Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Eat Well: Snack Bar Basics

Whether you woke up late or have a packed day, there will likely be a morning when you don't even have 5 minutes to whip up a quick breakfast.  Reach into your cupboard and grab a snack bar, but be confident you are picking one that is well balanced.  With hundreds of options, that might be a tougher task then you think. 

But wait, I thought snack bars were "bad"?
We often think of food as good or bad.  However, it is much more complex than that.  
Are there better options for breakfast than snack bars?  Absolutely!  
Can some snack bars be a better option than a doughnut, sugary cereal, or no breakfast? Absolutely!
 
 
4 Keys to a better bar:
  1. Does it have at least 3 grams of fiber?
  2. Does it have at least 5 grams of protein?
  3. Does it contain less than 35% calories from sugar?
  4. How much total fat and saturated fat does it contain?
Web MD's recommendations:
  • Clif Bars
  • Odwalla Bars
  • Power Bar Harvest
  • Luna Bars
  • Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars
  • Quaker Oatmeal Breakfast Squares
  • Quaker Chewy Trial Mix Granola Bars
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1 comment:

  1. brain_gain_is_in_the_stainMarch 19, 2014 at 12:47 AM

    Luna protein bars have a gluten free option and a good balance of protein and moderate carbohydrates. Many high protein supplements also have a significant amount of sugar, many have no sugar and too many sugar alcohols (polyols ) these bars have around 17-20 grams although double check that :)

    Just a word of caution from personal experience and research I've been doing recently. Sugar alcohols seem like a perfect solution akin to having your cake and eating it too... But in reality many like sucrolose have are still partially broken down by the small intestines and affect insulin the more each can be broken down the more calories they can contribute and companies aren't required to list sugar alcohols. If you subtract from total calories the cals from protein. (1gram=4 cals) from fat (1gram =4 cals and subtract fat cals (1 gram =9) any remaining cals are from sugar alcohols. Many people have a laxative effect from these and extremely painfully bloating from gas. Because they pass partially whole and not broken down when they reach the large intestine whole the Norma flora (good bacteria) go a little bonkers causing the bloating. I have felt with this bloating personally and it's actually painful enough to double me over so I felt it good to mention as I have eaten many on the go bars not realizing there were so many sug alcohols and been very uncomfortable... Best of luck everyone!

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