Do you remember when the only thing convenience stores carried in the way of snack food was a candy bar? Today the bars are still available but they are no longer alone. Joining the candy bar in a bid for your business are nutrition bars. For a long time the only way to get them was from a nutrition store in in advertisements in the back of a fitness magazine. Due to the rise in health consciousness around the world, fitness companies are now making sure; their products are more readily available. Which is why you can now buy them from many retail outlets, the question is are nutritional snacks actually healthy?
In all honesty determining whether nutritional bars are healthy must be done on a case-by-case basis. Some will be worse than others when it comes to nutritional value, which is why you should know how to determine the difference. Here are a few criteria you can use
Look at the supplements the nutritional bar provides. If the bar contains heaping amounts of protein for muscle building of carbohydrates for energy and after workout recovery, then it would definitely be a valuable bar to purchase. Nutritional bars that contain vitamins and minerals would be a huge plus as a well. In short, if the nutritional bar contains helpful ingredients, then it would fall into the realm of healthy.
It should go without saying that sugar content is bad news. If you find a nutritional bar high in refined sugar, you should chunk it aside. That being said make sure you read the fine print, brown sugar is not refined therefore the bar could have nutritional value. High fructose corn syrup and refined sugar nutrition bars are to be avoided. These ingredients are junk food and therefore the bar is not healthy.
How much fat does the nutritional bar contain? A food item can only be made of three components protein, carbohydrates, and fats. When a nutritional bar is low in carbs, it will be higher in fat and protein. That is not necessarily a bad thing unless the content of the fats in the bar are excessive. So, when you see a bar that is loaded with fat content, it would be safe to assume this is not the healthiest item on the menu.
How many calories does your nutritional bar contain? Sugar and fat are tied to this number quite closely. When the bar is high in caloric value this is a good indicator the bar is not a healthy choice. If fat calories are the main culprit, this is even truer. Use bars that are low in calorie count and high in good ingredients.
Stick with the name brand bars when you have any doubt. Every day it seems there, is a new bar hitting store shelves? Many of these may actually be quite good and have nutritional value, however most people prefer to play it safe in the beginning. Name brands are well loved for a reason and you may want to continue using them even in the face of new ingredients and nutritional bars. Sometimes it is better to use the product you know and know what you are getting.
Want to stay healthy and get lose weight at the same time then you owe it to yourself to check out author Dorthy Weatherbush’s list of diet tips. On that list you will find the Medifast diet plan that has been recommended by over 20,000 doctors since 1980. Their nutrition bars are delicious.