Pineapple Coconut Cake Larabars
Have you seen the limited edition larabar? Pineapple Coconut Cake Larabars. As soon as I heard about them, I had to create a homemade version. If you like my Coconut Cream Larabars, you will love these Pineapple Larabars as well!
They are no bake, vegan, gluten free and paleo. Whip them up in minutes. If you like these, you may also like this post.
These did not last long in our house! I suggest doubling the batch and freezing some. If you have a nut allergy, you can probably use sunflower seeds in place of the cashews. That would make them lunchbox friendly too.
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Larabar Flavors And Saturated Fat
When it comes to unhealthy fat and oil ingredients, Larabars are pretty good. They dont include vegetable oils that are high in inflammatory omega-6 fats. And they dont contain noticeable amounts of trans fat.
Most of the fat in Larabars comes from whole foods, like nuts and coconut. That said, some bars contain coconut oil or cocoa butterand some people might still worry about the total amount of saturated fat.
Although there is some controversy on the topic, saturated fat is generally understood to raise cholesterol levels . Since LDL cholesterol are a heart disease risk factor, many health authorities recommend limiting your saturated fat intake.
Coconuts contribute saturated fat to a few flavors of Larabars.
One of the main plant sources of saturated fat is coconuts and coconut oil. Although some people regard coconut oil as a health food or superfood, there is some data showing that coconut oil does raise LDL cholesterol, potentially contributing to heart disease.
So you may be interested in limiting the amount of saturated fat you get from Larabars. If so, here are thetwo flavors highest in saturated fat to avoid:
- Coconut Cream Pie
- Coconut Chocolate Chip
All the other Larabar flavors have considerably less saturated fat, with only 0.5 grams to 2.5 grams each. That small amount of saturated fat is to be expected, as these bars do contain nuts.
Here are the three Larabar flavors lowest in saturated fat:
- Pineapple Upside Down Cake
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Are Larabars Good For Weight Loss
Larabars can be part of a healthy weight loss regimenBut theyre quite calorie-dense, being made primarily from dates and nuts. So you need to be careful of overeating.
Most of the ingredients used in Larabars are healthy, but they are some of the more high-calorie healthy foods. For example, nuts are very calorically dense. This is because fat contains 9 calories per gram, compared to only 4 calories per gram of protein or carbs.
Bananas are larger than Larabars but contain fewer calories.
Heres a thought experiment to help you understand why Larabars are not the best for weight loss: First, if youre familiar with the size of Larabars, just picture one in your head.
Now ask yourself: Is that Larabar bigger or smaller than a banana? Well, its clearly smaller. Maybe only about half the size, when you consider the whole girth of a banana.
But which one has more calories, the banana or the Larabar? Well, if you look it up, the Larabar has almost twice as many calories!
So you see: The Larabar has more calories, despite taking up much less volume. And if you repeat this series of question with more juicy fruits, the answer will be even clearer and more pronounced.
My point is that Larabars have quite a bit of calories for the amount of space they fill in your stomach. They are quite calorically dense. And caloric density is one of the key concepts you should understand if you want to lose weight without counting calories.
Larabar Flavors With The Lowest Total Sugars
Although processed sugars may be worse for us, consuming a lot of high-sugar fruit like dates can also spike your blood sugar levels and cause problems for many people.
For example, I personally found that high-sugar fruits like dates and bananas were giving me acne. And so did Larabars! So I stopped eating them. Sad, really.
Other people may be concerned about the sugar content of Larabars because of other health issues, like diabetes or just weight control.
Whatever your reason for worrying about the sugar content of Larabars, they range from 13g to 20g of total sugars per bar. Here are the lowest sugar Larabars:
So, we see the clear winner for lowest-sugar Larabar is Almond Cookie.
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Are Larabars Good For You
Overall, Larabars are pretty good for you. Compared to most snack bars on the market, the ingredients for Larabars are more whole-food based, less processed.
However, the total calories and sugar content are still concerns for some people. Larabars have between 13g and 20g of total sugar per bar, and around 200 calories.
Below, Ill go into a lot more detail about which Larabars have the most and least sugar Ill also look at the saturated fat in each Larabar flavor . And Ill look at salt and sodium, too.
But first, lets address why Larabars are not the perfect food for weight loss.
Are Larabars Healthy Heres What I Didnt Realize At First
I used to eat Larabars all the time. Id buy them at airports and gas stations often. I loved their simple ingredients and how most flavors dont have processed oil, sugar, or flour. But are they actually as healthy as they look at first glance?
Larabars areindeed healthier than most snack bars. They dont have the syrups, flours, and artificial sweeteners of other bars. However, they are still high in calories and total sugar, due to being made from dates and nuts.
Below, Ill explain why I personally quit eating Larabars in the last year. Ill also break down all the different Larabar flavors and share which are the most and least healthy.
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Do Larabars Have Added Sugar
Nine Larabar flavors have added sugar. The other twenty-one flavors do not contain added sugar. However, all Larabars contain a significant amount of total sugar from fruit, mostly dates.
In most cases, the added sugar comes from chocolate chips. So its mainly these chocolatey flavors that have added sugar.
Here are all the Larabars with added sugar :
- Almond Butter Chocolate Chip
- Banana Chocolate Chip
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
- Chocolate Hazelnut Swirl
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
- Strawberry Chocolate Chip
What Are Larabars
3 unwrapped Larabars.
Larabars are snack bars made primarily from dates, nuts, and other fruit and seasonings.
Theyre commonly used as a snack on-the-go bar, especially good for things like hiking. All Larabars are vegan and dairy-free.
One of the distinguishing features of Larabars is how they only have a few ingredients. The simplest Larabar flavor, Cashew Cookie, is made of only 2 ingredients: Cashews and dates!
Many Larabar flavors also qualify as being whole food plant based , as they contain no processed sugar, oil, or flour. However, this does not apply to every Larabar flavor, as discussed below.
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