NuGo Fiber D'Lish

*NOTE* this review contains graphic medical information regarding fiber and its effects, lol. you've been warned ;) as a person with mild-moderate IBS, my digestion ranges from bad constipation to crampy diarrhea. i won't go for 7-9 days, then i can't stop going for 24 hours. last week, i was in the bathroom literally 22 times in one night (i counted), and it was really painful. i just turned 40, and i've had IBS for about 10 years now. my doctor suggested i try adding more fiber to my diet, but i didn't want to take a handful of pills every day, and i can't stand drinking or eating Metamucil. so i thought i'd try fiber bars. first i thought about getting Fiber One, then i read about how much sugar is in those things, and how a lot of the fiber isn't organic. doing more research, i found these fiber bars, so i gave them a try. PROS: - they taste good. i mean, they aren't candy bars, so they don't taste like a "real" brownie. but they're definitely not bad. in fact, they're pretty tasty. i smear some organic peanut butter on them for that chocolate/PB flavor. - they're organic. no added processed sugar, only natural flavors, natural protein, no added filler or crap like that. i'm not a die-hard health nut, but i try to watch what i eat these days, and this is a pretty "clean" food. - nice and soft, yum. sort of like a granola bar. if you keep them on top of the fridge like i do, they'll stay warm and soft because heat rises toward the ceiling. or you can microwave it for 10-15 seconds and it'll be extra warm and soft. they're delish like that. - they aren't dirt cheap, but for what you get, i feel like the price is very fair. it's a lot cheaper than paying $3 a bar for overhyped other brand names--with those, you're paying for packaging and brand prestige. this company gives you a great product with minimal BS, and the price reflects that. CONS: - this isn't really a "con", but START SLOW!!! i really can't stress this point strongly enough. most Americans eat about 5-10g of fiber per day, but adult men should be eating 30-38, and women should eat 20-28. JUST START WITH HALF A BAR PER DAY FOR 7 DAYS. then eat ONE bar per day for another 1-2 weeks!! if you chow down on 2-3 of these bars right away, your gut won't have time to get used to all that fiber--and you WILL get crampy and bloated and poop your brains out, and it WILL hurt and be uncomfortable. i know, it seems like "more is better". you want to get more fiber into your diet NOW. but believe me, fiber friends--GO SLOW. another couple of weeks won't make or break your health. start with half a bar, then move up to one per day. these are 12g each, so now i eat one in the morning and one at night, 7 days a week. Before: - i wouldn't poop for at least a week, then i'd get terribly crampy and achy, and i'd spend an entire morning or evening in and out of the bathroom. awful pain and cramping. a couple times in the past, it got so bad my husband had to come into the bathroom and hold my hand because i was on the verge of an anxiety attack--the pain in my belly and lower back literally felt like i was being stabbed. it was HORRIBLE. - i missed my cousin's wedding because of my IBS, and i was in the wedding party. i couldn't leave the house =( i was in and out of the bathroom from 4 pm - 2 am that day. it was frickin awful. - i'd get terrible pain and pressure in my lower belly, and i'd rush into the bathroom hurting so bad i'd be doubled over on the toilet. clutching the side of the sink in pain, i'd manage to squeeze out a bunch of miserable little 1" turds over 30-45 minutes. or i'd have terrible explosive diarrhea. half an hour later, repeat. sometimes all day or all night. torture. After: - i get more gas than i used to, but that's all for the better ^_^ instead of it staying trapped in my gut and causing pain and cramps, my gut is more relaxed--i'd describe it as feeling "smoother". instead of feeling the pain of trapped gas and occasionally expelling short, harsh, angry farts, i release long, rich, gratifying ones with very little odor. it feels SOOOO good :) - now i hit the bathroom once per day, usually in the morning after i eat. i get a calm, steady pressure in my lower belly, urgent but not painful. i haven't had diarrhea since eating these bars. i also don't feel bloating or cramping anymore. - i feel relaxed, and i calmly squeeze out slow, solid, satisfying turds about 10-12" long and almost as thick as my wrist. i feel like i'm 14 again. i'm seriously so proud of myself and so happy. i wish i could take pics and share them with the world :D the before/after would be amazing. NOTE: make sure you drink PLENTY of water each day. that helps the fiber process gently and effectively, passing through your system with gentle grace and comfort. i drink at least 1 liter of water throughout the day, and i'm doing my best to increase that to 2 liters per day. so that's my review of the joy of fiber. final analysis: if you have IBS or constipation problems, TRY THESE BARS BEFORE TAKING MEDICATION. i thought i was beyond help, and i'd have to live with the pain and sadness of IBS and missing social events. but now i'm back to normal and my gut is pretty happy these days, so i have my LIFE BACK now!! :D

it tastes very healthy and does what you need it to do, more like a date fiber texture and appearance, but if you're expecting something to taste like a brownie, you will be very disappointed

I find consuming these bars on a regular basis, one a day/every other day, has been a "fantastic" dietary addition, topping-off my fiber needs. I take medication for an anxiety disorder, and the meds have a notorious reputation to constipate. Factually, for me, the bars have made a *substantive* difference. It's a big deal really. Fiber unquestionably makes one feel better, less bloat, and is certainly part of anyone's prophylactic war on co-rectal cancers. Gnu fiber bar pricing recently spiked. Now at current price of say $25 for box of sixteen bars, a bar daily amounts to roughly a $50 monthly investment. If I wanted to enjoy two bars daily (I would), I'd be somewhere around $100 a month. If you're looking for a "meal bar", with a fantastic kick of fiber, organic and really clean, you can't beat the Gnu bar. There's less fat, (less substance as well - less filling if it's intended to replace a meal) than a Cliff's Brownie bar and tastes almost a good. Epilogue: great product, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED as dietary supplement, not simply meal bar. Remember it is not a candy bar, and if calories are a concern, read the label. Ron

Some of the bars have an off salty taste. The texture is odd. I would not purchase these again and don’t feel they were of much benefit.

I'm so glad I found these as it's very difficult (for me at least) to get 30 gms of fiber every day (even a salad has only 4-6 gms) and keeping high fiber levels in the diet really help w/ a lot of issues, I've found. Also, most supplements I've tried in capsule form have only a few grams per serving too, and I'm not keen on mixing powders into water or juice to get higher levels. These have 12 gms, almost half the RDA; that was enough to make me try them, but they also taste great (the brownie flavor; haven't tried other flavors; these were the least expensive), they have a comprehensive selection of fibers and no bad stuff (well, that said, I would ask the maker to substitute a more healthful oil for the canola if possible; I figured that there probably wasn't that much of that vs all the other good stuff so I went ahead with purchasing them. That's the only "negative." Don't let that stop you, though.) I put these on my subscribe list and intend to keep eating at least one a day.

These taste okay but are very tiny. Not worth more than $16.00 per 16count box. And for the high price I would expect organic ingredients and NO CANOLA OIL which is very bad for you. And Natural Flavors which are anything but natural after they alter them using questionable technics. Not recommended.

I didn't know what to expect as far as how they would taste. Once I got them for me they were perfect. Full of oats and other things plus flavoring. Now I enjoy them and I hope my cholesterol goes down. Great product!

I found the flavor of these bars were disgusting. I wanted so badly for them to taste like brownies or even chocolatey. But they did not. It was like the medicine version of dessert.