ZonePerfect Bars Review -- Good and Bad News

ZonePerfecct bars are Zone "perfect" in name only -- they now are not Zone favorable. They do taste good and are healthier than candy bars and many other nutrition bars on the market.

ZonePerfect is part of Abbott Laboratories. This Zone Perfect bars review can help you choose which is best for you.

ZonePerfect Bars Review to Help You Decide

They slogan is Live. Create. I don't know how that is supposed to help those of us who are looking for Zone-favorable nutrition in bars that are convenient and affordable -- meal bars that are also convenient snack foods. But that's it.

You can help them aupport the VH1 Save the Music for redeeming UPC -- 5 cents for every used bar wrapper and 50 cents for one from a box. They say they're doing this to support creativity and the nation's youth. They are putting on tours to raise money, and of course also distribute product information about their ZonePerfect bars.

They started out producing bars which meet the Zone criteria according to the books by Dr. Barry Sears. His recommendation is that we all eat all meals in a 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein and 30% fat ratio. They wanted to produce bars that meet this, plus taste good.

So let me tell you this upfront -- ZonePerfect is no longer Zone perfect. None of them bars meets the 40 30 30 Zone nutrition guidelines. They're fairly close, but all contain more carbohydrates than Dr. Sears would advise, in comparison to the amount of protein they contain.

zoneperfect bars review

Zone Perfect Bars are Not Perfectly Zone Balanced

Dr. Sears has his own line of Sears Zone Nutrition bars, but they're expensive and I've never seen them in a store. So far as I know, they're available only through Dr. Sears himself.

There used to be a network marketing company that sold products based on the Zone diet, but I don't know if they're still in business, or whether any other MLM companies have that kind of product line. I would have to assume that any Zone-favorable products sold through MLM are probably also expensive. So I'd rather buy direct from Dr. Sears.

ZonePerfect bars come in Classic, Fruitified, Dark Chocolate and Indulgence Nutrition Squares.

Indulgence Nutrition Squares are the latest. They're designed to appeal to the rich creamy chocolate lover in you. Flavors: Caramel Toffee, Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse and German Chocolate Cheesecake.

They're 45 grams in size, with 190 calories. So they're smaller than the bars. 22g of carbohydrates, 7 grams of fat and only 10 grams of protein.

The Classic lines contains the first bars they came out with: Chocolate Almond Biscotti, Chocolate Coconut Crunch, Chocolate Raspberry, Chocolate Almond Raisin, Chocolate Mint, Cinnamon Roll, Chocolate Caramel Cluster, Chocolate Peanut Butter, and Fudge Graham.

I tried these bars years ago and they were too light and crispy for my taste -- like those holiday bars made from Rice Krispies.

Each bar -- 50 grams and 210 calories. 15g of protein, 22g of carbohydrates and 7g of fat.

Reviews of ZonePerfect Bars

The All-Natural Dark Chocolate Nutrition bar line appeals to people seeking a deep, dark chocolate taste. Flavors: Dark Chocolate Almond, Dark Chocolate Strawberry, Double Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate Cookies N' Creme, Dark Chocolate Mocha, and Dark Chocolate Caramel Pecan.

Each bar -- 45 grams and 190 calories. 6 g of fat, only 12 grams of protein yet 21 g of carbs.

Their Fruitified line is aimed at people who want a fruity taste instead of chocolate. Flavors: Apple Cinnamon, Banana Nut, Strawberry Yogurt, and Blueberry.

Each bar -- 50 grams and 180 calories. Only 2 grams of fat, 14 grams of protein and 27 grams of carbohydrates.

It's sad that this Zone Perfect bars review has to point out that none of their bars are now Zone favorable.

They have decided to go after the larger market of people who want something healthier than a candy bar, but who are ignorant of Zone principles.

That market is larger than those of us looking to eat only within the Zone. So ZonePerfect abandoned its roots.

Next: ZonePerfect Snack Bars -- ZonePerfect bars as snacks.