What's the difference between an energy bar and a candy bar?
Sometimes it's just the packaging...
Invented in the mid-eighties for endurance athletes, "food bars" also known as "energy bars" or "nutrition bars", have now become one of the most popular snack foods for time-stressed Americans. With hundreds of bars to choose from, one may feel dizzy from all the product overkill and heavily hyped claims. Our options are endless as food manufactures have tailored bars to fit almost every human category - are you looking for brain boosting, weight loss, extra protein or gender specific?
Whether you are a recreational athlete, workaholic tied to your desk, or overcommitted mom trying to feed your kids well, its important to recognize that many of the bars on the market provide no more nourishment than what you can find in a Snickers Bar.
So how does one find a good bar? First read the list of ingredients.
Look for bars that feature unprocessed, whole food ingredients with no added sugar, along with nuts or seeds that provide protein and fat to help satisfy hunger pangs.
On American food labels, ingredients are listed in order of weight, so if sweeteners are among the first ingredients, the bar is a dubious choice, guaranteed to provide a quick rush of energy followed by and equally quick crash. Also, steer clear of bars that derive their protein from soy isolate. The research studies that have shown benefits of soy, used whole soy foods like edamame, tofu and natto. Technologically manipulated versions of soy, commonly seen as soy isolate, have been highly industrialized and have not been proven safe and should be used with caution.
Its important to note that the FDA nor any other federal or state agency routinely tests nutrition bars for quality prior to sale nor do they force any nutritional or health requirements for foods claiming to be energy bars. This is essentially why there is little difference between some so-called nutrition bars and a candy bar.
Generally speaking, energy bars for healthy children and adults should have:
- At least 3 grams of filling fiber, which satisfies hunger
- Less than 3 grams of saturated fat
- No more than about 15 grams of sugar that is derived mostly from whole fruit
- Absolutely no trans fat
What consumers should look for in an energy bar can change, depending on their individual needs -- whether they are eating a bar for sustained energy or simply a snack.
An even better choice than purchasing store bought bars is of course making them yourself. This way YOU control exactly what you and your loved ones are eating and can control the protein and sugar content yourself. Below are 2 nutrition bar recipes for you to try!
http://www.naturalmothering.ca/index.php/parenting/32-packing-the-perfect-lunch-box
Granola bars from www.100daysofrealfood.com
Nicole Magryta, RD, MBA