I’ve been eating a lot of granola bars lately. Fiber One granola bars.
Yesterday, I bought one box of Oats & Caramel and one box of Chocolate Caramel & Pretzel.
I intended on eating one.
I ended up eating one…
of each.
First up: Chocolate Caramel & Pretzel
Evaluation: This bar was soft and chewy. In fact, it was softer and chewier than any granola bar I’ve ever had. The puffed wheat and pretzels gave the bar a fun texture and added some crunch. The chocolate dipped bottom, chocolate chips, and caramel drizzle provided just the right touch of sweetness – present, but not overpowering. Overall, I’d rate this bar 3.5 stars out of 5.
Next up: Oats & Caramel
Evaluation: One of the worst granola bars I’ve had, period. Granola bars are supposed to be soft and chewy, but eating this was like eating oats stuck together with Super Glue – way too sticky and chewy. The texture was boring, and it was sickly sweet. Overall, I’d rate it 1 star out of 5.
Conclusion: I will not be buying the Oats & Caramel bars again simply because I found them disgusting. Nor will I be buying the Chocolate Caramel & Pretzel bars in the future, even though I enjoyed them. I was absolutely shocked when I read the ingredients list; both of these bars contain high maltose corn syrup. Does that sound familiar? It should. Hint: HFCS… high fructose corn syrup.
So… what is HMCS aka high maltose corn syrup?
In a nutshell, it is a processed sugar that is the cousin of high fructose corn syrup.
Yikes.
Although there isn’t a lot of extensive studies on high maltose corn syrup, I’m guessing it is far from healthy. And for this reason, I will not be buying Fiber One granola bars in the future.
To read more about HMCS, check out this site.
What are your thoughts on Fiber One and their choice to add high maltose corn syrup to their products?
❤ J