GoMacro started in 2004 when a woman on a Wisconsin farm, Amelia, adapted a macrobiotic plant-based diet to help combat cancer. The mother developed the high protein vegan and soy-free Macobars with the help of her daughter, Jola and not only did she beat cancer, but she created a popular vegan nutrition bar in the process.
A few years later, the duo developed Thrive Bars. The GoMacro Thrive Bars are designed to be low in sugar and made with raw nuts, seeds, and superfoods. The plant-based company uses whole food ingredients in all of their vegan products but especially limit the ingredients added in the vegan, gluten-free, plant-based Thrive Bars. Thrive Nutrition Bars are available in six flavors including Chocolate, Nuts & Sea Salt, Ginger Lemon, Chocolate Peanut Butter Chips, Caramel Coconut, Blueberry Lavender, and Almond Apricot. You can find all of the flavors here on Amazon and in the multipack but today we are going to review the Chocolate, Nuts & Sea Salt Thrive by GoMacro Bar.
Taste Experience – 6.5 out of 10
After opening the package, the bar smells like roasted nuts and seeds. The whole nut pieces are firmly pressed together to create a fairly dense looking bar. I love being able to see the puffed quinoa, cashews, almonds, and hemp hearts before taking a bite. It reminds me of the whole plant-based foods the company focuses on.
The first bite was just ok. There was a great amount of texture – chewy with the subtle crunch of nuts – but the overall taste seemed to be lacking the same punch of variety. I can see bits of chocolate but I’m disappointed the bar doesn’t taste chocolaty at all. It tastes like roasted nuts with a dash of sweetness swirled in. Thrive by GoMacro vegan nutrition bars are not sweet like many of their competitors but not necessarily salty either. Again, the overall flavor needs a bigger pop but I still enjoyed the bar as a snack. I also enjoy the Thrive by GoMacro bars chopped up and sprinkled on a smoothie bowl or slathered with a nut butter for a larger snack. The bars are decent and I would eat them when I need a variety from the usual plant-based nutrition bars but I wouldn’t consume these day in and day out. If you are looking for a plant-based nutrition bar with whole food nutrition, check out Thrive by GoMacro here on Amazon. Everyone else seems to really dig this bar, so I would recommend trying out one of the other flavors first.
Nutrition – 7 out of 10
I’m more impressed with the nutrtion label than with the overall taste (at least in my book). Thrive by GoMacro Chocolate, Nuts & Sea Salt nutrition bar has 190 calories per bar with nearly half of those calories coming from fats as one can expect given a nut and seed based bar.
The plant-based protein bar has a low sodium content, with 55 mg sodium per bar. This makes it a great choice for anyone concerned about heart health or blood pressure. In fact, the bar would have a significant amount of potassium I would suspect (from the nuts) and this would help blood pressure control in the body.
Thrive vegan nutrition bars have 17 grams of total carbohydrate with three grams of fiber and six grams of sugar. The low sugar amount (compared to other snack and granola bars) makes this a great choice for anyone concerned about carbohydrates or blood sugar. The fat and protein from the nuts will slow down digestion and thus slow down the glycemic response.
The nuts provide a significant seven grams of protein in each vegan Thrive nutrition bar. This is the same amount as in one large egg. The main difference (aside from one being from and animal while the other is not) is that the egg has more food safety concerns while the nutrition bar can be quietly tucked away in a purse, desk, or in the car.
Thrive by GoMarco relies on the whole, high-quality ingredients to provide vitamins and minerals and thus this Chocolate, Nuts & Sea Salt vegan nutrition bar has some vitamins and minerals but not a ton. You’ll find 2% daily value of Vitamin C and Calcium and 4% of your daily value for iron. These micronutrients are found in the almonds, cashews, flaxseed, hemp seeds, and quinoa present in the Thrive by GoMacro bars.
For a closer look at the numbers, check out the nutrition label below or order a box of Thrive bars and see/experience the nutrition on your own!
The Non-Vegan Review – 8.5 out 10
Nuts ahoy ya matey! These Thrive GoMacro Superfood Nut & Seed bars are bursting with nuts and seeds. If you love nuts, this is the bar for you. I happen to love nuts (e.g. my wife), so I really enjoyed this bar. It’s not too sweet either, which is big plus in my book. I hate bars that are overly sweet. It’s also not super sticky, so you can’t eat it with your bare hands. Flip the package over and you’ll see that this GoMacro Superfood bar has all of the awards: certified organic, pareve, gluten-free, vegan!!!, non-gmo, sustainable, certified raw, and certified clean. It probably has more seals of approval, but I think they ran out of package space. GoMacro puts only good, wholesome ingredients in their bars and it shows. Get u some on that huge river in South America. Non-vegan husband out.
Parting Thoughts
Thrive by GoMacro bars are conveniently packed in a small package with whole food plant-based ingredients. If you are looking for a vegan, gluten-free, soy-free nutrition bar made with sustainable practices, the Thrive Bar could be your next option and available here. The bars are not very sweet and on the lower in sodium than most vegan nutrition bars (Thrive has 55mg of sodium per bar). Nutritionally dense, well balanced with high-quality ingredients makes Thrive Chocolate, Nuts & Sea Salt a great contender to change up your vegan high-protein snack. Not sure about what flavor? Try out them all or just one on Amazon and help out a fellow vegan. My goal is to help you find quality plant-based products to fit into your day and boost your nutrition while pleasing your taste buds.