Extend Nutrition and a Giveaway! CLOSED

I was approached by Extend Nutrition to try some of their protein bars and write a review. I was intrigued because they were gluten free and they claimed to control blood sugar for up to 9 hours. “Regular snacks” metabolize over a 1-2 hour period, causing a rapid spike in blood sugar, but Extend Nutrition digests very slowly over a period of 6 to 9 hours.

Since I was having an issue with proper fueling on exercise days (especially days I biked to work), I wanted to give it a try and see if these bars took the edge off.

The first snack I tried was the Caramel Drizzle rice cakes. I’d brought a nectarine to work for a snack but when I went to eat it I realized it wasn’t ripe yet. Fail. Thank goodness I’d packed some of these snacks in my bag. I gave the rice cakes a try and really liked them! They weren’t overly sweet but tasted great and I did feel satisfied until lunch time. I don’t know that I’d necessarily agree with the 9 hours, but it took the edge off for a few hours until I could eat my lunch. I was a fan of these cakes!

I gave my dog walker, Amy, a bar to try and asked her to give me her honest opinion. She’s always out on the go all day long visiting animals she takes care of and can’t always plan meals accordingly. She’s asked me in the past for ideas on high protein, filling, low calorie snacks that she can easily eat on the road. I gave her the Mixed Berry Flavor. Her opinion: she liked it and it curbed her appetite for about 2.5 hours (which is pretty good for a protein bar, if you ask me). She liked the texture but the one complaint was that the bar had a slight chemical taste to it. I hear her on this one–most protein bars tend to have that flavor to them. I’m not sure how they can get around that.

I also tried one of the cookies and creme bars and I enjoyed the flavor, texture and it definitely took care of my hunger for a few hours. I didn’t think there was a strong “chemical” taste to it (no more than any other protein bars I’ve tried). I really liked it!

I’m fascinated and wish I understood the science behind how it helps with hunger because no protein bar I’ve ever had before has ever taken care of it like Extend Bars. Also, loved the low calories in them!

Where to buy Extend Bars: Walgreens, CVS, Publix, Kroger, Winn Dixie, Ralphs, Wegmans, Fry’s. If you want more information, check out their Twitter and Facebook pages!

Giveaway

I’m going to give one reader a $25 gift card to check out the Extend Bars of your choices. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post which bar flavor you’d like to try. I will pick one winner and announce it this Thursday! So leave your comment here! 🙂