Have questions? Find answers here.
Research tells us to eat berries for overall health, but especially gut health. Why? Because they are high in polyphenols and antioxidants – something we need to fight off free radicals. And Aronia berries are much higher in those than any other berry, so a little goes a long way!
You have to eat almost a pint of blueberries or açaí berries to get the same amount of antioxidants as in a handful of Aronia berries (about 20-25 berries) – the same amount as in one Gut Bar or one heaping teaspoon of our Gut Bar Powder.
Learn why Aronia is called a magic berry on our “Why Aronia?” page.
AT LEAST 70% of our immune system resides in the gut. By “gut” we don’t only mean the stomach, but also the small intestines and the colon. Over time, the intestinal barrier becomes compromised because of things like:
- Preservatives and refined sugars in our food
- Prescription and OTC medications
- Diet and stress
- The environment around us.
This causes gaps in the intestinal lining (also called leaky gut) and allows food particles to escape into our bloodstream – becoming free radicals, causing inflammation and wreaking havoc on our immune systems. In other words, the gut is everything in terms of overall health!
Learn more about the issues caused by leaky gut on our “Why the Gut?” page.
No other bar on the market contains Aronia berries, so it would be difficult to find a bar that is more nutritious and good for your gut health! And because we don’t want to counteract the benefits of Aronia berries, we only pair them with good-for-you, meaningful ingredients.
Aronia berries on their own are great for giving you an energy boost. The fiber you get from berries, dates, and nuts make the bar truly satiating, keeping you full for a long time!
Gut Bars, depending on flavor, contain 180-200 calories in each bar.
Gut Bar Powders contain 5 calories per 1 teaspoon of powder.
Gut Bar Shots contain 30 calories per shot.
Yes, all of our Gut Bar products are gluten-free and grain-free. But please note that the Gut Bars are NOT produced in a gluten-free facility.
Yes, all of our Gut Bar products are plant-based, dairy-free, soy-free and they are not baked or cooked in any way. They are a whole, raw food!
Gut Bar Powder and Gut Bar Shots are Paleo, Keto and Whole30 approved.
Gut Bars are Paleo and Whole30 approved.
There are NO added sugars in any of our products, only those occurring naturally. Because the Guts Bars are high in beneficial fibers, they have a much lower glycemic index than most nutrition bars. The sweetness comes from the dates, which are a super fiber!
When using the Gut Bar Powder, it’s important to remember that consistency is key! Just a teaspoon a day has helped many of our customers.
Because the powder contains the whole berry including the skin, we recommend using it with something of substance, like a smoothie, yogurt, oatmeal, kefir, etc. The skin of the berry is not water soluble (which is a good thing and a very tolerable, gentle fiber – good for the colon!), so it may float on top if you put it in water or coffee.
Some customers get very creative and include it in cooking – pancakes, salsa, all kinds of sauces, baking and salad dressings. Other customers just want to take their Aronia and move on, taking it by the teaspoon and knocking it down with a glass of water or juice. Whatever works for you!
Because of the high antioxidant and polyphenolic content of Aronia berries, the juice gives you a nice boost of energy with anti-inflammatory and immunity-boosting effects.
As a matter of fact, athletes and other active people love a shot of Aronia before or after workouts for its anti-inflammatory effect. And our Gut Bar Shots are the perfect amount and array of antioxidants to make a great immunity boost!
Gut Bar Powder is 95% whole dried Aronia berries and 5% prebiotic chicory root inulin. The flavor is mild in the dried form, slightly sweet, and won’t greatly alter the flavor of anything you mix it in, especially because you’re typically not using more than a heaping teaspoon. It might turn it purple, but purple in food is the color of health!
Chicory root inulin is an extremely effective PREbiotic fiber that works in great synergy with Aronia berries, which are also a PREbiotic. We just wanted to give our Gut Bars and Gut Bar Powder even greater gut benefits!
Most people get too little effective prebiotic fiber which acts as a sort of “fertilizer” for the good bacteria in your gut. Oftentimes, any PRObiotics that are consumed don’t make it into the small intestines where the microbiome needs to thrive. PREbiotic fiber helps those bacteria survive the stomach acid and get into the intestines to help make the microbiota grow and become abundant. When that happens, it helps the epithelial layer of the intestinal wall become more resistant to “leaky gut” (or impermeability).
No, but by virtue of both Aronia berries and the chicory root fiber, they all contain an abundance of PREbiotics, which are essential for the health and survival of the PRObiotics in your gut. You see, any good bacteria/probiotics you have in your system sometimes have a hard time escaping the acid in the stomach. PREbiotics act as somewhat of a fertilizer and help them escape into the small intestines where the microbiota lives and grows.
No! Things like whey and soy protein isolates are often added to nutrition bars, and we didn’t want to do that. There is protein in the Gut Bars thanks to the nuts, but other than that we didn’t add protein or any other fillers. We wanted to make room for the Aronia berries which we feel are so beneficial, they outweigh the addition of protein fillers.
No way! There are no preservatives, sulfites, fillers or colorings in our Gut Bars or Gut Bar Powder. Our Gut Bar Shots do contain just a small amount of propolis used to extend the shelf life and add to the safety of the product. It is not considered a preservative, although it has natural preservation properties to it. That’s precisely why we chose it, rather than a chemical preservative such as benzoic acid, sorbic acid, sodium nitrite, or potassium sulfite that is used in so many foods. NOT GOOD and especially NOT for the GUT!
Yes, they are absolutely safe! We don’t add any artificial ingredients to our products.
However, our Gut Bar Shots do contain a bit of propolis that has natural preservation qualities. Propolis can contain trace bits of honey which may contain a bacterium that babies can not yet metabolize because their stomach and intestinal flora are not fully developed at that age. For the same reason, it is not recommended during pregnancy. But propolis is often recommended for young children beyond the age of two, especially if they are in daycare or classroom settings as it has amazing antibacterial properties.
It’s important to note that the Gut Bars and Gut Bar Powder do NOT contain propolis and can be safely used during pregnancy and for children.
Also, our customers tell us that the Gut Bar Powder helps with bloating issues during pregnancy!
Aronia berries are native to North America and are a member of the Rosaceae family. The Aronia plant has also been naturalized in Europe (especially in Eastern Europe) as it is a very cold hardy plant. Native Americans called it the “magic berry” and used it for colds and other viruses.
Although originating in North America, commercial growing of Aronia berries started in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. The berry was reportedly used for enhancing the diets of Russian cosmonauts, as well as helping boost the health of the population during Eastern Bloc times when they couldn’t get good vitamin C sources from the rest of the world. After they discovered that the Aronia plant was a very good source of Vitamin C that could withstand cold, they began to grow it, consume it and quickly realized how immensely health-restoring it was!
Eastern Europeans use Aronia berries for their healing and medicinal qualities. Aronia berry products are prevalent in places like Poland and Western Russia.
