A Celiac's Top 7 Oat Free Gluten Free Snack Bars
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*Some of the brands mentioned in this post sent me samples of their products to review and consider for editorial coverage, but I only share products I really love and all opinions and photographs (unless other credit is given) are my own*
What’s the best gluten free snack bar on the market? If you’re new to a gluten free diet, you might think that’s an easy question to answer because you don’t have a ton of gluten free granola bars to choose from. Nowadays, though, new gluten free energy bars are being released every year...and many of them are insanely tasty!
That’s why I thought I’d write a post all about the best gluten free snack bars I’ve gotten to taste since my celiac diagnosis over five years ago. All the gluten free granola bars I’m including below are also oat-free, as many celiacs like me don’t do well with oats, even if they're gluten free. And if you’re looking for gluten free snacks that are packed with protein, stay tuned. I’ll be sharing another round up of my favorite gluten free and vegan protein bars within the next few weeks!
Until then, though, let’s dig into my top seven gluten free, oat free energy bars, listed in no particular order. Many of these snack bars are also vegan and some are paleo, too. And keep in mind, I’ve tried a LOT of granola bars over the years but there are still tons I haven’t. So if your favorite gluten free granola bar isn’t on the list, be sure to tell me all about in the comments!
1. Lara Bar
Lara bars are actually the first gluten free snack bar I bought in bulk after my celiac diagnosis. I love that all the ingredients in Lara Bars are simple, whole foods like nuts, dried fruit and spices. For years in college, I’d eat one Lara bar every day during my morning break between classes.
My ultimate favorite Lara Bar (Cashew Cookie) is just two ingredients: cashews and dates. I also love Cinnamon Roll (probably my second favorite flavor of all time!), Blueberry Pie, Cherry Pie, and Chocolate Chip Cookie when I want a chocolatey treat.
Because they include so much dried fruit and dates, Lara Bars are pretty sweet. However, if you’re looking for a gluten free, dairy free, soy free and vegan energy bar that doesn’t have any funky ingredients and tastes really good, Lara Bars are a solid choice!
2. Enjoy Life Foods
If you’re a long-time of my blog, you already know I’m addicted to all of Enjoy Life Foods’ products. But when I want a sweet late night snack, their gluten free granola bars are one of my go-to’s.
Like all of their products, Enjoy Life Foods’ granola bars are free of the top eight allergens. They come in a variety of flavors, with my favorite being Cocoa Loco (which tastes like a super dense, super chocolatey brownie to me) and Caramel Blondie (which is crunchy from puffed rice but deliciously chewy at the same time).
Enjoy Life Foods also recently released grain-based snack bars that you might enjoy if you can tolerate gluten free oats. To be completely honest, nothing I’ve ever eaten from Enjoy Life Foods has let me down, so you really can’t go wrong with any of Enjoy Life Foods’ snack bars or other goodies.
3. Thunderbird Real Food Bars
Think of Thunderbird like Lara Bar’s slightly more sophisticated older brother. They also use super simple ingredients like dates, nuts and seeds and have a chewy, chunky texture. However, Thunderbird offers even more exciting flavors.
Case in point? When I got to try Thunderbird’s granola bars for the first time last year, I was blown away by flavor combos like Hazelnut Coffee Maca, Pecan Goji Pistachio and - my ultimate favorite - Texas Maple Pecan.
An image from their Instagram since I already ate all of my Thunderbird bars...oops!
The Thunderbird snack bars are pretty big in size and very filling, so I often only eat half a time and save the rest in a snack bag for later. But if you love snacking on nuts, seeds and dried fruit and want to shake up your daily eats, I highly recommend giving Thunderbird a try!
4. Elemental Superfood
Raise your hand if you’ve ever wished you could find a slightly chewy, slightly crunchy granola bar that actually doesn’t have oats.
If your hands wavin' in the air, prepare to be super excited to try one of my newest gluten free granola bar finds: Elemental Superfood's Seedbar.
Elemental Superfood actually reached out to me to ask if I’d like to sample their products...and as soon as I saw that they make certified gluten free energy bars and granola using buckwheat instead of oats, I couldn’t say yes quickly enough. As an added bonus, their energy bars are also raw and packed with superfoods (hence the name!).
So far, I’ve tried two flavors: Cranberry, Almond + Lucuma and Mulberry, Cacao + Spirulina. The bars are drier and crumblier than most of the other granola bars I’ve tried (especially if you eat the bars straight from the fridge, where their packaging suggests storing them). The cacao can also taste bitter if you’re used to more processed varieties. However, I love the unique flavor combos and the mix of chewy fruit with crunchy buckwheat and nuts, and for the past few weeks, I've been addicted to eating one of these bars every night as a sweet snack.
