Love Good Fats Bar – Dietitian Review
This Love Good Fats Bar Dietitian Review will help you decide if Love Good Fats bars are nutritionally sound and live up to their marketing claims. Read on for our dietitian review of taste, nutritional properties, ingredients, use, cost, and overall versatility before making your decision.
Love Good Fats Bar – Dietitian Review
About Love Good Fats
Love Good Fats are packaged snack bars made with a blend of fats, fibre, and protein. They are available in seven flavours: chocolate chip cookie dough, mint chocolate chip, peanut butter, lemon mousse, cookies & cream, coconut chocolate chip, and chocolatey almond.
Nutrition Marketing Claims
Love Good Fats describes these bars as keto snack bars “Loaded with good fats from nuts, nut butters, and coconut oil”. They state that they are “the perfect combination of nutrients and indulgence”. They also imply that these bars are part of a healthy lifestyle, “our balance of good fats, protein, high fibre, and very little sugar is Keto certified and will help you stay on track”.
Taste & Texture of Love Good Fats Bars
I sampled the cookie dough flavour for this review. This bar has a soft, creamy texture with crispy rice bits throughout that add a nice crunch. I wouldn’t describe the flavour of this bar as cookie dough. To me, it had more of a bitter dark chocolate flavour. I could taste the stevia in this product, but it wasn’t strong as some other stevia-sweetened products. Overall, I would agree that this bar felt like an indulgence, mostly due to the chocolate flavour and melt-in-your-mouth texture throught the bar.
Love Good Fats Bar Ingredients
Fat blend:
Almond butter: is listed as the first ingredient. As a source of both mono-and poly-unsaturated fats, almond butter is considered a source of healthy fats. Depending on the amount used, almond butter will also provide some protein to this bar.
Palm stearin: a type of vegetable oil. Palm stearin is the solid part that forms when palm oil is processed at a controlled temperature. This oil contains mostly saturated fats.
Coconut oil: oil coming from coconut, containing mostly saturated fats.
Other ingredients:
Inulin: derived from chicory root extract. Due to it’s mild flavour, inulin is commonly used in snack bars to boost the fibre content.
Palm kernel and palm oil: these are vegetable oils that contain mostly saturated fats.
Brown rice protein: this provides most of the protein in this bar, in addition to the almond butter.
Cocoa powder: used as part of the chocolate-flavoured coating as well as chocolate chips.
Sunflower lecithin: used as an emulsifier to help fats blend with other ingredients.
Soluble corn fibre: added to boost the fibre content of this bar.
Semi-sweet chocolate chips: used as part of the cookie dough filling in this flavour.
Rice flour and whole grain brown rice flour: add a small amount of starch to this product. Likely added for texture.
Natural flavour: adds flavor to this bar. Want to know more about natural flavours? Check out our blog post What are Natural Flavours and Should You Avoid Them? here.
Sea salt: used in a small amount as a flavouring agent.
Tocopoherols: tocopherols are considered a natural ingredient as they are found in vegetable oil. They are considered an antioxidant and added to packaged foods to help stabilize fats, reduce rancidity and ultimately prolong the shelf life.
Stevia leaf extract: this is a non-caloric sweetener used as an alternative to sugar.
Priority allergens:
May contain milk, soy, peanuts, other tree nuts, sulphites.
Love Good Fats Bar – Dietitian Review
Love Good Fats Bar Nutrition Facts
Note: the nutrition facts below reflect the Cookie Dough flavour of Love Good Fats bars. The range of nutrition information for all flavours is listed in parentheses.
Calories: 190 (170-190)
Fat: 14g (10-14g) coming from the ‘fat blend’ listed above.
Saturated fat: 8g (6-7g) coming from palm oil and coconut oil.
Carbohydrates: 14g (12-16g) coming from rice flour, whole grain flour, inulin, corn fibre, and chocolate chips.
Fibre: 9g (6-9g) coming from inulin and corn fibre.
Sugar: 2g (1-2g) coming from the chocolate chips.
Protein: 7g (7-9g) coming from almond butter and brown rice protein.
Sodium: 45mg (75-160mg) coming from added salt.
Additional nutrients: 125mg (75-250mg) potassium, 20mg (10-100mg) calcium, 1mg (1-2mg) iron. These are not fortified in the product, but are naturally present in the ingredients listed above.
Cost of Love Good Fats Bars
Love Good Fats bars are available in Ontario for $2.49-$2.99 per individual bar or $8.97 – $10.99 for a 4-pack.
Are Love Good Fats bars healthy?
First, let’s cover the mainstay of these bars, the fat profile. Though they contain healthy unsaturated fats from almond butter, the majority of fat in these bars (57%) is saturated. This high percentage of saturated fats isn’t ideal, but the source of saturated fats is more of a red flag. There are two sources of saturated fats here – coconut oil and palm stearin oil. Though this product promotes coconut oil as a main ingredient, palm stearin oil (a more processed vegetable oil) is listed before coconut on the ingredient list, indicating that palm stearin oil contributes more saturated fat than coconut oil. To improve this fat profile, there should be a higher percentage of unsaturated fats and/or more coconut oil used than palm stearin oil.
