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For those that don’t have the time or space to pack some food power or nutrition bars seem like a perfect solution. But, that solution could have two faces:
in the current food market, power bars have secured a place in grocery, natural food stores or airport newspaper stands. Hundreds of these pre-wrapped and portable products, with names such as Power-Bar,
Luna Bar, Balance Bar or MET-Rx, offer quick energy fixes with very little nutritional value.
Nutritionists agree that not all bars are created equal and that they should be consumed rarely and in moderation.
"They're a convenient alternative for someone who would otherwise be reaching for a doughnut or using the vending machines for snacks at the office," says Liz Applegate, PhD, lecturer in nutrition at the University
of California at Davis. "But there's nothing magical about these bars. Most of them are fine, but some are too high in fat."
Most nutritionists emphasize that even when consuming nutrition bars, don't let them crowd whole foods out of your diet. For a quick snack, you may be better off eating an apple or a banana.
When you have no other choice and you are buying nutrition bars, the following factors may influence your selection:
- Look for a bar that's low in fat (less than 5 grams of fat).
- Look for the bar made with organic ingredients and no artificial sugar added (such as Aspartame, Sucralose, Saccharin, Splenda, High Fructose Corn Syrup)
- Read the ingredients list. If you don’t understand the ingredients don’t buy it.
- When evaluating the fiber content of bars, aim for 3 to 5 grams of fiber.
- If you're watching your weight, check the calories listed on the label
- If you're shopping for a meal-replacement bar, choose one that has about 15 or more grams of protein, along with some fiber, and with about 35% of the RDAs for vitamins and minerals.
- Meal-replacement bars tend to be larger than other bars, with proportionately higher levels of carbohydrates, fats, and protein.
- Consume some real food along with the bar.
- If you consume multiple bars per day, make sure you're not biting off more vitamins and minerals than you should chew. For example, a fortified bar might provide 50% of the RDA for zinc.
If you're eating several bars a day, plus a multivitamin/multimineral pill and a bowl of fortified cereal like Total, you could be getting much more zinc than you need, which might interfere
with the absorption of other minerals, and even weaken your immune system.
- Instead of a power bar have a green apple, banana or carrot.
Some information’s used from Web MD (“Nutrition Bars: Healthy or Hype?”), from July 15, 2002.
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