Elemental Superfoods Seedbars also have a finer texture than many other nut-based snack bars, so if you don’t like huge chunks of nuts in your bars, you’ve found a winner. Sneaking some extra superfoods into your diet doesn’t hurt either!
5. Freedom Bars
Meanwhile, if you live for big chunks of dried fruit or nuts in your gluten free granola bars, you’ll love Freedom Bars. These are gluten free, soy free, vegan, kosher, non-GMO, free of added sugar...and pretty dang delicious!
Right now, Freedom Bars only come in four classic flavors: Apple Cinnamon, Chocolate Cocoa, Peanut Butter, and Raisin Almond. You know what they say...if it ain't broke, don't try to fix it!
These gluten free bars are quite dense and chewy, but the crunchy nuts break up the chewiness and add some variety. I also thought the spice level in these bars - particularly in the Apple cinnamon - was perfect. Not overwhelming but definitely strong enough to make the bar taste like apple pie!
6. ZEGO
If you're looking for the ultimate allergy friendly snack bar, you need to check out ZEGO. Their products and facility are free of the top eight allergens, plus celery, mustard and more. Plus, they intentionally avoid using ingredients that can mess with people's stomachs, so all their snacks are also free from oats, chicory root, artificial sweeteners and alcohols. ZEGO just recently released this sunflower date flavor, so when they reached out to offer samples, the sunflower-butter-lover in me couldn't say no.
ZEGO offers a variety of different energy bar types, including Just Fruit bars, Fruit and Chia Bars and Seed and Fruit Bars. I've tasted the last kind of bar in the Sunflower Date flavor...and, guys, it is crazzzzy tasty. The texture is smooth and slightly crunchy, and the flavor is pure sunflower butter and dates. If you want a naturally sweet treat that still tastes like dessert, ZEGO is one delicious option!
7. Health Warrior
The last gluten free snack bar I’m talking about is actually one I’m an ambassador for (use my code "collegeceliack30" for 30 percent off at check out!). Health Warrior offers three kinds of gluten free bars: vegan chia-seed-based ones, larger superfood protein bars, and pumpkin seed bars.
Personally, Health Warrior’s Chia Bars are my favorite gluten free snack bar to throw in my backpack for school or my fanny pack on a long hike. They’re smaller than a lot of other bars on the market, which makes them the perfect sized snack for me. They’re also the only bar I’ve ever tasted that is based on chia seeds, which are high in omegas, protein and fiber. (Read more about why I love chia seeds here!)
I haven’t tried their new flavors (which include flavors like cookie dough and salted caramel), but my top picks so far are açaí (a superfood that tastes kind of like a tart blueberry) and coconut. I was also surprised at how much I enjoyed mango, and the nutty chunks in the almond flavor break up Health Warrior’s usually dense and chewy bars.
Health Warrior's pumpkin seed bars are just as tasty, though the pepper in their turmeric flavor is too overwhelming for my palate. The Chocolate Pumpkin Seed bar tastes a little like a lighter, crunchier Kind Bar, so if you love those bars, you might like Health Warrior’s pumpkin snack bars too. Most of those pumpkin seed bars use honey and are not vegan, but Health Warrior just released a new vegan dark chocolate coconut almond pumpkin seed bar as I was writing this post!
The Bottom Line of Gluten Free Snack Bars
Like I said earlier in this post, there are certainly still many oat free and gluten free snack bars I haven’t tried that are probably just as good. Right now, though, these seven are some of my favorites...and I think they do a good job of showing just how diverse gluten free snacks can actually be!
Whether you need a big snack and prefer eating granola bars made of whole foods or prefer an allergy friendly granola bar that reminds you of your childhood favorites, there is a gluten free granola bar out there for you. And giving up gluten free oats doesn’t mean you have to give up convenient snacks or flavor.
So the next time you’re having a super busy day at work or school or around town, I hope this list gives you some ideas of gluten free snacks to take with you. And stay tuned for my round up of the best gluten free and vegan protein bars sometime soon!
What’s your favorite gluten free granola bar? Tell me in the comments!
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Most Complete Food Correspondence List I’ve seen!
Baked Goods & Grains
Baking is a wonderful opportunity to create magick in your kitchen. Especially when kneading bread, you have a great chance to infuse your food with your magickal intentions. In fact, bread making itself is considered by many to be a sacred act and can be a ritual in itself.
