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As a nutritionist, I have found that it is difficult to recommend products that come packaged that are actually good for my clients. I have spent countless hours in local grocery stores reading the ingredients labels in order to have a product I can recommend. About a year ago, my husband and I finally got a Costco membership and we have found many whole foods with good ingredients at our local store in Norfolk, Virginia!
During my pregnancy, I was terribly sick and struggled to keep anything down. One day my husband came home with a huge box of Fig Bars. I have always been a fan of other fig cookies growing up but was not a fan of the crazy long list of ingredients that came with the cookie. He smiled and said "Maybe you will be able to keep these down, I know you love figs and um... these say Non GMO on it!" I remember rolling my eyes at him and thanking him, figuring this would probably be another snack item that would sit in our pantry or we would end up donating at the end of the year. I distinctly remember being 21 weeks pregnant and not being able to keep down even water, my stomach was in knots, and my sweet baby kept kicking me as I spent the afternoon leaned over the toilet puking (graphic I know). I had this random thought to go look in the pantry for crackers and happened upon a box of Fig Bars. I shrugged and opened a package and took a bit. Talk about explosion of flavors! I flipped over the package to read the ingredients and was pretty pleased with what I was reading: Stone ground whole wheat flour, fig paste, organic dried cane syrup. I nodded to myself as I continued to eat a bar, surprised I didn't feel nauseous yet. I was a little tripped up by the fact that there was caramel color (ammonia-free) in the list of ingredients and a couple different types of sugar, but over all I would give the list of ingredients a B+. I probably wouldn't do much better making my own version and I had no motivation to-- unlike many other products. I went to theirFacebook page to read more about them, and I found this amazing statement! This made me feel pretty good about the company! Nature’s Bakery is a family-owned on-the-go snacks and foods brand that supports health conscious living and active lifestyles. 
My husband's "work" backpack.
My husband decided to try them the next morning and they became a really quick favorite of his! My husband serves in the Navy and works 12-14 hour shifts. He takes a box of Fig Bars to work with him every other night and enjoys them with some of his colleagues. So far his two favorites are Blueberry and Peach Apricot.
Fig Bars quickly became his "go-to" snack. I never was able to get my husband to be a raw fruit or veggie kind of guy. He quickly traded chips, store bought granola bars, and cookies for Fig Bars almost overnight! Every time we go to Costco, he buys another box. 
My pumping station in my living room. It is complete with a quart sized mason jar of water, fig bar, and a good book to read.
On Valentine's Day of this year, we welcomed our first child, Ezra James! He was born at 35 weeks and is a beautiful little boy! He is exclusively breastfed and takes a bottle of expressed milk when I'm at a birth or seeing doula clients. Breastfeeding throughout the first year means breastfeeding through growth spurts. I have a love/hate relationship with growth spurts. I love them because my body is able to regulate milk and feed my son who is constantly eating. I hate them because I have trouble eating and drinking enough. To boost my supply I do a combination of Fig Bars and Mrs Patel's Fenugreek Bars. Fig Bars help keep my energy up if nothing else!
One time we didn't make it to Costco for about three weeks and ran out of Fig Bars and I began to experience some low blood sugar (I get this occasionally when I forget to eat). We immediately bought some Fig Bars and I haven't had an issue ever since! We keep a couple in the diaper bag, a couple in the car, a couple in my husband's jeep, and I had a whole box in my hospital bag (which we polished off while I was in the hospital!) At night when I get up to pump, there is always Fig Bars sitting at my pumping station, next to a quart of water. I also always have a Fig Bar sitting next to my bed, along with my supplements and favorite essential oils, so that I can eat them when I first wake up. 
My night stand, complete with supplements, a salt lamp, and a fig bar for mid night hunger or morning snack.
So let's talk about some other reasons that Fig Bars are amazing:
-No high fructose corn syrup -They are made with GMO free wheat (which let's face it is hard to come by in the US) -They contain actual fruits (Fig paste, strawberry paste, pumpkin paste-- yes they have a pumpkin spice one right now & it ACTUALLY contains pumpkin!) -They are dairy free for those people who have to stay away from dairy (like some breastfeeding mamas!) -They are soy free (another thing that is hard to come by!) To be fair... Let's talk about some possible cons-- -I'd like to see them get rid of caramel coloring -I'd like to see them use avocado oil instead of canola oil-- but I am happy that it is Non GMO canola oil instead of the GMO canola oil that is so common here in the states. -There is also a few different types of sugars in the fig bars, I don't have a problem with this, but some people feel that there should be one and only one form of sugar in products. All in all this product is wonderful and I've been 100% satisfied. For a packaged snack-- they are amazing! My hubby will continue to take them to work every other day and eat them at the gym. I will continue to have them every night while I pump and have them within arm's reach everywhere I go! Once Ezra is about 15-18 months (when he begins to have grains) he will probably have some of these delicious bars as well! If Nature's Bakery happens to read this review-- Thank you! Thank you for making a fig product that is actually pretty good! I can count on them to keep my full and my blood sugar stable! I know what every ingredient is and can pronounce the ingredients. They give me energy and I don't get a "crash" like I normally do with carbs. The stone ground wheat tastes phenomenal as well-- and yes I can tell the difference! I thank you, my husband thanks you, and I'm sure his buddies thank you as well! If you would like to try some of Nature's Bakery's Fig Bars, enter to win the Giveaway! I hope you will be just as satisfied as my family and I have been to incorporate this product into our homes! |
Who am I? My name is Jessica Kellaway! I am the earth loving, natural parenting, Jesus loving weirdo your mama might have warned you about! Archives
April 2019
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