Go Max Go Foods - Candy Bars

Since I'm on a pretty big health kick right now, you won't see me buying candy bars in the local Whole Foods anytime soon. However, if given candy bars, I really can't resist. Stop judging. So I have to say that I feel somewhat guilty for writing this review mostly because none of these items are really all that good for you. That said, the Go Max Go candy bars are some of the best tasting bars on the market and even I have to admit that.

Go Max Go Foods is a vegan family-owned and operated business out of Dallas, Texas. The name is a tribute to their dog, Max, a German Shepherd-mix who had incredible determination. That same determination fueled this family to go out and develop the candy bars we all grew up to love without the cruelty. So, I bring to you vegan versions of all the candy bars you know and love.

Their newest creation is the Thumbs Up, which is their version of the Butterfinger. It has a peanut butter center surrounded by a Chick-O-Stick-like crunchy layer and covered with rice milk chocolately goodness. This one was a bit too hard to bite into for me, but it sure did taste like the Butterfinger I remember.

The Twilight, the vegan version of a Milky Way, is one of my favorites. This bar features chocolate nougat topped with creamy caramel and wrapped with more chocolate goodness. It'll take you straight to outer space.

The Mahalo, the vegan version of Almond Joy, is my second favorite.  Imagine coconut topped with almonds layered in rice milk chocolate -- you'll be jumping for joy over this melt-in-your-mouth decadence.

The Buccaneer, the vegan version of 3 Muskateers, is another melt-in-your-mouth bar. The chewy caramel and nougat covered with rice milk chocolate is so soft and so smooth.

Cleo's Peanut Butter Cups always seem to melt in the package before I try them. I've never seen what they really should look like before they melt, but I can imagine. They are pretty good, but I still prefer Justin's peanut butter cups over these.

Jokerz is their version of Snickers filled with peanutty goodness.

And, lastly, they make Snap!, which is very closely related to the Nestle Crunch bar. I'm not sure you could even tell the difference.

On the labels of each of these bars, it states "nothing artificial" and "no trans fats." So what is in these bars? Let's take a look. In the Snap, you have organic unrefined cane sugar (not so bad), palm kernel oil (extremely high in saturated fat), whole grain brown rice, cocoa powder, rice powder, soybean lecithin, salt.  Not so bad, but not great either. The Mahalo containes enzyme modified soy protein, which is, obviously, not all that natural as it is a modified food product.

So if you really miss the taste of these chocolate bars, these are a great vegan alternative. Just know that just because a product is vegan, that doesn't make it good for you. I do appreciate, however, that all of their ingredients are stated to be (though not certified to be) non-GMO. So, all in all, it won't kill you to have a candy bar here and there. Just don't go eating them every day. I admit that I'll have a few more in my lifetime. To find a location that sells these bars near you, click here. Go Max Go!