With many baked goods, such as breads, muffins, pies, cakes, or pastries, you can change the energies of your food by changing flavors or fillings. Several examples are given below, but the possibilities are endless! With things you can form into different shapes, such as cookies, pancakes or breads, you can further strengthen your intentions by forming them into a shape or symbol of what you are looking to achieve.
Barley ~ fertility, grounding, healing, love, lust, pain control, prosperity, protection
Bread ~ (in general) kinship, sustenance
Dill ~ bread love
Egg ~ bread fertility
Garlic bread ~ protection
Pita bread ~ spirituality
Seven-grain bread ~ prosperity
Twisted bread ~ protection
Brownies ~ love
Buckwheat~ grounding, prosperity, protection
Cake ~ (in general) celebrations, hospitality; also varies by flavor
Birthday Cake ~ prosperity
Wedding Cake ~ fertility, love, luck
Cookies ~ (in general) nurturing, love
Sugar Cookies ~ shape to determine goals
Crackers ~ grounding
Gingerbread ~ love, prosperity
Corn ~ cycles, eternity, luck, protection, spirituality
Lentil~ peace
Millet~ prosperity
Noodles ~ long life
Oat ~ grounding, prosperity
Pancake ~ luck; can be made from different ingredients or in different shapes for different goals
Pie ~ (round–in general) spirituality (square–in general) prosperity
Apple pie ~ healing, love, peace
Apricot pie ~ peace
Banana ~ cream pie prosperity
Blackberry pie ~ lust, prosperity
Custard pie ~ spirituality
Chocolate cream pie ~ love, prosperity
Coconut cream pie ~ spirituality
Cherry pie ~ love
Key lime pie ~ love, purification
Lemon pie ~ love, purification
Mince pie ~ luck, prosperity
Peach pie ~ happiness, healing, love, wisdom
Pecan pie ~ prosperity
Pineapple pie ~ healing, love, prosperity, protection
Pumpkin pie ~ healing, prosperity
Raspberry pie ~ happiness, love, protection
Rhubarb pie ~love, protection
Strawberry pie ~ love
Pretzel ~ protection
Rice ~ fertility, lust, prosperity, protection
Rye ~ fertility, love
Tortilla ~ protection, spirituality
Waffles~ friendship
Wheat ~ fertility, grounding, prosperity
Fruits
Apple ~ element of earth, happiness, healing, love, peace, success
Apricot ~ love, lust, peace
Avocado ~ beauty, love, lust
Banana ~ fertility, love, luck, potency, prosperity, spirituality
Blackberry ~ healing, lust, prosperity, protection
Blueberry ~ peace, protection
Cherry ~ female sexuality, happiness, love
Cranberry ~ protection
Date ~ spirituality, strength
Fig ~ lust, prosperity, strength
Grape ~ dreams, fertility, mental powers, prosperity
Grapefruit ~ cleansing & purification, healing
Guava ~ love, purification, relieving sorrow
Kumquat ~ luck, prosperity
Lemon ~ faithfulness, friendship, happiness, longevity, love, marriage
Lime ~ cleansing & purification, healing, love, peace, protection
Mango ~ love, lust, protection
Melon ~ healing, purification
Mulberry~ fertility, protection, psychic awareness, strength, wisdom
Nectarine ~ love
Orange ~ fidelity, healing, love, luck, peace, prosperity, purification
Papaya ~ love, protection
Passion fruit~ kinship, love, peace
Peach ~ happiness, healing, fertility, longevity, love, wisdom
Pear ~ longevity, love, luck, lust, prosperity
Persimmon ~ happiness, healing, luck
Pineapple ~ chastity, healing, love, luck, prosperity, protection
Plum ~ love, lust, protection
Pomegranate ~ creativity, fertility, fruitfulness, hospitality, luck, prosperity, wishes
Prickly Pear ~ protection
Quince happiness, love, protection
Raisin ~ mental powers, sun energy
Raspberry ~ happiness, love, protection, stamina, vigor
Star fruit ~ protection
Strawberry~ intensity, love, luck, romance, success
Tangerine ~ protection
Watermelon ~ healing
Vegetables
Alfalfa sprouts ~ prosperity
Artichoke ~ growth, protection
Asparagus ~ lust
Bamboo ~ luck, protection, psychic awareness, wishes
Bean ~ decision making, grounding, love, lust, prosperity, protection
Beet ~ beauty, love, passion
Broccoli ~ leadership, protection, strength
Brussel sprouts ~ endurance, protection, stability
Cabbage ~ luck, prosperity, protection
Carrot ~ fertility, grounding, luck, lust, vision
Cauliflower ~ protection
Celery ~ grounding, lust, mental powers, peace, psychic powers, weight loss
Chives ~ breaking bad habits, protection, weight loss
Cucumber ~ chastity, fertility, healing, peace
Eggplant ~ prosperity, spirituality
