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Nutritional Bars Unwrapped

© Jackie Hensler

Are nutritional bars really nutritious or just a candy bar with a new name? Here's the low-down on the nutritional bars' entrance into the health food market.

Have you been to the grocery store lately or your local health food market and noticed the enormous selection of energy and protein bars? Nutritional bars have bombarded the health food industry marking their territory and claiming to boost your energy or serve as a meal replacement.

If you've eaten one before, you may know that not all protein bars are created equal. Some may claim a creamy cappuccino flavor, but in fact taste like straw, while others may claim high-energy, but leave you hungry within hours. As a conscious consumer, you must sift through many brands to find the bar that fits your nutritional needs.

And these nutritional bars come in a variety of disguises. They may be marketed as an energy booster, a high-protein supplement, a meal replacement, or may even be part of a low-carbohydrate diet. Companies like Met-RX, Power Bar, Balance Bar, and Clif Bar have become well known outside the circle of endurance athletes. Do these nutritional bars deliver what they promise? Will you increase your muscle building nutrition by eating high-protein bars or receive long-lasting energy from a high-carbohydrate bar?

Yes and no. There's a reason why many nutritional bars taste similar to that energy-packed Snickers bar you still crave. Many of the so-called "nutritional bars" contain hidden sugars and reading nutritional labels will help you make the best choice. Sugar may be disguised under several different names, so look for these culprits in the list of ingredients: honey, dextrose, corn syrup, sorbital, fructose, high dextrose corn syrup, lactose, and mannitol.

Also be aware of the amount of fat in each bar. Even though most bars have between 4-8 grams, it is more important that the saturated fat count is a low number. Look for hydrogenated oils and tropical oils, such as coconut oil or palm kernel oil in the list of ingredients and avoid them.

The high-carbohydrate bars, like the Power Bar, were designed with endurance athletes in mind. During intense training, these athletes will benefit greatly from this boost of energy. However, the Power Bar contains a significant amount of sugar. An endurance athlete will burn these calories, but it wouldn't be a good choice for those on a fat-reducing program. These bars are skimpy on protein, so you would be better off hitting the gym.

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