“What’s so special about your bars?”

Our bars are fundamentally different from 99% of the bars out there.

They are 100% natural, 100% vegan, with nothing artifical whatsoever, with no added sugar, made raw with raw fruit and nuts, high in protein, fibre, phyto-nurtients, antioxidants and low in fat , sweet, moist, delicious and literally packed with natural goodness.

They taste kinda like a sweet, rich, homemade cookie or flapjack - nearly everyone loves em and they’ve won loads of taste tests.

“What do you mean by raw?”

We mean natural, not cooked or exposed to high temperatures.  Exposing some foods to excessive heat can reduce their health value. That’s why your mum always wanted you to eat fresh fruit and veg.

In making our bars, we use a 100% raw process, which is a fancy way of saying they are just natural stuff mooshed together, never cooked like most bars. That means they are bursting with goodness, just like nature intended. 

Additionally, we start with raw ingredients wherever we can (i.e. ones that haven’t been cooked somewhere along the line before we get them). All the fruit and nuts in our bars come to us raw. Some ingredients like oats and soya bits, have been exposed to heat before we get them to make them safe to eat...which we think is a good thing. 

Basically, we tried to make the most all-around nutritious, natural and tasty bar we could. That means using only natural wholefoods and not messing with nature.

Do you use raw oats in your bars?

For health and safety reasons all rolled oats are flash steamed to prevent rancidity and make them safely digestible. This is part of the standard oat-making process and happens long before we ever get the oats. The bag of regular oats you find in the store, which most people consider to be raw, have in fact been steamed.  Truly raw oats are a bit like hard, dry rice - very difficult and unpleasant to eat with a tendency to absorb the moisture in your stomach and swell. To avoid this, some people grind up raw oats and then soak them and then eat them. This makes them more edible, but doesn’t solve the rancidity risk and so isn’t really an option for us. Nearly everyone agrees oats are packed with good stuff and we firmly believe our bars would not be as healthy without them.

“What is the difference between TREK & NAKD bars?”

Trek bars have added protein in the form of soya as well as added maize starch, Ginkgo Biloba and Ginseng. These are added to further steady the body’s blood sugar response and provide long lasting energy while supporting lean muscle mass, metabolism and mental clarity.

“What are the ‘natural flavourings’?”

all-natural spices and extracts from things like strawberries, raspberries, bananas, apples, nuts, cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.

“What are the ‘mixed nuts’ you use?”

almonds, peanuts & walnuts. They‘re bursting with good stuff...

“Are your bars suitable for diabetics?”

Yes. Like any food a diabetic eats, they should be consumed in moderation with consideration of what is in the rest of the meal and their current bloodsugar levels.  Our bars contain no refined sugars or syrups and are relatively high in protein and fibre.

“Do you use raw cocoa powder?”

We don’t use raw cocoa powder at the moment because of the challenge of finding a quality, consistent and affordable supply. We use cocoa powder from a roasted cocoa bean. We feel the health benefits, including high antioxidant content, far outweigh the fact that the cocoa has been heated.

“What’s with all the logos on the back?”

One of our mantras (we have several, nothing like a good mantra) is “how can we be helpful?”.  So we are always looking for practical ways we can be part of solutions not problems.  Using our packs and ads to help promote good causes is just one of those things. It makes sense to us and feels like the right thing to do.  Wouldn’t it be great if all companies did that? If you’ve got any suggestions on how we can be helpful, please let us know.

“How do your bars compare with ‘Eat Natural’ Bars?”

We love this question...Their bars use lots of glucose syrup (added sugar), are cooked at high tempuratures and quite high in fat and calories (as a point of reference, an average eat natural bar has about as much fat and calories as a cadbury double decker bar). Our bars are simply natural ingredients smooshed up together, with no added sugar and are all around 90% fat free or better...and we’ve won loads of taste tests...which must bug ‘em.

“What is so bad about glucose syrup and refined sugar?”

Most other bars use Glucose syrup and refined sugars which are like the rocket-fuels of sugar. They hit your bloodstream very quickly. This means they contribute to a quick burst of energy and an equally quick crash, which leads to sluggishness and increased appetite and cravings - not good for most people.

Check the backs of most other bars, even the “healthy” ones, chances are you‘ll find some kind of added syrup or sugar.  Most companies use it because it is sweet and cheap. Additionally, glucose syrup is sticky, so it holds their superheated bars together when they cook them.

We never use syrups or added sugars of any kind in our bars. The sweetness in our bars comes naturally from the fruit, which it since is raw, remains moist.

Natural Balance Foods - Bits & Bobs 

1. NAKD is the UK’s fastest growing new natural snack and healthy confectionary brand.
2. TREK is the UK’s fastest growing new natural energy bar.
3. Unlike most bars, NAKD & TREK are made raw with raw fruit and nuts– that means the nutrients remain in their most powerful form.
4. NAKD & TREK have no-added-sugar.
5. NAKD & TREK are all natural.
6. NAKD & TREK are made in North Wales.