Endive ~ love, lust, physical strength
Kelp ~ weight loss
Leek ~ love, physical strength, protection
Lettuce ~ chastity, peace, prosperity, protection, relaxation, sleep
Mushroom ~ psychic awareness
Olive ~ fertility, healing, lust, peace, protection, spirituality
Onion ~ endurance, healing, lust, prophetic dreams, prosperity, protection, weight loss
Pea ~ love, prosperity
Pepper green ~ growth, prosperity
Pepper red ~ energy, strength, vitality
Pepper yellow ~ empowered creativity
Pickle ~ weight loss
Potato ~ compassion, grounding, healing, protection
Pumpkin ~ healing, prosperity
Radish ~ lust, protection
Rhubarb ~ fertility, love, protection
Soy ~ protection, psychic awareness, spirituality
Spinach ~ prosperity
Squash ~ spirituality
Sunflower ~ protection, success
Sweet potato ~ grounding, love, lust
Tomato ~ healing, love, prosperity, protection
Truffle ~ love, lust
Watercress ~ fertility, mental powers, protection
Nuts
All nuts ~ fertility, love, luck, prosperity
Acorn ~ fertility, healing, luck, prosperity, protection
Almond ~ healing, prosperity, wisdom
Brazil nut ~ love, prosperity
Cashew ~ prosperity
Chestnut ~ love, mental powers
Coconut ~ allure and confidence, chastity, diversity, flexibility, protection, psychic awareness, purification, spirituality
Hazelnut ~ fertility, luck, mental powers, wisdom
Macadamia ~ prosperity
Peanut ~ grounding, prosperity
Pecan ~ employment, prosperity
Pine nut ~ love, physical strength, prosperity
Walnut ~ healing, infertility, mental powers, protection, wishes
Dairy, Eggs, & Meat
Some people view the consumption of animals and even animal products as a violation of the Wiccan Rede, so there is not much to be found on the correspondences of these types of food. However, for those of us that do consume these products, there is no reason that they cannot be used to put some extra oomph into a magickal meal.
Beef ~ grounding, prosperity, protection, strength
Butter ~ smoothing relationships, spirituality, tenacity
Caviar ~ lust
Cheese ~ grounding, healing, joy, things coming to fruition
Chicken ~ grounding, healing, protection, strength
Crab ~ lust, protection
Deer ~ elegance, grace, protection, refinement, strength
Egg ~fertility, lust, protection, spirituality, strength
Fish ~love, lust, psychic powers, strength
Ham ~ dramatic energy, grounding, protection, theatrical flair, strength
Ice cream depends on flavor:
Butter pecan ~ employment, prosperity
Chocolate (including chip, fudge ripple, etc.) ~ love, prosperity
Coffee ~ mental powers
Neapolitan ~ love, prosperity
Praline pecan ~ prosperity
Strawberry ~ love
Vanilla~ love
Lamb ~ sensitivity, kindness, strength, warmth
Milk ~ Goddess energy, love, nurturing, spirituality
Pork ~ grounding, fertility, strength
Sausage ~ grounding, protection, variety, zest
Shellfish ~ lust, psychic awareness
Turkey~ family gatherings, grounding, protection
Whipped Cream ~ prosperity
Yogurt ~ healing, spirituality
Beverages
• Alcoholic
This is not to say that if you don’t drink, you should start, but if do anyway, this information may be useful to you. Remember, to use moderation if you do drink, and keep in mind that getting drunk will impair your ability to perform magickally. If you are under the legal drinking age, don’t drink, no matter how mature you think you are. AND NEVER, EVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES DRINK AND DRIVE!
Apricot brandy ~ lust
Beer ~ purification
Blackberry brandy ~ lust, prosperity
Champagne ~ lust
Cognac ~ lust
Crème de cacao~ love, prosperity
Crème de menthe ~ purification
Kirsch~ love
Kummel ~ health, protection
Mead ~ love
Rum ~ lust, protection
Tequila ~ lust
Wine red~ celebrations, joy
White wine~ love
• Non-alcoholic
Chocolate Milk ~prosperity
Cider ~ healing, weight loss
Coffee ~ mental powers, physical energy, strength
Juice ~ energy, psychic awareness, purification, rejuvenation, vitality, can also vary with type of juice
Cranberry ~ juice protection
Grape juice ~ weight loss
Orange juice ~ purification
Lemonade ~ love, purification
Milk ~ love, nurturing, spirituality
Tea ~ courage, mental powers, prosperity, restfulness, strength
Tisane ~ varies depending on specific herbs used
Water ~ purification
Cooking Herbs and Spices
Herbs and spices not only add flavor and an extra kick to the flavor of your food, they can add a lot of energy to your magickal workings as well.
