Review of Gluten-free Probiotic Bars

Until the company that makes Attune bars contacted me, I’d never heard of their products. The chocolate bars are more than just a tasty sweet treat – the product contains five times more live probiotic cultures than found in yogurt. They also contain 30% of the RDA of calcium, something that’s very important to people like me who have premature osteopenia (due to having celiac). The bars have a lot of fiber (something not often present in chocolate bars and they have only 80 to 100 calories each, depending on the flavor. Products with probitics added to them are the hot new thing in nutrition these days, as evidenced by a zillion ads for them on TV. These “live foods” aid in helping to keep your digestive system on track.

Some things that are healthy and “good for us” don’t taste that great. I’m happy to report that in the case of Attune bars, the taste is quite wonderful! All three bars I tried were delicious but I’m a little partial to the Chocolate Crisp bar. As you might imagine, a chocolate bar with a crunch to it tastes quite similar to a Crunch candy bar. Both the Dark Chocolate and Chocolate Mint bars offered a lovely taste but the perfectly crunchy chocolaty goodness of the Chocolate Crisp bar took me back in time. I probably haven’t had a Crunch bar in twenty years since I wasn’t a big candy person when I ate gluten. Even so, I simply LOVE the Chocolate Crisp Attune bars!

As most of us know, people who avoid gluten often don’t have enough healthy bacteria to promote good digestive health. It’s for that reason that celiac knowledgeable doctors will prescribe an over the counter probiotic to celiac patients. People should consult with their doctors regarding taking such products, but the new food items with probiotics in them seem like a natural fit for people who can’t eat gluten. On the Attune package, it says that one “bar every day keeps your body happy”. I doubt I’d eat any chocolate bar every single day but these bars are one of the best tasting probiotic products I’ve come across.

Many of the items hitting the market are yogurt and unless it’s frozen, I typically don’t eat yogurt. I’ll use plain low fat yogurt instead of mayo in tuna fish salad at times, but that’s as far as I go with non frozen yogurt. Here is what is so great about the Attune bars, for me personally. They are literally good for me – are not yogurt – and taste great. That’s about all I can ask for in a probiotic product. Finally there is something that we can just take and go. Attune bars should be kept in the refrigerator until you want to pack them to enjoy during the day. They can be found in the yogurt aisle in stores. Please note that the granola bars from Attune are not gluten-free.

Gluten-free Attune bar flavors:

• Chocolate Crisp
• Dark Chocolate
• Mint Chocolate
• Blueberry Vanilla
• Almond Milk Chocolate
• Raspberry Dark Chocolate
• Coffee Bean Dark Chocolate

When I read the allergen statement on the Attune package, I actually had to contact the company to make sure the items they sent me were in fact, gluten-free. The bars are manufactured on equipment that also processes peanuts, tree nuts and wheat. The good news is that the bars are tested for gluten-free safety and are now going through a gluten-free certification process. There are processes in place at the factory to mitigate cross contamination issues. This is not always the case with all products manufactured on lines that process allergen ingredients. That’s why it’s a good idea to know the policies of companies you purchase food from before choosing to consume their products.

Some people believe that they can’t eat certain things based on non medical professionals telling them incorrect information regarding the gluten-free diet. Luckily, we’re all free to do what works for us personally. That means we can choose to consult with experts about what and is not safe for us to consume instead of blindly following others. Personally, I’m really glad to have Attune bars with healthy probiotics in them to enjoy instead of yogurt!

Special thanks to Attune Foods for my sample bars. I will be on the lookout for them in the yogurt aisle!