We are taking a big step today by launching our bars ! Our specifications were simple and demanding: to provide the most nutritionaly effective bar on the European market. After several months of research and development, we have a product that meets our requirements!
We are proud to present our first version of carrot bar and sweet potato, 100% vegetal, bio labelable. Like all our products, the Vitaline bar displays a Nutri-Score A thanks to its excellent nutritional values, which we will detail in this article.
- The Vitaline bar is the most effective complete bar on the European market
- Whole ingredients, rigorously selected for their nutritional qualities
- The excellent nutritional values of the Vitaline bar
The Vitaline bar is the most effective complete bar on the European market
Our goal since the creation of Vitaline is to offer products of high nutritional quality that advances the market. We found that today there are no bars with nutritional values that we believe are of good quality: whether it is conventional cereal bars, low calorie bars, energy bars for sports or complete bars offered by our competitors.
We started by looking at the simplest criteria by comparing the Nutri-Scores of about thirty bars on the European market :
- When we study the nutritional values of the "classic" bars offered on the market (Grany, Gerblé, Special K...), we see that they obtain Nutri-Scores between C and E because of high levels of sugar and saturated fatty acids.
- When we look at the nutritional values of the complete bars proposed by our European competitors, we observe that they obtain Nutri-Scores between C and D. For instance, our bar contains only 11.5 g of sugar, compared to an average of 18 g for the other complete bars.
Why is the Vitaline bar the only one to get a Nutri-Score A on the complete bar market? Because it contains less sugar, less saturated fatty acids, and good levels of protein and fiber.
When comparing on more advanced criteria, not taken into account by the Nutri-Score, we find that the Vitaline bar is also of better quality:
- It does not contain additives (emulsifiers, humectants, sweeteners, preservatives, acid correctors);
- It does not contain added fat ;
- It contains 100% organic ingredients and of natural origin (especially vitamins and minerals, which are synthesized in most bars on the market);
- It is more balanced in terms of vitamins and minerals ;
- It contains "raw" ingredients that are complete or in pieces (unprocessed).
As you can see, the Vitaline bar has the best nutritional values on the market. Not only have our promises been widely held, but in addition we sell our bars at a very affordable price (between €1.99 and 2,49€ for one bar).
If you find competing bars that offer better nutritional qualities, we invite you to discuss them with us on our forum !
Whole ingredients, rigorously selected for their nutritional qualities
Like the rest of our range, the Vitaline Bar is a nutritionally effective food: it brings tonus and vitality thanks to excellent nutritional values, provided by quality ingredients, rigorously selected.
Organic, whole, and 100% vegetal ingredients
The Vitaline bar is composed of nuts (cashew, almonds), seeds (flax, squash), cereals (oats, buckwheat), vegetables (carrot, sweet potato, onion), super foods (lithothamne, acerola, moringa) and syrups to fix all the ingredients together (unrefined rice syrup and agave syrup).
All the ingredients of the bar are:
- Of natural origin ;
- Organic : the bar will have the organic certification begining of 2019;
- Of vegetal origin ;
- Raw or little processed.
Why did we not developed a simple bar extruded from refined ingredients, like our competitors ? Because we wanted to offer a bar of better quality:
- Organoleptically : whole ingredients have a nice and crisp texture, and a natural taste.
- Nutritionally : raw or less processed ingredients have better nutritional qualities than refined products.
All ingredients are rigorously selected for their nutritional qualities
The ingredients in the bar were chosen for their high nutritional value and organoleptic qualities. In the diagram below, we have represented the different types of bar ingredients and their main nutritional interests:
The excellent nutritional values of the Vitaline bar
A balanced macronutrient intake
To create a nutritionally balanced food, we rely on scientific consensuses from WHO, EFSA or ANSES (French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety). These organisms define reference values representing a balanced diet but they propose different levels of precision. We consult all these references and choose the most precise and rigorous.
We go further by keeping watch on scientific research, which allows us to step back on the recommendations and get ahead by following the latest research articles on nutrition.
An excellent lipid profile
All the lipids are naturally brought by the ingredients of the bar (almonds, cashews in particular), we don't add any source of lipids. The bar has a varied fatty acid profile: a good amount of unsaturated fatty acids and few saturated fatty acids.
| Fatty acid family | Role / risk | Sources | Recommendations | Quantity | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturated | Increased risk of atherogenesis | Cashew nuts, squash seeds, almonds. | Less than 12% of TEI*, or 27 g per day 2 | 1.2 g is the quantity contained in 100 ml of whole milk UHT 4 | Compared to 2000 kcal**, we consume only 12 g, a quantity well below the maximum recommendation. |
| Monounsaturated | Prevention of cardiovascular diseases | Almonds, cashews and squash seeds. | 15% and 20% of the TEI for oleic acid, between 33 g and 44 g per day 3 | 3.4 g, the amount contained in half a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil 5 | Compared to 2000 kcal**, the intake is 34 g of oleic acid, the recommended dietary allowance. |
| Polyunsaturated | Prevention of cardiovascular diseases, anti-inflammatory action etc. | Flax seeds (omega 3), almonds (omega 6), pumpkin seeds (omega 6) | 1% of the TEI for α-linolenic acid, being 2 g per day 6 | 0.6 g of omega 3 is 1/3 of daily recommendations. | Excellent omega 6/omega 3 ratio of 3/1. We recommend a ratio lower than 4/1, knowing that the average food of Westerners has a ratio of 17/1. 6 |
*TEI : total energy intake
**2000 kcal : Reference Intakes for a adult
An excellent amino acid profile
The Vitaline bar contains all essential amino acids (IAA), in amounts that satisfy at least 8% of the requirements7. If we eat 10 bars a day (= 2000 kcal), 9 indispensable amino acids out of the 11 present are covered more than 100%, and the remaining 2 are covered more than 80%. These values are already very good, but we still hope to improve them in the next version of our bar.
The Vitaline bar thus has an excellent profile in essential amino acids, as shown in the bar chart below:
Bar chart: Comparison between the essential amino acid levels of the bar and the target levels, set at 10% of the DRVs (Dietary Reference Value).
The proteins of the bar come from a variety of plant sources: pea protein, squash seeds, almonds, oatmeal and buckwheat.
A limited sugar intake
One of the main difficulties in developing our bar was to find a binder that does not degrade the nutritional qualities of the product by providing too high a sugar content. To achieve this, we chose a rice syrup and an agave syrup:
- The rice syrup used in the bar contains 77% carbohydrates of which only 27% is sugar. It comes from the hydrolysis of rice. The greater the hydrolysis, the higher the equivalent dextrose, and the faster the sugar is assimilated. The rice syrup of the Vitaline bar has an equivalent dextrose of 35, ie its structure is closer to starch (carbohydrates) than glucose (sugar). Thus, it contains less sugar than syrups used in competing products, such as glucose syrup.
- Agave syrup contains mainly fructose, a sugar found in fruits and honey. We chose it because it has a low glycemic index (GI of 15, while the GI of the glucose syrup is 100). Unlike other sugars, its hepatic metabolism is specific, and consuming it results in low insulin secretion. The amount of agave used in the bar is very small: 1.4 g/bar.
In total, a Vitaline bar contains 6.3 g of sugar, which corresponds to the amount of sugar contained in one half of an apple. If you eat 10 Vitaline bars per day (= 2000 kcal), you consume only 63 g of sugar, which is much lower than the maximum recommendation (100 g per day9).
The sugar in the Vitaline bar comes mainly from agave syrup, onions, carrots and rice syrup.
A high fiber bar
It is recommended to consume at least 25 g of fiber per day 10. A Vitaline bar contains 5.2 g of fiber, being the amount contained in one and a half raw carrots. They come mainly from flax seeds, oat flakes, almonds and carrots.
Vitamins and minerals from natural origin
Vitamins and minerals are of natural origin (non-synthetic). They come from the ingredients of the bar and the addition of specific ingredients such as lithothamne or acerola :
- The lithothamne is a red algae. It contains 35 g of calcium per 100 g, 56 times more than in 100 g of cheese11 and 3 g of magnesium, 8 times more than in 100 g of Brazil nuts12.
- The acerola powder contains 17 g of vitamin C per 100 g, which is 2000 times more than in 15 cherries13 and 150 times more than in an orange14. Acerola also has antioxidant properties.15
- A blend of ingredients rich in vitamins and minerals: moringa, carrot, achiote, rice bran, curry leaves, basil, lemon, spinach, parsley, amla, green tea, shitake, lichens sp. Moringa is a plant with many vitamins and minerals. It is used in the treatment of hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia and has antioxidant properties.16
Now that you know everything about the Vitaline bar, it's time to try it! As usual, the bar is launched as part of our Pilot Program, which allows you to taste our new products right out of the lab.
The first batch will be produced in a few days: book your bars by placing your order now! First come, first served
