Fruit Roll-Ups On Steroids: Nakd

Yesterday, before yoga, I ate what can only be described as a Fruit Roll-Up on steroids.  For those of you who are not fortunate enough to have grown up with Fruit Roll-Ups, they are circular, flat, pieces of pectin-based fruit (soft) candy that make a delightful "ripping" sound when you tear it from the piece of cellophane it's attached to.  When I was younger, Fruit Roll-Ups were used as part of a reward system by my mother for not complaining when we accompanied her on long-suffering grocery store trips.  Nowadays, they're sold in the snacks aisle, but back then, they were tucked between the fruit stands at Safeway and I have vivid memories of reaching up to choose which flavor I wanted.  There were several ways of eating them.  Method One involved rolling the Fruit Roll-Up into a tight tube and munching your way through.  But it didn't last very long.  Method Two was to fold it in half and bite two half-moons, which conveniently turned into holes when you opened the fruit sheet, which conveniently fit over your 7-year-old face and thus, doubled as a mask, that you could then bite a hole through for your mouth.  Charming, eh?  Method Three involved shredding the Fruit Roll-Up into pieces and eating them one at a time, making it last longer.  I usually chose Method Two. 

Enough reminiscing.  Back to the story.

I was introduced to Nakd bars, these Fruit Roll-Ups On Steroids (or FRUOS, as I call them, rather than Nakd), by Lauren a few weeks ago.  When she heard that I'd been eating protein bars (lovingly brought over from the States by Udita per my request) before my workouts, she looked puzzled.  "You know those are meal replacements, don't you?" she asked.  Um, no, I've been eating them in addition to my meals.  I just like the way they make me feel full but not-full after my workouts to prevent the instant oh-my-God-I'm-going-to-faint feeling.  I don't like the way they taste like sheep poo (I've never tasted sheep poo before but sometimes if you chew a Pro-Max bar thoughtfully, rather than out of sheer desperation, I'm pretty sure that's what sheep poo tastes like).  "Oh my God," I said, feeling faint (not due to low blood sugar, but rather, panic).  "Will they make me ... like, fat?" I whispered.  "Try these instead," she suggested helpfully, showing me a Nakd bar.  "You can buy them at Holland and Barrett.  They're cold pressed fruit bars and contain all natural ingredients."  "Ok," I said doubtfully. 

But I tried one yesterday and it was like ... a revelation.  Fruit Roll-Ups on steroids.  That's all I can say.  I tried the Berry Cheeky flavor yesterday and had Cocoa Loco tonight.  Cocoa Loco reminded me of the scratch and sniff ice-cream stickers I had as a child (again, childhood memory trigger = instant win). 

They're not cheap (currently priced at £1.19 at Holland and Barrett), but they're worth it.  And they work just as well as sheep poo Pro-Max.  And you won't get fat.  Fact.

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