Granola Bars Ranking List

“Do granola bars make a good snack?”, “Which kind is the best?”, “How to assess the nutritional value of a granola bar?” I’ve been asked these questions frequently, and with good reason: there are over 200 kinds of chewy or crunchy granola bars¹. Don’t panic! Let me share my nutritionist’s tips with you!

First of all, it is useless to analyse the entire nutritional label in order to know if a granola bar is nutritive or not. All you have to do is follow these few simple rules:

· The total quantity of lipids indicated on the label seems high to you? A part of this fat may come from nuts or seeds integrated to the bar. Make sure that the product contains a maximum of 2 g of saturated and trans fats;

· Beware of chocolate, honey, or yogurt sweet coatings. Look for bars that contain 10 g or less of sugars;

· Bars made mainly from oats, or “granola” type bars do not always guarantee a high fiber content. Always check the nutritional value chart, and choose bars with at least 2 g of fiber.

And now, here is a list of bars that should be preferred, and others that should be avoided:

In conclusion, remember that a healthy snack should contain between 15 and 30 g of carbs, including 2 to 3 g of fiber, as well as 2 to 9 g of proteins (see the article What Quantity of Nutrients Should Be Found in Our Meals?). And so much the better, because this is exactly the proportion of nutrients contained in a healthy bar!

By Vanessa Martin

References

1. Protégez-Vous. s.d. Barres de céréales. Online. <http://www.protegez-vous.ca/sante-et-alimentation/guide-pratique-du-panier-epicerie/liste-des-produits/barres-de-cereales.html#>. Page viewed on October 19, 2012.

Granola Bars Ranking List is a post from Nautilus Plus. The Nautilus Plus blog aims to help people in their journey to fitness through articles on training, nutrition, motivation, exercise and healthy recipes.
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