LIV FOR SNACKS SERIES: RXBAR

On Liv For Luxury, we’re excited to introduce a new series to the blog that we like to call, the Liv For Snacks Series. Today we are talking about one of our favorite snacks and go to protein bars from RXBAR. For those of you who follow me on Instagram and watch my Instagram stories, you will know I have a true passion for cooking, health, and fitness. And for those of you who consistently read my blog, I would like to share more about my love for food, fitness and how food can affect and heal the body. In November of 2016, I chose to live a completely gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free lifestyle. While this may sound difficult, I’ve found this time to be eye-opening and interesting because I’m able to research new and beneficial foods to add into my diet and find replacement snacks to the gluten, dairy and sugar filled snacks I used to munch on. Now don’t get me wrong, I didn’t eat fruit roll-ups and drink soda. I’ve always lived a healthy lifestyle and treated myself to a sweet every now and then. But since this change in my diet, I’m constantly looking for new recipes to create and snacks to purchase that work with my dietary restrictions.

I’m sure at this point you’re probably wondering why I’ve chosen to make this drastic lifestyle change. Well, I think it’s important for me to give you some insight on why I became so interested in how food can affect the body and why I made these dietary adjustments. No, I’m not on some craze diet, nor did I go gluten, dairy and sugar-free because it was the new “it thing” to do at the time. Two years ago, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, which is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the thyroid and heavily affects your metabolism. A few celebrities, like Gigi Hadid, Zoe Saldana, and Victoria Justice, have recently shared their struggle with the disease and I felt like it was the right time for me to share my struggle with all of you.

There are some doctors who say that Hashimoto’s cannot be cured and then proceed to prescribe you with a medication to relieve and mask symptoms. Other doctors take a more holistic approach and say Hashimoto’s can be cured with something more powerful than any medication – and this is food. So instead of resorting to taking medication, I’ve turned to a healthy diet and exercise and taken a holistic approach to reclaiming my health and living symptom-free. Since then, I’ve cut out gluten, dairy, and refined sugar from my diet and I live a very active lifestyle. Removing gluten, dairy and sugar is a natural way to relieve symptoms. Not only have these changes been beneficial to me and my overall health, but as other family members (who do not have an autoimmune disease) have come on this GF, DF and SF journey with me, they have also noticed major changes in the overall health of their bodies. This just goes to show how powerful food can be for both those who have may have small health issues and those who do not.

Now that you hopefully understand a little bit more about me and why I’ve made these dietary choices, you’ll see that all my snacks are GF, DF and SF! So, for the first installment of the Liv For Luxury: Liv for Snacks Series, we wanted to share one of our absolute favorite go-to snacks to eat pre- or post- workout. The protein bars from RXBAR are one snack the Liv For Luxury team can’t get enough of. I was introduced to RXBAR’s through my involvement in the Crossfit community. As I walked through Whole Foods after a tough workout, I would search through the protein bar aisle looking for a bar that didn’t have any hidden ingredients I couldn’t pronounce, added sugar, or ingredients I didn’t feel comfortable putting in my body. Coming from someone who believes so much in the importance of the effects of food on the body, RX Bars just seemed to be on the same wavelength.

If you aren’t familiar with RXBAR’s, they pride themselves on their slogan, “real and upfront,” which couldn’t be closer to the truth. RXBAR is open and honest about every SINGLE ingredient that goes into each bar with no surprises. They provide their consumers with real food. I admire the founders for seeing a gap in the market for healthy protein bars and driving ahead with a singled minded focus to create a healthy and delicious protein bar that is totally upfront.

If you’ve never tasted one of these bars, I’ll tell you right now – you’re missing out. I went through a period where I would crave the blueberry flavor because I just loved the texture and the natural sweetness that comes from the dates and the cashews. Each bar contains 3 egg whites, 6 almonds, 4 cashews, 2 dates, and “no B.S.” (their words, not mine…). These bars are perfect if you’re on the go and looking for something that will fill you up and provide healthy proteins, fats, and carbs. I like to eat these either before a workout or after a workout.

Since these bars are one of my go-to pre/post workout snacks, I have tried all the flavors and decided to narrow down my top three favorite flavors to share with you (as difficult as it may be!):

Chocolate Chip RXBAR: If you’re looking for a protein bar that tastes like a chocolate chip cookie, this will be your new favorite snack. It’s sweetened with 100% cacao, a dash of vanilla and chocolate flavor. The texture is similar to the blueberry, but with chunks of cacao you get a little extra crunch and even a little more sweetness! It is one of their newest flavors and it seems to be doing really well, because every time I go to Whole Foods to stock up, the shelf is empty! If you do find them, savor every bite! Blueberry RXBAR: Flavored with real blueberries, you get a burst of sweetness with every bite. The soft and chewy texture from the fruit and dates pairs deliciously with the slight crunch from the almonds and cashews. This flavor was the first flavored I ever tried from the brand and it’s been a top favorite ever since.

Mixed Berry RXBAR: This is another one of their newest additions to the RXBAR family. This bar is flavored with cranberries, raspberries, and strawberries, and as a berry lover, you can imagine how much I love this bar as well. It’s definitely similar in sweetness and texture to the Blueberry flavor, but it is slightly sweeter because of the fresh/tart cranberries, and the sweet raspberries and strawberries.

If I had to choose one out of all three…I can’t, I just can’t do it! I love all of them equally, but Blueberry was my first love. Every time I go and grab a flavor to snack on, it’s always a struggle. You really can’t go wrong with any of the flavors! If you’ve tried these bars, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. And if you haven’t had a chance to try RXBARS, I 100% recommend them!

I hope you enjoyed the first installment of the Liv For Snacks Series! I look forward to sharing new and exciting projects and additions I’ve been working on for Liv For Food/Fitness!

Love,
Liv

Shop the RXBAR protein bars and some of the other delicious flavors down below:

Blueberry RXBAR | Chocolate Chip RXBAR | Mixed Berry RXBAR