"Superfood" is one of the loudest words in the food world and one of the vaguest. It has no scientific definition, and EU rules do not allow it to be used as a health promise. So there are no miracles in this article. There is what actually matters: which nutritious ingredients are in our bars, how much of them there is and what they add to your daily diet.
What superfood is, and why to look at it soberly
Superfoods usually means foods that are rich in useful nutrients relative to their calories: protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals or plant polyphenols. Typical examples are cocoa, nuts, dates, eggs and berries.
Two things matter. First, no single food replaces good health: your whole diet, movement and sleep do. Second, quantity matters: a teaspoon of cocoa and a cocoa supplement in a study are not the same thing. That is why below we always state how much of an ingredient is in the bar when the label says so.
Ingredients you will find in our bars
Cocoa
100 g cocoa powder: ~20 g protein, ~37 g fiber, ~500 mg magnesium, ~14 mg iron.
Cocoa beans naturally contain polyphenols (flavanols), magnesium and iron. Cocoa mass and cocoa butter are the base of real chocolate.
Where: in all 5 flavors. The RAW bar has 17% cocoa mass, the others 16–20% chocolate with sweetener, and Chocolate Caramel also has chocolate chunks and cocoa powder.
Almonds
100 g: ~21 g protein, ~12 g fiber, ~26 mg vitamin E, ~270 mg magnesium.
One of the most nutritious nuts: mostly unsaturated fats, plenty of vitamin E and magnesium, plant protein and fiber.
Where: RAW with cocoa and sea salt.
Dates
100 g: ~7 g fiber, ~700 mg potassium, natural fruit sugars.
Dates are a natural sweetener with fiber and potassium. They give the RAW bar its sweetness: it has no added sugar, and its 15 g of sugars come naturally from dates.
Where: RAW, as the first ingredient, which means there is more of them than anything else.
Coconut
100 g desiccated coconut: ~16 g fiber, ~65 g fat.
Coconut flakes and coconut cream add flavor and texture without sugar. Coconut fat is mostly saturated, so the bars use it in moderation.
Where: Coconut Neptune (flakes and 2.5% coconut cream powder); coconut oil and cream in the other classic flavors.
Egg whites
A complete protein with all 9 essential amino acids.
Egg white is considered the benchmark of protein quality. It is lactose-free, so it also suits people who avoid milk.
Where: RAW, 21% of the bar.
Milk protein
Complete proteins rich in leucine, an amino acid important for muscles.
Milk protein is made up of whey and casein: one is absorbed quickly, the other more slowly, so you stay full for longer.
Where: Coconut Neptune 34.8%, Chocolate Toffee 29.8%, Caramel Cream 21.1%, Chocolate Caramel 19.6%.
Collagen peptides
Proteins rich in glycine, proline and hydroxyproline.
Collagen adds to the total protein and gives the bar a soft, chewy texture. To be honest: on its own it is not a complete protein, which is why it is combined with milk protein.
Where: Caramel Cream, Chocolate Caramel.
Oligofructose and fiber
A soluble fiber, usually from chicory root; ~2 kcal/g instead of 4 kcal/g for sugar.
Fiber slows digestion and helps you feel full for longer. Oligofructose also adds gentle sweetness, so very little sugar is needed.
Where: all 4 classic flavors. Chocolate Toffee has the most fiber: 8.7 g per bar.
Ingredient map: what is in each flavor
| Flavor | Cocoa | Almonds | Dates | Coconut | Egg whites | Milk protein | Collagen | Fiber* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Coconut Neptune | ● | ●● | ●● | ● | ||||
 Caramel Cream | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | |||
 Chocolate Caramel | ●● | ● | ● | ● | ● | |||
 Chocolate Toffee | ●● | ● | ●● | ●● | ||||
 RAW with cocoa | ●● | ● | ●● | ●● | ● |
●● main ingredient, ● contained. * Classic flavors: oligofructose and polydextrose; RAW: natural fiber from dates, almonds and cocoa.
Nutrition: one bar
| Flavor | kcal | Protein | Fiber | Sugars | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coconut Neptune | 174 | 14 g | 4.6 g | 1.4 g | 8.2 g |
| Caramel Cream | 153 | 15 g | 3.9 g | 2.2 g | 6.9 g |
| Chocolate Caramel | 157 | 14 g | 4.2 g | 2.1 g | 7.4 g |
| Chocolate Toffee | 156 | 12 g | 8.7 g | 2.1 g | 7.3 g |
| RAW with cocoa | 218 | 12 g | 4.0 g | 15 g** | 8.8 g |
Data from the product labels. ** Naturally occurring sugars from dates; no added sugar.
What it means in practice
- High protein. In every flavor protein provides more than 20% of the energy (from 23% in RAW to 39% in Caramel Cream). Protein contributes to a growth in and maintenance of muscle mass.
- High fibre. Every flavor has more than 6 g of fiber per 100 g. Chocolate Toffee has as much as 19 g per 100 g.
- Little sugar in the classic flavors: 1.4–2.2 g per bar. The sweetness comes from sweeteners and oligofructose, not sugar.
- RAW takes another route: a short whole-food recipe (dates, egg whites, cocoa, almonds), no sweeteners and no added sugar, but more calories and natural sugars.
- Sensible calories: 153–218 kcal, a light snack between meals that also brings 12–15 g of protein.
Which one to choose?
- Most protein, fewest calories
- Caramel Cream: 15 g protein, 153 kcal.
- Least sugar
- Coconut Neptune: 1.4 g sugar.
- Most fiber
- Chocolate Toffee: 8.7 g.
- Shortest, most natural recipe
- RAW with cocoa and sea salt: 7 ingredients.
- Want to try them all?
- TRY Cheatless: all 5 flavors, 2 of each in a box, with free delivery.
A bar is a snack, not a full meal. Choose a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Excessive consumption of polyol sweeteners may have a laxative effect.
Sources
- Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods ("high protein" and "high fibre" criteria). EUR-Lex
- Regulation (EU) No 432/2012, permitted health claims (protein and muscle mass). EUR-Lex
- USDA FoodData Central: cocoa powder, almonds, dates, desiccated coconut, egg white (nutrition per 100 g). fdc.nal.usda.gov
- EFSA: dietary reference values (fiber, protein). EFSA