Are Caveman Bars Vegan?
Before I start my review, let me first say that this was a hard bar to decide to buy. Why you may ask? Well, it says “Paleo” and “Cave Man” on the package. I’m a “Vegan”, which is like the complete opposite of a meat-eating “Paleo”, and second, I’m a “Woman”, not a “Cave Man.” Obviously this bar is not marketed toward me at all. In fact, nowhere on the package does it say “Vegan”, which I find ironic, because I’m sure they purposely dropped the “Vegan” label because it would turn off the meat-eating paleos. Despite all of the labeling discrimination, this is a really, really good vegan nutrition bar.
The CaveMan Nutrition bars come in six different but all vegan flavors: Wild Blueberry Nut, Dark Chocolate Almond Coconut, Dark Chocolate Caramel Cashew, Dark Chocolate Cashew Almond, Dark Chocolate Cherry Nut, and Almond Cashew Nut. Today we’ll be trying the Wild Blueberry Nut (because my husband doesn’t like chocolate, which is the weirdest thing ever to me). All of the bars are grain free, certified gluten free, legume free (meaning no peanuts or soy), non-GMO, and dairy free.
Just a note before we dive into the bars…the other CaveMan products are not vegan and contain quite a bit of meat products but the nutrition bars are!
The bars are supposedly inspired by the whole-foods diets of our ancestors or as CaveMan puts it “Real food to keep your body going at its primal best.” Although I’m against the meat-centric nature of the Paleo diet, I do think it’s good to encourage more whole foods and so that part of the Paleo lifestyle I can get on board with. I also appreciate the Paleo diet’s emphasis on fruits and vegetables.
These bars are running $1.40 to $2.00 per bar on Amazon, which is about the median price for bars, whether you buy them online or in a grocery store. And, they have incredible reviews on Amazon. If you’re ready to try now, you can get the bars on Amazon by clicking HERE.
Ok, let’s move on to how these bars taste!
Taste Experience – Score: 10 out of 10
Upon opening the package you’re hit with the freshest smell of blueberries that gives you a warm fuzzy comforting feeling. For a brief moment I had an image of being in New England with wild blueberry bushes all around me. I’ve never had a bar smell this good. The bar looks really good too, like something homemade. It’s basically a combination of almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, blueberries, and currants, all stuck together with agave syrup. I love that you can easily pick out the ingredients just by looking at the bar. The taste is exactly what you would expect by looking at the bar: ooey gooey, nutty, seedy, slightly sweet, fruity awesomeness. This is a really, really good tasting bar folks. It’s the perfect mixture of nuts, seeds, and fruit flavors without being overly sweet. It is very sticky, so be careful about setting the bar down on your clothes or anything else you wouldn’t want to get sticky. I recommend using the wrapper as a holder, so you don’t get your hands all sticky. I rate this bar a 10 out of 10 on flavor. A true palate party when it comes to nutrition bars!
If you’re ready to buy now, you can get the bars on Amazon by clicking HERE.
Nutrition – Score: 9 out of 10
Let’s just start by saying that these bars get major bonus points for having whole ingredients! The first five ingredients are: almonds, sunflower seeds, organic tapioca syrup, currants, organic agave syrup. And, beyond that we have cashews, dried apples, sesame seeds, dried blueberries, natural flavor, and salt. Bam! That’s a beautiful ingredient list (a big deal coming from a Registered Dietitian).
Of those ingredients the only one you may not be familiar with is tapioca syrup. Let me explain what that is. Tapioca syrup is a natural liquid sweetener created from tapioca starch. It’s a clear, neutral flavored syrup that adds sweetness to foods, and is commonly used as an alternative to regular sugar. The starch to make tapioca syrup comes from the cassava root, which grows in Asia, Africa, and South America. Tapioca syrup along with agave syrup are what give this bar its sweetness. It’s less processed than corn syrup or sugar, but you wouldn’t want to eat several of these bars per day. Any way you slice it, all of these sweeteners are sugar, and sugar is not the best thing for your body. This bar has 11 grams of sugars, but there are 5 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber to offset the not so great amount of sugars.
Although the bar doesn’t have any added vitamins or minerals, it does cover 4% of your calcium needs and 8% of your iron needs. Iron helps to oxygenate the body and maintain energy levels and calcium helps build healthy muscles and bones. Iron and calcium are important for active individuals, making this bar a great option for a post-workout snack. The carbohydrate to protein ratio of this bar is 4:1, which is right in line with the refueling recommendations for athletes and endurance athletes.
The Non-Vegan Review – Score: 10 out of 10
Wait, what?, is this a trick? Where’s the cardboard-tasting vegan bar? Babe, is this the right bar, this can’t be vegan, it tastes too good. Oh, it’s paleo, not vegan. But, isn’t your site about vegan stuff. Oh, it’s a paleo bar that’s vegan but doesn’t say it’s vegan on it. Hmmm, interesting. Is it paleo vegan or vegan paleo? Whoaa, that’s blowing my mind. I think I just created a new category of people – Paleo Vegans. Think about that for a second.
People of the interwebs, this bar rocks. It’s a bar with all of the right curves and the perfect amount of junk in the trunk. Buy these bars, you’ll love them. Non-vegan husband out.
Parting Thoughts
These nutrition bars from CaveMan are amazeballs! I’m so glad I tried them, despite CaveMan’s marketing. They’re wholesome, taste great, and are priced right. They make for great snacks at any time of the day. If you liked my review and would like to buy some of CaveMan’s nutrition bars, please consider buy them by clicking on this link HERE or by clicking on any of the Amazon links in this post. Thanks so much for visiting my site.