Choose a Healthier Snack Bar

Posted on Mar 10, 2022,

What to look for, so you don't end up with a dressed up candy bar...

Breakfast, post-workout snack, afternoon pick-me-up—when you need something quick and portable, a snack bar is an easy solution. But before you grab just any bar to fuel up, take a closer look at the label: It could be a sugar bomb. To help you choose wisely, CR nutritionist Amy Keating, RD, shares two things to look for on that snack bar wrapper.

Which Ingredients Come First?
The ingredients list can tell you a lot about a bar’s nutritional content. Choose a bar that contains mostly “real” foods, such as fruits, nuts, oats, or eggs. It’s even better when those ingredients are near the top of the list—for example, RXBar Chocolate Sea Salt lists dates first. And look for a bar with about 3 to 5 grams of protein and fiber. Bars that have much more than that tend to have highly processed ingredients, such as chicory root fiber or soy protein isolate.

Are There a Lot of Added Sugars?
Ideally, you want a bar with zero added sugars (those sugars, such as syrups, that are added during processing), but up to 6 grams is reasonable. Some snack bars con­tain as much as a typical candy bar. For instance, a Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar has 21 grams of added sugars, the same amount as the Clif Bar.

Original Article : https://www.consumerreports.org/snack-bars/choose-a-healthier-snack-bar/