Food Review

food review Oct 10, 2021

I'm a Certified Food Critic...

Not really, BUT I do know what I'm looking for and NOT looking for when it comes to purchasing food in a bag, container or box. 

If you've worked with me before, you know I'm not a huge proponent of calorie counting; I like to work on building awareness and leaning into intuitive eating while educating on what can be harmful to your body. If you've worked with me before, you also know I'm not a huge proponent of snacking but more on well-balanced meals to eliminate cravings or snacking, however sometimes that sweet craving occurs and it's nice to oblige every once in a while. 

When grocery shopping and looking for snacks for the kids or myself, I like to ensure that I'm purchasing clean ingredients that will minimize any inflammatory reaction within my body or significant blood sugar spikes. 

A few weeks ago while shopping at Trader Joe's, I came across this product just as I was about to checkout - they definitely set up the store strategically for impulse buys - especially when you're in line for checkout. Touché Trader Joe's, touché. Needless to say, after looking at the label, I caved and hold no regrets about it. 

Here's my review:

The ingredients are on point - all organic, NO inflammatory oils, and a lot of natural spices to boost the flavor profile of the snack. The snack includes grains, fiber, vegetable (pumpkin) and a healthy fat (coconut oil) offering you some stability when it comes to your blood sugar. The bark is broken into small pieces so you can easily grab one and go. No harmful dyes. It's made here in the state of Vermont!

The only thing I would like to be different is the percentage of dark chocolate, they use 66%, typically I like to see above 70% for the added health benefits.

Here's a list of the ingredients: organic dark chocolate (*organic unsweetened chocolate, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa butter), organic rolled oats, organic pumpkin seeds, organic maple syrup, organic pumpkin puree, organic corn flakes (organic milled corn, organic cane sugar, sea salt), organic brown rice flour, organic quinoa, organic roasted almonds, organic coconut oil, organic sugar, organic vanilla extract, organic cinnamon, organic ginger, organic nutmeg, organic clove, sea salt.

If you find yourself at Trader Joe's during the Fall season and are looking for something to satisfy that sweet tooth every now and then, I highly recommend Trader Joe's Organic Pumpkin Spice Bark. 

#Notanad 

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