Let’s talk Whole30 RxBars… Which RxBars are Whole30 Approved? And when can you eat RxBars on your Whole30?
Trust me, I know. Even reminding you that those were your three questions is breaking you into a sweat!
Don’t worry- I’ve got all the information for you here now. Relax, do a little light reading, and then confidently purchase some RxBars on Amazon with confidence that you know they’re Whole30 Approved AND you know when to eat them.
[Head to my Instagram page to enter my Giveaway of an entire RxBar Whole30 Pack]
First, when can you eat an RxBar on your Whole30?
Let me be clear: RxBars should be used for emergency purposes!
Going on a hike? Stick one in your bag.
Might get stuck in traffic? Yep, bring one along.
Just had lunch and want something sweet? Nope.
There’s a really great blog on the Whole30 site about these emergency bars. Check it out here.
Here’s a quote from the article above where the Whole30 team talks about using these fruit and nut bars:
We still stand behind these bars as a good choice—when used appropriately. Our mistake was assuming that people would see their value as healthy on-the-go convenience food and use them only as such.
…
RxBars, Larabars, and other dried-fruit-and-nut bars are still appropriate emergency food for your Whole30, as long as the ingredients are compliant. But as always, include these in your Whole30 cautiously, as there is serious potential to use these bars in a less healthy manner during your program. As on-the-go or emergency food? Yes. As a replacement for your mid-day sugar boost, daily late-night treat, or to satisfy your Day 3 raging Sugar Dragon? While it’s not an official Whole30 rule, we’d strongly suggest no.
To drive the point home, here is another segment from the Whole30 Book (on p. 96):
…there are other foods that may be in the “gray area,” and we ask that you take some personal responsibility with those. For example, Cashew Cookie Larabars are technically Whole30 Approved, and a great choice for those running a marathon or hiking the Appalachian trail. But if you’re eating them as a substitute for your 3 p.m. candy bar, and find yourself slightly out of control when eating them (or after), we’d encourage you to identify that less healthy habit and say “This food is not okay for me during my thirty days. It is a trigger food, and if I am trying to change my habits, I need to leave it off my plate.”
SO! Here’s a list of Whole30 RxBars:
Coconut Chocolate RxBar
Ingredients:
Dates, Egg Whites, Almonds, Cashews, 100% Chocolate (Cacao), Coconut, Sea Salt, Natural Coconut Flavor
Mixed Berry RxBar
Mixed Berry RxBarIngredients:
Dates, Egg Whites, Almonds, Cashews, Cranberries, Strawberries, Raspberries, Natural Strawberry Flavor, Natural Raspberry Flavor
Blueberry RxBar
Blueberry RxBarIngredients:
Dates, Egg Whites, Almonds, Blueberries, Cashews, Natural Blueberry Flavor
Chocolate Sea Salt RxBar
Chocolate Sea Salt RxBarIngredients:
Dates, Egg Whites, Almonds, Cashews, 100% Chocolate (Cacao), Sea Salt, Natural Chocolate Flavor
Major warning with this one!! This is about as close to a candy bar as you can get… So beware! Look at the quotes from Whole30 above and be sure you’re using this within reason! While the ingredients listed on these labels may or may not be good for your Whole30!
Gingerbread RxBar
Gingerbread RxBarIngredients:
Dates, Egg Whites, Almonds, Cashews, Allspice, Sea Salt, Ginger, Natural Flavors
(Seasonal flavor!)
Apple Cinnamon RxBar
Apple Cinnamon RxBarIngredients:
Dates, Egg Whites, Almonds, Cashews, Apples, Cinnamon, Natural Apple Flavor
Pumpkin Spice RxBar
Pumpkin Spice RxBarIngredients:
Dates, Egg Whites, Almonds, Cashews, Pumpkin, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Cloves, All Spice
(Seasonal flavor!)
Mint Chocolate RxBar
Mint Chocolate RxBarIngredients:
Dates, Egg Whites, Almonds, Cashews, 100% Chocolate (Cacao), Peppermint Oil, Sea Salt
Chocolate Chip RxBar
Ingredients:
Dates, Egg Whites, Almonds, Cashews, Cacao, Natural Chocolate Flavor, Natural Vanilla Flavor, Sea Salt.
Coffee Chocolate RxBar
Ingredients:
Dates, Egg Whites, Almonds, Cashews, 100% Chocolate (Cacao), Coffee, Sea Salt, Natural Coffee Flavor
RxBar Kids Berry Blast
RxBar Kids Berry BlastIngredients:
Dates, Egg Whites, Almonds, Cashews, Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Natural Flavors
RxBar Kids Apple Cinnamon Raisin
RxBar Kids Apple Cinnamon RaisinIngredients:
Dates, Egg Whites, Cashews, Almonds, Apple, Raisins, Cinnamon, Natural Apple Flavor, Natural Cinnamon Flavor, Natural Vanilla Flavor
RxBar Kids Chocolate Chip
RxBar Kids Chocolate ChipIngredients:
Dates, Egg Whites, Almonds, Cashews, Cacao, Cocoa, Natural Chocolate Flavor, Natural Vanilla Flavor.
Which RxBars are NOT Whole30 Approved?
- Peanut Butter Chocolate
- Maple Sea Salt
- Peanut Butter
I have doubts about RxBar ingredients, in particular the chocolate chips. They claim the chips are 100% cacao and show a pile of them on their website. But cacoa is a very bitter powder, and to become chocolate a few other ingredients are needed, like cacoa butter and some kind of sweetening; their chips are sweet. And “chocolate” is not an ingredient.
I wrote the RxBar people about this and they had no real answer. We back and forthed for a couple of days and it was like trying to get a straight answer from Microsoft tech support. So I gave up.
TLDR – If it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t. Buyer beware.
Hey Sandy! I’ve chatted with RXBar specifically about this! You can find bars of “chocolate” at the grocery store that are 100% cacao! The same concept applies here 🙂 I totally understand your weariness… I have the benefit of knowing the people behind these companies, so I trust them! Also, thankfully with food products, they’re inspected and regulated! But of course, it’s totally up to you! You can skip them for your Whole30 or altogether if you’d like 🙂 Thanks for your comment!
Hi Carolin,
Thank you for the followup. I have never seen a bar of chocolate that is 100% cacao and nothing else. Could you tell me who makes them?
Hi Sandy,
I saw a 100% cacao bar just the other day at my local supermarket. I think it was Ghirardelli brand.
Thank you, Dee. I found a great article on 100% cacao chocolate that explains how it is made and who makes the best 100% chocolate (https://thechocolatejournalist.com/return-100-cacao-chocolate). It is made from a balance of cacao powder and cacao butter, and – of course – no sugar. The article adds “Depending on the origin and on a million other factors, chocolate can taste fruity, floral, spicy, earthy, nutty.” But not sweet. This is why I suspect that something is up with Rx chocolate chips, because they ARE sweet. Where is the sweetness coming from?
I think the sweetness comes from the dates. In the Whole30 book on page 63 under “dates” it says, “These little sugar bombs pack a huge punch-they’re as close to candy as you can get on the Whole30.”
Sweetness comes from the dates.
Do you know if the new Chocolate Cherry Rx Bars would be considered whole30 compliant? The label just says “chocolate” and I couldn’t figure out if it is cacao or if it’s something else. I tried to get on their website and investigate but I’m still not sure.