Zing Dark Chocolate Cherry Vegan Protein Bars, Gluten Free with High Protein, High Fiber, Dairy Free Nutrition Bars, Plant Based Protein, Kosher, Low Sugar, No Sugar Alcohols – 12 count

Gluten Free – Dairy Free – AND SO YUMMY!
Trying to find Gluten Free Dairy Free bars that taste good is so hard, but my daughter absolutely loves these.

One of my new snack staples
These are great for a pre-gym snack, a snack break at work or just if you’re feeling hangry ( tuck one in your purse). About 200 calories a bar and curbs my craving for chocolate so I won’t eat way worse foods. Feels like cheating on my nutrition, but I’m not! Try them for yourself at least once.

What you need to know about Tapioca
[DISCLAIMER: I have no medical expertise whatsoever. Some of my conclusions may be wrong, so I encourage you to look up this information from other sources and make your own assessment]I hesitated a lot about writing this review. On one hand, something made me seriously ill, and I feel a strong obligation to warn others. On the other hand, I don’t want to be unfair to the company that made this product. While I do have my suspicions, I can’t definitively say that their product made me sick.In the end I decided that I’m just going to share some established facts about tapioca, an ingredient in this protein bar. There’s something interesting about tapioca that I think everyone should know before they make it a part of their diet.Tapioca comes from a plant called Cassava, which normally contains Cyanide, a dangerous poison. My understanding is that Cassava always has Cyanide in it, the questions is how much. In any case, Cassava is unsafe to eat until it goes through a cleaning process, and even then, it’s not guaranteed that all the Cyanide has been removed.If you ingest a very small amount of Cyanide, depending on how small, and depending on your individual body, your system may be able to get rid of it. However, if you ingest a large amount from a plant that wasn’t properly cleaned, you can get seriously sick: “vertigo, vomiting, and collapse. In some cases, death may result within one or two hours.”Another way you can get seriously harmed is through long exposure; ingesting small amounts over an extended period of time. “Chronic, low-level cyanide exposure is associated with the development of goiter (enlarged thyroid gland) and with tropical ataxic neuropathy, a nerve-damaging disorder.” There’s more horrible stuff, but I’ll stop here.I didn’t know any of this until recently when I got sick and needed to investigate the cause. For over a year now, I have been regularly eating protein bars that contain Tapioca. The product I bought and consumed most frequently was the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Zing bar. I have also been consuming similar protein bars from another brand called “ALOHA,” which also contain Tapioca.About a month ago, I ate half an ALOHA bar from a new box (and a new batch) that I had just opened. A few hours later I got extremely sick. I have a mild food allergy, and the symptoms I had were similar to my allergic reaction, but much more severe, and this sickness was worse than anything I’ve experienced before.The next day, when I started feeling well enough, I went back and checked the label on the ALOHA bar to see if it contains my allergen food, but it wasn’t in the ingredient list. Of course, the protein bar was not the only thing I ate prior to getting sick, so it was difficult for me to pin-point the cause. I decided not to eat any ALOHA bars until I know more, but I continued to eat the Zing bars almost daily. The Zing bars never made sick at that point, and I have been buying them for over a year.A few weeks later I started noticing bizarre and extremely alarming symptoms. Things like vertigo, vomiting, and headaches are too vague, but the new symptoms were unusual, so the search quickly lead to Cyanide. My new symptoms were a close match to symptoms of long-term Cyanide exposure.To be clear, I make no claims that this product, or any other product I mentioned, contains toxins or had anything to do with my sickness. I still don’t know for sure, and I’m keeping records and samples of both products until I know more.What I’m sure about is that I’m staying away from Tapioca, and any other type of food made from the Cassava. While it appears that a lot of people consume it regularly, and that in some countries it’s a fundamental food source which they can’t go without, it’s also clear that Cyanide poisoning is a familiar condition. Everywhere Cassava is mentioned, there’s always a warning attached about adequate cleaning and processing. For Tapioca specifically, I saw conflicting statements, some claiming that Tapioca is safe because it’s a highly processed form of Cassava, while others give a general that includes Tapioca.I have no doubt that the companies who make these bars want to provide a good and safe product to their customers. What I worry about is unintentional contamination. This is a dangerous plant by nature, and it’s not far-fetched to think that they might receive a bad batch from their supplier. Do they test the ingredients they use every single time to ensure that they are safe? How much leftover Cyanide is considered safe and acceptable? Maybe the average person can tolerate a certain amount, but how do you know you’re an average person?

Delicious and pretty clean ingredients
I’ve ordered these on subscribe and save for years. I’ve had probably all flavors, and they’re all delicious. I like that they don’t have a lot of ingredients and are pretty clean. I keep one in my bag at all times so that I can have something if I’m not able to eat lunch. Definitely recommend! The peanut butter chocolate is super tasty!