Nature Valley Maple and Brown Sugar

Before going on a diet I almost NEVER purchased granola bars. I honestly did not really know that so many of them existed. I ate the more dense stuff like Snicker's or Twix. But boy were they a positive slap in the face when I had to cut down on calories.

The honest reason why I bought these granola bars at the store was because they were on sale for $1. You can't beat that considering how expensive granola bars are. If you honestly look at what's in the stuff you're buying, you'll realize how much you are being ripped off.

For those of you who may not know, these bars are crunchy. I prefer the soft and chewy bars, but the crunchy ones seem to last better during the warmer seasons. If you don't know what I am getting at, the crunchy bars stay nice crisp and fresh no matter what's going on with the temperature. On the other hand, the chewy bars tend "sweat" or "melt" and disfigure themselves through minor temperature fluctuations.

When this bar first hit my tongue, it didn't taste like much until it sat there and sogged for a while. Then the maple and sugar flavor hit with a fantastic burst. They tasted pretty good.Nevertheless, I was disappointed for the first second that they were in my mouth. I happily finished the package and craved a little more.

So we can say that these bars tasted good. Are they really healthy? Well nothing packaged really is, even though these bars claim that they are 100% natural.
IngredientsWhole Grain Rolled Oats, Sugar, Canola Oil, Crisp Rice With Soy Protein (Rice Flour, Soy Protein Concentrate, Sugar, Malt, Salt), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Maple Syrup, Brown Sugar Syrup, Salt, Soy Lecithin, Baking Soda, Natural Flavor, Peanut Flour, Almond Flour, Hazelnut Flour, Walnut Flour, Pecan Flour.
It's not to say that they are all bad; you will get SOME health benefit out of this (like some instant energy and some whole grains). But that high fructose corn syrup doesn't look too good to me. The rest of the stuff looks fine though, at least I can pronounce it.

Overall, these bars aren't fantastic. They are just a good snack that's not too sugary. They aren't anything memorable. They are pretty low on the stats as well, with only 190 calories per bar.
I would give them a 6/10.