Why are Nak’d bars called naked bars Mummy?

Natural Balance Foods recently sent me a very generous selection of their Nak’d bars to try out but since I have a nut allergy they’re no good for me. Bit of a shame, however I do have a very eager taster at home and also found a very lovely family to test them for me.

Quite a few were snaffled before delivery to the official tasters. Mr WhatAllergy was suitably impressed. He is a man of very few words so praise such as, “Mmmmm. Not bad. Can I have another one?” is probably about as good as you’re going to get. On a par with a bag of crips or a chocolate bar so that’s saying something. I had to hide the rest of them to ensure they got a proper testing.

Why are they called naked bars Mummy?

Jenny Tscheische is a Nutrition Consultant and recently spoke at The Allergy Support Group I run for the Anaphylaxis Campaign. She offered to try these snack bars and blog about it for me.

Jenny’s daughter loved the name – rude words have such excitement attached. She wanted to know why there were called naked when they had a wrapper on them. Sensible question. So we explained they were naked because they don’t contain anything processed or extra added. Just fruit and nuts. So here is the verdict from the Tschieshe family, who it seems, very much enjoyed these very healthy protein bars.

over to Jenny…

We are a happy family. That’s because one day this week when the kids were off school due to an Inset Day we trialled a range of Nak’d bars, many for the first time. Although I have been aware of the existence of Nak’d bars for some time the range I have seen in my local store has been limited. Also, for reasons unobvious to me, I have thought of them as adult snack bars. Well, more fool me.

Firstly let’s talk about the range of flavours because then you can understand the appeal to adults and kids alike. The flavours include Rhubarb and Custard, Berry Delight, Pecan Pie, Ginger Bread, Cocoa Mint, Caffé Mocha, Cashew Cookie and Cocoa Delight. Already the Rhubarb and Custard concept strikes a chord with my husband and I who loved the sweets by the same name as children. The bar did not disappoint. Although one bar would be enough for the adult palate the Caffé Mocha would certainly allow for more than one bar to be eaten. As for the children they worked their way through a smidgen of each bar before deciding which one was their favourite. The five-year-old boy who doesn’t like chocolate chose his top two bars; Ginger Bread and Rhubarb and Custard. The eight-year-old girl who adores chocolate and would eat chocolate flavoured anything chose her top two; Cocoa Delight and Caffé Mocha. As for the adults the Ginger Bread and Caffé Mocha were the top two. With such a range it would be difficult to get bored, unlike some cereal and snack bars.

Now let’s talk about the contents of the bars. The children asked immediately why the bars were called ‘Nak’d’. When I asked them what naked meant they had their light bulb moment. The bars are simply made of raw natural ingredients. Dried fruits, nuts and natural flavourings combine to make an easily digestible snack bar devoid of any of the nasties we have come to associate with snack foods such as preservatives, colours and sweeteners.

Although the bars contain nuts which means some children will not be able to take them to school, as a number of schools have ‘no nuts’ policies, I wouldn’t want them any other way. As a nutrition consultant specialising in child nutrition and allergen free living I advise parents to ensure their children get sufficient protein. Nuts, especially ground up as they are in these bars, make a great protein source to be enjoyed. There are other snack bars that do cater for those who cannot eat nuts or who are not allowed to take nuts to school. What’s more is that the bars, due to their simplicity, are free from gluten, dairy and egg. Certain members of my family (including me) don’t tolerate dairy products very well so these bars will be a great snack to have in our ‘snack drawer’ at home.

I am really pleased to find out that Nak’d have such a range of flavours and use different nuts in different products to create real variety. It is nice to have so much choice. So now I just need to plan my week according to which bar I want on which day. Monday shall be a Caffé Mocha day. Friday will most likely require an injection of fun and Rhubarb and Custard will certainly provide that. Keep the creative juices flowing please Nak’d. We are really enjoying the fruits of your labour.

Jenny Tschiesche, Nutrition Consultant
www.facebook.com/notjustsandwiches

So, a big thank you to Jenny and the Tschiesche family for this fantastic review of Nak’d bars, the dairy, egg and gluten free snack bars.