Stars and Honey Bars, Natures Path Organic Flax Plus Cereal, Oikos Triple-Zero yogurt: Product Review Roundup
YOUR product requests! A review of nutrition facts and ingredients to help you make an informed choice.
Hello, readers! In this week’s edit, I’m reviewing three products YOU requested: Stars and Honey Bars, Nature’s Path Organic Flax Plus Cereal, and Oikos Triple Zero Yogurt.
If you haven’t already, check out my first Product Review Roundup here for some important context. As a reminder, when I review a product, I’m considering:
Level of processing.
How the product fits into a healthy dietary pattern. Reminder: no single food has the power to make you healthy or unhealthy.
Where nutrients are sourced from in a product (ingredients), and how significant an ingredient is in contributing to the nutritional value of the food (nutrition facts).
Marketing claims.
How the product compares to others on the market.
Let’s discuss.
Stars and Honey Bars
Stars and Honey Bars are a newer addition to the protein bar market, launching in 2024 and currently available exclusively online through their direct-to-consumer website. The brand claims to have designed these bars focusing on nourishing, easy-to-digest ingredients, while keeping sugar content low without compromising on flavour.
Nutrition Profile
Stars and Honey Cookies and Cream bar contains 8 g of fat, including 1 g of saturated fat, primarily sourced from almonds, with small amounts also coming from cocoa butter. It has 150 mg of sodium from sea salt. Each bar provides 17 g of total carbohydrates from allulose, tapioca fibre, coconut sugar, oat fibre, and oat bran. Of that, 3 g are fibre from tapioca fibre, oat fibre, and oat bran, and 2 g are sugar from coconut sugar. This bar also provides 14 g of protein from a combination of collagen and pea protein.
Overall Review
Compared to the many other protein bars on the market, Stars and Honey Bars contain fewer ultra-processed ingredients and offer a balanced macronutrient profile. The primary source of fat is almonds, a minimally processed ingredient and source of healthy fats. Each bar contains 14 grams of protein, which is on the lower end of the typical range for protein bars (12 to 21 grams), but still adequate as a snack for the average adult.
The bars also use primarily high-fibre carbohydrate sources, such as tapioca fibre, oat fibre, and oat bran, helping to add nutritional value while using ingredients that are less refined and more nutrient-dense.
The protein in these bars comes from a blend of collagen and pea protein. Collagen (sourced from cows in this case) is central to the brand’s marketing and has been linked to potential benefits for skin, joint health, and muscle recovery. While there isn’t an abundance of research on collagen, small studies suggest some promise, particularly for skin health and muscle recovery1. However, it's unclear whether the bars contain a clinically effective dose of collagen. Most studies use around 10 grams of collagen daily, but the specific ratio of collagen to pea protein in the 14 grams of protein per bar is not disclosed.
Lastly, there are three additives used in these bars which are considered safe. Vegetable glycerin (which helps retain moisture), sunflower lecithin (an emulsifier), and natural flavours.
TL; DR: Stars and Honey Bars are a good option 👍
For everything you need to know about how to select a protein bar, check out my protein bar guide here👇.
Nature’s Path Organic Flax Plus Multibran Cereal
Nature’s Path Organic Flax Plus Multibran Cereal is marketed as a nutrient-dense, whole grain option, with the brand emphasizing its fibre, protein, and omega-3 content.
Nutrition Profile
A 1-cup serving of Nature’s Path Flax Plus Multibran cereal contains 2 g of unsaturated fat, primarily from flax seeds, with trace amounts in whole grains. It also contains 200 mg of sodium from sea salt. The cereal provides 34 g of total carbohydrates per serving, coming from whole wheat flour, wheat bran, sugars, and oat bran. Of that, 7 g are fibre from whole wheat flour, wheat bran, flax seeds, and oat bran. Each serving also contains 6 g of sugar from cane sugar and barley malt extract. There is also 6 g of protein per serving from whole grains.
Overall Review
Nature’s Path Flax Plus Multibran cereal is an excellent cereal option. It is high in fibre, relatively low in sugar (for context, the sugar content of cereal currently on the market ranges from 0 - 22 g per 1 cup serving), and is made primarily with minimally processed, whole grain ingredients. The only additive present is tocohperols, an antioxidant that helps preserve shelf life. You can read more about it in my Tocopherol Deep dive here.
TL;DR: excellent choice 👍👍
Be sure to check out my Guide to the Cereal Aisle for tips to choose the best cereal plus a list of options that check all the boxes!
Oikos Triple-Zero yogurt
Oikos Triple Zero Yogurt is a Greek yogurt marketed for its high protein content, along with being free from sugar, artificial sweeteners, and fat.
Nutrition Profile
A serving of Oikos Triple Zero yogurt contains 0 g of fat, as it is made from non-fat milk. It contains 65 mg of sodium from sea salt. Each 3/4 cup serving provides 8 g of total carbohydrates from milk, including 6 g of naturally occurring sugar. This yogurt also provides 17 g of protein from milk. Naturally rich in calcium, it contains 170 mg per serving and is fortified with 2.3 mcg of vitamin D.
Overall Review
One of the standout features of Oikos Triple Zero yogurt is that it’s sweetened with stevia and contains no added sugar, making it a good option for those looking to cut back on added sugars while still enjoying flavoured yogurt.
It’s also high in protein, which helps make meals and snacks more satisfying. For context, most Greek yogurts on the market provide between 14 and 25 grams of protein per serving.
The “triple zero” label refers to its zero fat, zero added sugar, and zero artificial sweeteners. This marketing strategy echoes diet culture from the 1980s and 90s, when fat-free (or anything “free”) was widely promoted as the healthier choice. While we now know that fat-free isn’t inherently better, the perception that it is still persists, making it an effective marketing tool (especially in the dairy aisle). That said, this option can still be a good fit for those aiming to reduce saturated fat intake or for anyone who enjoys customizing their yogurt with added fat sources like nuts or seeds.
TL; DR: good option 👍. Add your own healthy fat source.
If you're exploring alternative yogurt options, be sure to check out my Guide to the Yogurt Aisle below, where you'll find tips on choosing the best yogurt along with a list of excellent options.
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Talk soon,
~Brittany
“The Grocery Edit” is written by Brittany Raftis, MScFN, RD. She works as a Registered Dietitian and is passionate about helping people sort through the confusion of ingredients and nutrition facts to reduce stress surrounding daily food choices. She uses an evidence-based approach to clear up misinformation about nutrition and help people select the right products to support their health and enjoyment of food.
Source: natural medicines database and examine.com database.
Thanks for sharing Brittany! It is always interesting to hear another perspective on today’s brands that are characterized as ‘better-for-you’
thanks for the informative review. I have a question about the stars and honey bar i wonder if you could help me with. You mentioned the collagen was from cows but how did you know that? is it on the lab somewhere? Is all collagen from cows? I'm vegan so wanted to know how i could tell that from the label. thanks.