Are Nutrition Bars Really Nutritious?

There's a lot of marketing hype about how healthy nutrition bars are, but the reality is that they vary quite a bit in quality and nutritional value.

While some bars are a good way to get a quick nutritional fix, others are nothing more than candy bars in disguise.

The way to determine if a nutrition bar is worth eating or not is to check the nutritional label. Here's what you want to look for.

Sugar Content

Sugar can come in many different forms, such as sucrose, dextrose, fruit juice concentrate and high fructose corn syrup, and many nutrition bars contain high amounts of sugar.

A simple way to determine the approximate amount of sugar in a particular bar is to divide the number of grams of sugar by four. This will give you the approximate teaspoons of sugar in the bar. For example, if a particular bar has 20 grams of sugar, it has about five teaspoons of sugar.

Sugar Alcohol Content

Sugar alcohols are carbohydrates with a chemical structure that partially resembles sugar and partially resembles alcohol. Some common types of sugar alcohols are sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol, lactitol and erythritol.

Sugar alcohols are not completely absorbed and metabolized by the body, so they contribute fewer calories and have less of an impact on blood sugar levels than most sugars. But sugar alcohols can cause bloating, gas and diarrhea in some people.

Nutrition bars that use the term "sugar free" or "no added sugar" or that contain more than one type of sugar alcohol must list the grams of sugar alcohol.

Fat Content

You need to look at the total amount of fat that a nutrition bar contains as well as what type of fat it is. Try to choose a bar where the majority of the fat is healthy unsaturated fat. A small amount of saturated fat is not a problem, but avoid bars that contain trans fat.

With regard to trans fat, you need to be aware that a nutrition bar can claim zero grams of trans fat if it contains less than 0.5 grams per serving. Read the ingredient list and avoid any bars that mention hydrogenated oil or partially hydrogenated oil, as this means they contain trans fat.

Fiber Content

Fiber gives you a feeling of fullness, helps keep your blood sugar level stable, and helps keep your digestive tract healthy. Try to choose a nutrition bar with at least two grams of fiber.

Additives and Artificial Ingredients

Avoid nutrition bars that contain unfamiliar additives and artificial preservatives and colors. Look for bars that contain natural, recognizable ingredients.

Number of Calories

Some nutrition bars are quite high in calories. If the bar is going to serve as a snack, look for a bar with less calories. The bar can contain more calories if it's going to serve as a meal replacement.

Serving Size

Many people assume that the sugar content, fat content, number of calories etc. listed on the nutritional label is for the entire bar, but sometimes a single bar can consist of two or more servings. If there are two servings in a bar and you plan on eating the entire bar at one time, multiply sugar content, fat content, number of calories etc. by two.

As you can see, it's really not difficult to differentiate a healthy nutrition bar from a not so healthy one. The nutritional label will tell you everything you need to know.

Recommended Resource

Metabolic Cooking contains over 250 easy to prepare healthy recipes that make it easy to create a healthy eating plan. Read my review of Metabolic Cooking

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