NuGo Dark Review & Giveaway

Update - the giveaway is now over

About a week ago, my father-in-law told me about the NuGo Dark bars that he had been eating.  Because of his recommendation, I decided to buy one when I was at The Fresh Market.  On the packaging, it says that they contain 10g of non-GMO protein and are certified gluten free, vegan, and pareve. I was really surprised how much I liked the NuGo Dark Mocha Chocolate bar that I had purchased, because I am usually not a fan of dark chocolate.  It had a great taste and I loved the texture of the non-GMO soy crisps.  I posted a picture of the NuGo Dark Mocha Chocolate bar that I had purchased on my Gluten Free in Orlando Facebook page, and asked if anyone had tried them.  After someone mentioned that there was a chocolate pretzel with sea salt bar, I knew I had to try it.

At Whole Foods, I bought the other bars in the NuGo Dark line - Chocolate Pretzel with Sea Salt, Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter Cup, and Mint Chocolate Chip.  My two personal favorites are the chocolate chocolate chip and the chocolate pretzel with sea salt, which is amazing!  It's the perfect blend of salty, sweet, and crunchy!  I have been looking for healthier alternatives for my daughters for school this year, so I asked them if they would like to take one to school.  I cut them in half so they could have part of a bar for snack, and part for a lunch treat because they are about 200 calories each.  I have enjoyed them before my morning workout, as a snack after my workout to get me through to lunch, and as a lunch treat.

Not only do I love the taste of NuGo Dark, but they also happen to be made in a little town called Oakmont, that is about 10 minutes away from where I lived in Pittsburgh. It's great to be buying a product from our hometown!

I love this statement from NuGo's website - Our decadent NuGo Dark bars use real cacao dark chocolate to enrobe our bars. Cacao is a natural source of flavonol antioxidants which help neutralize free radicals and protect your body from cell damage while tasting delicious. Real Dark Chocolate uses all the properties of the cocoa bean, including natural chocolate and cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is important because it can reduce inflammation and lower blood pressure; vegetable fat alternatives used by other companies do not carry these health benefits. Our dark chocolate protein bars prove: Delicious has a dark side. 

NuGo is very passionate about dark chocolate food labeling.  They are petitioning the United States Food & Drug Administration on change.org.  

"The FDA has not set a standard of identity for dark chocolate even though there are FDA standards for milk chocolate and white chocolate. Consumers are being deceived into thinking they are eating healthy dark chocolate, while actually consuming fake chocolate made from vegetable fats (usually palm oil). Without a standard of identity, companies can label a product ‘dark chocolate’ on the front of a package without using real dark chocolate ingredients!"  You can check out and sign their petition here.  

We also recently purchased some of the NuGo Slim bars at Whole Foods.  With only 2 or 3 grams of sugar, these bars pack a protein punch with a whopping 15 to 17 grams of protein, and 7 grams of fiber.  They are certified gluten free, and contain no maltitol or artificial sweeteners. 

January 8, 2014

NuGo recently sent me their newest NuGo Dark bars to try.  My husband ate the chocolate coconut, because I don't eat coconut.  He liked it, but he said it wasn't his favorite NuGo dark bar.  This week, I tried the spicy chocolate with chili peppers, which might be my new favorite NuGo bar.  I loved its spicy kick, and the slight hint of cinnamon.  I will definitely be looking for this bar at local stores.  

So, would you like to win one mixed box (12 bars) of NuGo Dark?

How it works:   

Each person can be entered into this contest 14 times via Rafflecopter.   

One winner will be picked randomly, via Rafflecopter, based on valid entries. 

This giveaway is only open to people living in the continental United States.   

The winner will appear here when the giveaway ends and will be contacted by me.  If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.  Winner -- Amber Bowman

The opinions contained within this review are entirely my own.  I did not receive any free product from NuGo Nutrition until the January 8th update, and I approached them about sponsoring a giveaway. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway