One of the perks of being a "seasoned" dietitian is having food companies reach out to provide products for us to try. It's a great way for us to "try before we buy" as well as have recommendations for the clients we see.

While I'm seeing clients via Zoom and not in a typical office these days, it's a bit harder to give them a free sample, but I can send coupons in the mail or provide recommendations on email or my blog, as I'm doing now.

Right around Christmas time, I received a box of Keto nut and seed and granola bars by Munk Pack. It's a company out of Greenwich Connecticut with THE most adorable logo of a chipmunk. As a cat fan, I have a thing for small furry animals.

Beyond the cute packaging, the bars are very tasty and comply with a lower carb/keto diet if that's what you're looking for. I have several clients with pre-diabetes and diabetes that these bars would be perfect for.

The carb count in Munk Pack bars is 12 to 15 grams per bar, but once fiber and allulose (sweetener) is subtracted, most bars provide 2 to 3 grams of net carbs. Ironically, the bars also contain monk fruit extract as a sweetening agent.

Holy cow, there's a whole new marketing angle there!From a calorie stand point- most of the bars run between 140 to 150 calories, which is great for a between meal snack or sweet treat after dinner. They are low in sodium with less than 100 mg per bar in most and provide between 3 to 6 grams of fiber and 5 to 6 grams protein per bar.

The bars rely on allulose as a sweetener, which is and FDA approved, low-calorie sweetener. Read more here: What is allulose? Health benefits and possible risks (medicalnewstoday.com)

The saturated fat on a few of the bars (chocolate and coconut based) were a bit higher (10-15% of the Daily Value) than the nut and seed bars (such as pecan almond and pumpkin seed cinnamon almond) which provide 8 to 10% of the Daily Value.

Munk pack bars are non-GMO and do not contain sugar alcohols, which can be poorly absorbed. For those looking for a gluten-free option, this is a great option. Munk bars are also cholesterol-free, but again- watch the saturated fat content on some varieties.

The bars are available at Walmart Super Stores, Whole Foods, Amazon or the Munk Pack web site. You can find more information on the company here: Munk Pack | Keto Bars | Keto Snacks | Vegan Protein Cookies