Allspice ~ determination, energy, harmony, healing, prosperity
Anise ~ love, protection, psychic powers, purification
Basil ~ love, peace, prosperity, protection, understanding
Bay ~ healing, protection, psychic powers, purification, repels negativity, strength, success
Black Pepper ~ banishing, cleansing, and purification, protection
Caraway ~ anti-theft, healing, love, luck, lust, mental powers, prosperity, protection, trust
Cardamom ~ increases strength of unions, love, lust, peace
Celery seed ~ grounding, lust, mental powers, peace, psychic powers
Cinnamon ~ healing, love, luck, lust, peace, protection, psychic powers, strength, success
Cloves ~ courage, love, lust, money, protection, repels negativity
Coriander ~ healing, love, lust, mental powers
Cumin ~ anti-theft, happiness, fidelity, peace, protection
Curry ~ protection
Dill ~ love, lust, mental powers, prosperity, protection (especially of children), weight loss
Fennel ~ healing, protection, purification, strength, weight loss
Garlic ~ anti-theft, banishing, cleansing & purification, healing, lust, prosperity, protection, repels negativity
Ginger ~ adventure, cleansing, healing, love, lust, power, success
Horseradish ~ protection, purification
Lemon grass~ lust, psychic cleansing and opening
Licorice ~ fidelity, love, lust
Mace ~ mental powers, psychic powers, self-discipline
Marjoram ~ cleansing & purification, happiness, healing, prosperity, protection, repels negativity
Mint ~ communication, energy, healing, love, lust, prosperity, protection, travel
Mustard seed ~ courage, endurance, faith, fertility, mental powers, protection
Nutmeg ~ confidence, emotional openness, fidelity, healing, luck, prosperity, social interaction
Oregano ~ energy, joy, peace, strength, vitality
Parsley ~ domestic tranquility, energy, luck, lust, prosperity, protection (especially of the home and from accidents), purification
Peppermint ~ change, healing, love, lust, psychic powers, purification, sleep, strength
Poppy Seed ~ abundance, fertility, love, luck, prosperity, sleep
Rosemary ~ cleansing & purification, healing, love, lust, mental powers, protection, sleep, youth
Saffron ~ abundance, happiness, healing, leadership, love, luck, lust, prosperity, spirituality, strength
Sage ~ cleansing & purification, healing, longevity, mental powers, protection, psychic powers, wishes
Sesame Seed ~ fertility, love, lust, prosperity, protection
Thyme ~ courage, healing, love, psychic powers, purification, sleep, strength
Turmeric ~ purification
Vanilla ~ joy, love, luck, lust, mental powers
Other Ingredients & Miscellaneous Foods
Herbs and spices not only add flavor and an extra kick to the flavor of your food, they can add a lot of energy to your magickal workings as well.
Apple cider vinegar ~ healing
Baking soda or powder ~ raising energy or expectations
Candy ~ prosperity
Carob ~ love, prosperity
Chili ~ protection
Chocolate ~ lifting emotions, love, prosperity
Corn Syrup ~ luck, protection, solidifying plans or ideas, spirituality
Flour ~ revealing hidden matters, consistency
Gravy ~ consistency, smooth transitions, uniformity
Honey ~ happiness, healing, love, lust, purification, spirituality, sweet things in life, weight loss, wisdom
Jelly ~ energy, joy, pleasantness
Maple Syrup ~ prosperity, love
Marzipan ~ healing, prosperity
Nachos ~ protection
Olive oil ~ spirituality
Pizza (cheese) ~ peace & happiness
Popcorn ~ lifting burdens, recreational activities
Salsa ~ protection
Salt ~ cleansing & purification, grounding, protection
Soup ~ communication, psychic awareness, steady change
Soy Sauce ~ protection
Sugar ~ love
Tofu ~ protection, psychic awareness, spirituality, strength
Vinegar ~ protection, purification
Yeast~ grounding, purification
Taken from: https://pagancottage.wordpress.com/our-craftings/homemade-kitchen/magickal-cooking/
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