Vega Vanilla Chai Whole Food OptimizerHealth factor - 10/10
With only 100 calories, this nutritional powder sure packs a lot of nutrients into it's 30 g serving size. It has 11 g of protein, only 3 g of fat and 1 g of Omega 3. Made of all natural, plant based ingredients,Vega has 50% of the recommended daily intake of vitamins and minerals per serving.
Yum Factor - 6/10
I mixed this powder with 3/4 c. Almond milk and 3/4 c. water. The taste reminded me of a mix between an iced chai and iced green tea latte from a coffee shop. It was very gritty and the after taste was a little more...."earthy" than I would have liked it. I find this stuff better tasting than most powdered drink mixes (green drinks) I've tried, especially since it has a flavored other than grass.
Overall - 16/10
A good substitution for one of those syrup filled, iced chai-latte drinks from starbucks. All natural, so healthy and overall refreshing. I'd like to try it blended up with some ice to make a kind of frapuccion drink.
Berry Flavored Whole Food OptimizerHeath factor - 10/10
Same as above (Vanilla Chai).
Yum Factor - 3/10
I really did not like this flavor at all. It had the same kind of gritty texture as the Vanilla Chai but without the yummy flavor. It tasted way too earthy for my liking (and by earthy, yes, I'm referring to dirt). Even mixed with 1 c. of blueberries, 1/2 banana , 1/2 c. soy milk, 1/4 Pomegranate juice..... I could still taste the bitterness.
Overall - 13/20
This was my least favorite out of all the Vega products. Even with all the health benefits, I found myself trying to force this smoothie down. In my opinion, food should be savored and enjoyed, not gulped down with your nose plugged just to get in your vitamins.
Vega Whole Food Energy Bar - Chocolate FlavorHealth factor - 9/10
Just check out the ingredient on this thing:
Dates, hemp protein, organic sprouted flax seeds, almond butter, agave nectar, almonds, coconut, cocoa powder, sesame seeds, raisins, organic sprouted mung beans, organic wheat grass, natural chocolate flavor, lemon juice, dulse (which is a type of sea weed.... had to look it up!)
I mean nothing scary, nothing porcessed, just whole, raw, good for you super foods! The only point I took off was for the caloric content, I find 240 calories for a the higher end for my liking. I usually eat bars as mid morning or mid afternoon snacks and NOT as a meal, which I believe that the Vega bars are meant to be a meal replacement.
Yum factor - 4/10
Ouch. Yeah, so this bar was passed arround our kitchen table and tested by my mom, my youger brother and I. My mom could not even finish her sample she dislike this bar so much. My brother and I found it to taste ok. I think the problem was that my mom and I are so used to the sweet/tartness of Lara and Jocolate bars and my brother is used to the chocolate-covered-100g-of-protein-chemical-bars. I'm just thinking it may take some getting used to because it has a very different taste. The initital taste is cocoa and hemp which I didn't mind at all. My mom found it to taste like beans? Haha very strange.
Overall - 13/20
If you buy one of these bars, go into it with an open mind and do not expect it to taste like your other chocolate protein bars. I think we are all so used to highly processed, highly sweetened foods that something so natural initially tastes like dirt.
Vega Whole Food Energy Bar - Original FlavorHealth Factor - 9/10
Ingredients :
Dates, hemp protein, almond butter, organic sprouted whole flax seeds, agave nectar, almonds, raisins, sesame seeds, organic mung beans, organic wheat grass, lemon juice, organic dulse.
Simply beautiful, pure, and clean.
Yum Factor - 6.5/10
This was my favorite bar out of the bunch. It didn't have any weird after tastes or strange bitterness I tasted in the others. It had a nice nutty, hemp seed taste which I really enjoyed. As all the other Vega products it was less sweet than I would have liked it but I can get over it in this bar. It's almost like eating a big spoonful of hemp seeds.
Overall - 15.5/20
Truth be told, if I were to ever buy Vega products, this is the only bar I would spend money on. It had a very clean and simple taste and ingredients.
VEGA OVERALL
I really wanted to like these products. Vega is an amazing company who is dedicated to providing fast and easy, plant based power to athletes. The nutritional benefits of Vega products are out of this world (as are their prices $$$) but for me, most of the products had a very strange and sometimes unappetizing taste and texture. I suggest you try it for yourself to determine whether or not you enjoy the "natural" flavors of this product, but I do suggest you buying maybe only one bar and one sample packet of the smoothie mix to test it out. I wouldn't want you to by the huge $90 tub and then dislike it as much as I did.
I believe that food should taste awesome no matter how good it is for you. I don't want to force something down just to reap the nutritional benefits. You can get your vitamins, nutrients, macro and micro nutrients in with a diet filled with whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes and it can taste FREAKING GREAT!
Food should serve two purpose:
1) As fuel for our bodies and
2) To appreciate the flavors
No matter how good a type of fuel is for your body, if you don't appreciate it's flavor and texture you will be left unsatisfied which can lead to cravings, binges and all sorts of other problems associated with it.
Appreciate your food and your body will appreciate you :)
I really wanted to like these products. Vega is an amazing company who is dedicated to providing fast and easy, plant based power to athletes. The nutritional benefits of Vega products are out of this world (as are their prices $$$) but for me, most of the products had a very strange and sometimes unappetizing taste and texture. I suggest you try it for yourself to determine whether or not you enjoy the "natural" flavors of this product, but I do suggest you buying maybe only one bar and one sample packet of the smoothie mix to test it out. I wouldn't want you to by the huge $90 tub and then dislike it as much as I did.
I believe that food should taste awesome no matter how good it is for you. I don't want to force something down just to reap the nutritional benefits. You can get your vitamins, nutrients, macro and micro nutrients in with a diet filled with whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes and it can taste FREAKING GREAT!
Food should serve two purpose:
1) As fuel for our bodies and
2) To appreciate the flavors
No matter how good a type of fuel is for your body, if you don't appreciate it's flavor and texture you will be left unsatisfied which can lead to cravings, binges and all sorts of other problems associated with it.
Appreciate your food and your body will appreciate you :)
Cheers,
Sarah