Are Larabars Paleo?

This is a guest post by Jenny Sansouci – publisher at Healthy Crush. Follow her on instagram here.

Are Larabars Paleo?

The quick answer is that yes some Larabars are paleo.

Check out our Paleo Diet Food List for an easy way to figure out what is/isn’t Paleo.

When it comes to paleo foods, one of the first rules of thumb is to avoid most things that come in a package. But because Larabars tend to have minimal ingredients, there’s often a question about whether or not they are technically considered paleo. Larabars are one of those things that people can go either way on, so let’s clear the air.

First of all, let’s get one thing straight — cavemen did not eat Larabars, so if you are eating paleo to be exactly like a caveman, you’ll want to skip them altogether.

Great. Now that we have that question answered, let’s look at the actual ingredients in Larabars to get a real answer on whether or not they can be considered paleo.

Paleo Approved Larabars

There are a few flavors of Larabars that do technically fall within paleo guidelines, because the only ingredients are fruit, nuts and spices. These are all ingredients found in nature, and they are free of dairy, gluten, corn, soy and grains. Here are some examples of Larabars that contain only paleo approved ingredients:

• Apple Pie Larabar: dates, almonds, unsweetened apples, raisins, cinnamon
• Banana Bread Larabar: dates, almonds, unsweetened bananas
• Cashew Cookie Larabar: dates, cashews
• Pecan Pie Larabar: dates, pecans, almonds

Then there are the Larabars you definitely want to avoid if you want to stick to paleo eating  – these are the ones with added sugar or peanuts.

Non-Paleo Larabars

Some examples of Larabars that do not fit within paleo guidelines:

• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Larabar: peanuts, dates, chocolate chips (cacao, sugar, cacao butter, vanilla), sea salt
• Peanut Butter Cookie Larabar: peanuts, dates, sea salt
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Larabar: cashews, dates, chocolate chips (cacao, sugar, cacao butter, vanilla), sea salt

The Bottom Line

If you’re wondering whether your Larabar (or any other bar) could be considered paleo, look at the ingredients. If you only see fruit, spices and nuts, they are technically paleo compliant, but be aware that dried fruit is high in sugar, so you’ll want to watch it with the Larabars. I like to think of Larabars as a travel snack or emergency food, but usually not something to have on a daily basis – especially if your goal is to cut sugar. The Pecan Pie Larabar has 18 grams of sugar, the Banana Bread one has 20 grams. That’s a lot of sugar for one teeny, tiny bar!

Either way, getting in the habit of reading your ingredients labels is one of the best things you can do. If you need to grab a Larabar, go for the ones without peanuts or sugar to stay paleo — and better yet, grab a handful of nuts and a piece of fruit instead.

Want an easy way to figure out if your favorite snacks are Paleo? Download the Paleo.io app – the #1 Paleo app on the market.