This product contains a moderate amount of protein (6-9g/bar), appropriate for most people as a snack between meals. The carbohydrate profile is also beneficial, as it contains a high amount of fibre and low amount of sugar. The fibre and protein, in addition to the high-fat content, make these bars very satiating, so they’ll keep you full until your next meal.
Love Good Fats Bar – Dietitian Review
Do Love Good Fats bars live up to their marketing claims?
Love Good Fats claim these bars are “loaded with good fats from nuts, nut butters, and coconut oil”. With almond butter listed as the first ingredient, this is partially true. However, palm stearin oil is the second ingredient, meaning that these bars contain more palm oil than coconut oil. Palm oil is a processed oil that contains mostly saturated fatty acids. As such, it is not an oil that I would describe as a “good fat”, and certainly not when used in such high amounts.
These bars are also “Keto Certified” – a certification provided by a third-party company. This certification is not regulated by government labeling laws, and we have been unable to find criteria that this company uses to assess food products. The Canadian government has strict rules surrounding the labeling of food products for special diets. However, this and other “Keto Certified” products can use this certification as the third party company is using their own criteria, and not claiming to adhere to any regulated nutrition standards.
On a positive note, I do agree that these bars are very satiating. The amount of total fats, protein, and fibre are likely to keep you full until your next meal. They also do taste indulgent and are low in sugar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Love Good Fats bars keto?
Love Good Fats bars have a low net-carb count and are considered suitable for a keto diet.
Are Love Good Fats bars vegan?
Love Good Fats bars contain dairy products and are not considered vegan.
Are Love Good Fats bars good for people with food allergies?
No. Love Good Fats bars contain or may contain nuts, tree nuts, soy, dairy, and sulphites. Always check the product label for allergens before consuming the product.
Are Love Good Fats bars gluten-free?
Yes, Love Good Fats bars are gluten-free. Always check the product label for allergens before consuming.
Are Love Good Fats bars nut-free?
No, Love Good Fats bars contain peanuts and/or tree nuts, depending on the flavour.
Are Love Good Fats bars dairy-free?
No, Love Good Fats bars contain dairy.
Love Good Fats Bar – Dietitian Review
Are Love Good Fats bars low FODMAP?
No, Love Good Fats contain inulin which is an oligosaccharide.
Are Love Good Fats bars protein bars?
Love Good Fats bars contain 6-9g of protein per bar. We categorize these bars as ‘snack’ bars as the protein content is lower than 10g per bar.
Are Love Good Fats bars high in protein?
Love Good Fats contain 6-9g of protein per bar which is a moderate amount of protein. This is a suitable amount of protein for most adults to consume as a snack, along with the other nutrients present in the bar.
Do Love Good Fats bars have carbs?
Love Good Fats bars contain 12-16g of total carbohydrates, with most of the carbohydrates coming from fibre. Each bar has around 5g of net carbohydrates.
Do Love Good Fats bars have healthy fats?
Almond butter listed as the first ingredient, which is a source of healthy fats. However, palm stearin oil is the second ingredient. Palm stearin is a processed oil that contains mostly saturated fatty acids. As such, it is not an oil that I would describe as a “good fat”, and certainly not when used in such high amounts. To improve this fat profile, there should be a higher percentage of unsaturated fats and/or more coconut oil used than palm stearin oil.
Are Love Good Fats bars good for before a workout?
Love Good Fats bars are high in fats, fibre, and low in net carbohydrates. This ratio is not recommended for pre-workout as it does not provide the energy needed to fuel a workout. Additionally, the high fat and fibre content may lead to gastrointestinal upset during higher-intensity workouts.
Are Love Good Fats bars suitable for after a workout?
Love Good Fats bars contain 6-9g protein per bar and around 5g net carbohydrates. This is not enough protein or carbohydrate for most adults to consume as a post-workout snack.
Are Love Good Fats bars a meal replacement?
Love Good Fats bars contain under 200 calories per bar and only 6-9g of protein per bar. These amounts are inadequate as a meal replacement and would be better suited as a snack between meals.
Are Love Good Fats bars good for diabetics?
Love Good Fats bars are high in fibre, and low in net carbohydrates which should have a minimal impact on blood sugars. That being said, blood sugars are impacted by many factors throughout the day and glycemic response to food may differ. Always speak to your dietitian for personalized advice to manage your blood sugars.
Will Love Good Fats bars make you gain weight?
Any source of calories can lead to weight gain if consumed in excess. These bars contain under 200 calories per bar which can be a healthy snack as part of a weight maintenance plan.
Will Love Good Fats bars help you lose weight?
Weight loss depends on your overall pattern of eating. That being said, Love Good Fats bars contain an appropriate amount of calories for most adults to consume between meals as a snack, and the high-fat content and moderate protein content may help you feel more satiated between meals, which can aid in weight loss.
Looking for more dietitian product reviews? Check out our Healthy Grocery Shopping Tips page here.