweets) and the ingredients stated on the packaging. I was not a fan of raisins or any kind of dried fruit, nor did I enjoy seeds or oats and don't get me started on anything that has dates in it. ( I recently found out that sticky toffee pudding has dates in it, so it gets a big fat NO from me).
However, as I started growing up, I suddenly noticed that all the "skinny" girls were quite into these bars and that this could very well be their secret to staying so thin, so I decided to give it a try. This was when I decided that they were all nuts and that my notions about this food being boring and bland were correct. However, I would gobble an odd health bar, here and there.
Fast forward, 4 years later and everyone is raving about the newest health bar on the block, the Boom Bar. The bar that supposedly does the things and goes boom inside your tummy, giving you the energy of a thousand suns and more. Lol, okay no I'm lying the packaging nor the website promised any of that, but you know , and I know, that that is exactly what was going through our brains, when you heard the word "Boom".Marketing on point, I dare say.
Okay, thats all good and well, but we thought you hated health bars?
Yeah, but when anything is covered in a rich chocolate, I AM THERE and on it (until I need to see a dentist bc of cavities). Besides, the way it was advertised on social media, all I heard and saw was "Brownie covered in chocolate bar" - so as with most things advertised, I had to try it out for myself.
Basics First
The Nanuki Boom bar is not just a chocolate covered delectable brownie, it is superfood health bar, that is available in 3 flavours:
1. Metamorphic Brownie
2. Matcha Explosion
3. Caramel Quake
I procured them through Faithful to Nature, but you can get at almost any respectable health store and even various cafes in Cape Town. A list of retailers can be found on their website, click here.
First Impressions
At first, I was quite taken aback at the price, R34,00 (R34,95 at Wellness Warehouse) ,for a bar no greater than the size of a brownie is a bit much, especially for a student like myself. But then again, when are health goods ever cheap, especially when you live in a society that prioritises commercialism over the well-being of their citizens?
I justified the price of it by telling myself that a Mcdonalds meal is still more expensive than this and that I would be doing a favour for myself instead of a disservice. I decided on the two flavours that stood out most to me: Caramel Quake (I mean who doesn't looove caramel?) and obviously, the Metamorphic Brownie. I placed my order on Faithful to nature that evening and received it the next morning (low-key the best online shopping experience I have ever had). Needless to say, I ripped the box open and went straight for the bars. What really caught my eye was the packaging, simple yet effective and extremely eye-catching. Usually the packaging of health bars seem to almost, provide evidence, in a way for the notion that they are boring, whereas this does not. I literally wanted to rip it open. However, wanting to instagram it and ripping the packaging open does not go together. So I CAREFULLY , much to my inner child's dismay, opened the packaging and took the first bite, of what could only be described as an explosion flavours.
So firstly, it doesn't taste like your normal brownie, its got an almost sweeter taste to it, in my opinion and I think thats due to the dates. However, that being said, it is not an unpleasant taste, in fact, its one of the nicest flavours I have encountered. It contrasts so incredibly well with the biscuit base and the raw chocolate covering perfectly balances out the whole thing. What I enjoyed most about this bar is that, the more you ate of it, the better the taste became. I was actually so sad to get to the end of the bar.
Another aspect I really enjoyed about it, was that it was super, super filling. More filling than a McDonalds meal ( which really helped me feel like I was getting that bang for my buck) and it gave me one hell of an energy spike. I felt like I could run up Table Mountain (I didn't, but its the feeling that counts okayyy?) .
Once I looked at the ingredients, I felt even better about myself, #fitlife, #getlikeme vibes. You know, those vibes you get when you eat one salad and you're all about that fit life even though you ate 1001 chocolate bars before that one salad.
It basically contains cacao paste, cacao butter, cacao flour,honey, coconut oil, tapioca flour ( I have no idea what this is but it must be healthy cause its not wheat flour ;) ), hemp seeds (ayyy, whats good ;) ), sesame seeds, flaxseeds, organic lucuma (a fruit that is believed to support skin health and digestion - yay for good gut health) , organic spirulina, organic mesquite (great alternative to regular sweeteners) and moringa leaf( best source for antioxidants, probably better than your rooibos tea girl).
I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking to spice up their boring diet- especially those suffering from fatigue. It is one of the best pick me- up boost s I've had in a while and it's really yummy. Literally, it is the most ideal snack, as it keeps those hunger pangs at bay and somehow my brain registers that there's chocolate involved, so I don't feel as betrayed by healthy ways, as I would when I am craving chocolate. Featured On <a href='https://capetowninsider.co.za/yoga/' title='Cape Town Yoga'>CTInsider</a>
The Caramel Quake, is just as good, but much sweeter - would definitely recommend this for when your diet starts to fail and you start dreaming about caramello bears. I absolutely loved the taste, but I couldn't finish it as it was really, very sweet and if I didn't stop, I could definitely feel a cavity coming on.
Nanuki, is definitely changing the game when it comes to health bars and I would highly recommend that you give them a go. I mean their bars are so good, that I put my own preferences to the side and actually ate something made out of dates. Now, thats what I call progress!