Is Your Energy Bar a Healthy Snack?

Avoid these snacks that are just as bad for you as candy

http://www.prevention.com/tips/nutrition/your-energy-bar-healthy-snack

5 Energy Bars That Are Loaded with Sugar

Grabbing a granola or energy bar may seem like a sensible choice for a healthy snack, but be wary. Many of these seemingly healthy choices have no more nutritional value than a candy bar. Here are five of the worst offenders, plus our ridiculously healthy pick that you can feel great about noshing any time of day.

1. PowerBar ProteinPlus: Chocolate Brownie

Don’t reach for a protein bar designed for serious weight trainers. This chocolaty bar is packed with 360 calories, 11 g of fat, and nearly as much sugar as a can of cola.

2. Quaker Oatmeal To Go

Oatmeal may be one of our favorite foods because of its hefty serving of fiber and protein, but—nutritionally speaking—this bar ranks nowhere near its cereal cousin. The key to keeping this square together is sugar, and lots of it: High fructose corn syrup and brown sugar are the primary ingredients after rolled oats.

3. Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut Granola Bar, Peanut

This sweet, salty bar is sure to give you give you a sugar high—and subsequent crash. It has 11 g of sugar, 170 calories, and no significant servings of vitamins or minerals.

4. Kudos Chocolate Chip Granola Bar

This chocolate-dipped granola bar comes in at only 120 calories—but it will leave you with a hankering for more in no time. It offers a paltry 1 g each of fiber and protein.

5. Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Yogurt Bar, Strawberry Yogurt

At 130 calories and 3.5 g of fat per serving, this cereal bar seems to be a fine choice, but one look at the ingredient list brimming with scientific jargon makes it a no-go. The ooey-gooey center of this snacker is mostly made with sugar, some fruit puree, and Red Dye #40.

Healthy Choice: KIND Pomegranate Blueberry Pistachio + Antioxidants Snack Bar

This tasty bar is a powerhouse package of antioxidant-rich foods: pomegranate, blueberries, pistachios, almonds, cashews, and raisins. Plus, it supplies 50% of your daily need for vitamins A, C, and E. With 4 g of fiber and 3 g of protein, this nut bar is sure to power you through the afternoon.

My #1 Healthy Choice:
RVL Premier Nutrition Snack Bar

TAKE A BITE OUT OF CRAVINGS

While unhealthy snacking can add hundreds of empty calories and sabotage your weight management plan, MonaVie RVL Nutrition Snack Bars indulge your taste buds without compromising your goal weight.*

These tasty bars are now available in two flavors: the new rich and delectable chocolate and the sweet and satisfying berry. Designed to help cut cravings between meals, they’re delicious and nutritious.

These low glycemic bars are packed with antioxidants and feature 24 vitamins and minerals. They are perfect to pack in your purse or gym bag and taste so good, you won’t believe they’re part of your weight management plan. Satisfy your sweet tooth the healthy way with a MonaVie RVL Nutrition Snack Bar today.

KEY BENEFITS

• Helps satisfy cravings between meals*
• Delivers 24 vitamins and minerals
• Discourages unhealthy snacking*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi7vZt-WSDA

Ingredients:

Protein blend (whey protein isolate, soy protein

isolate, soy crisps [soy protein isolate, rice flour, malt
extract, salt], whey protein concentrate), yogurt flavored
coating (sugar, palm kernel oil, nonfat dry milk solids,
yogurt powder [cultured whey protein concentrate, cultured
skim milk, yogurt culture], soy lecithin, salt, natural flavor),
fructose, soynut butter (roasted soybeans, naturally pressed
soybean oil, maltodextrin, granulated cane sugar, monoglycerides,
salt), brown rice syrup, fruit blend (prune paste,
date paste, white grape juice concentrate, corn syrup, red
beet juice, freeze-dried açai powder), vitamin and mineral
blend (dicalcium phosphate, magnesium oxide, ascorbic
acid, vitamin E [acetate], niacinamide, zinc oxide, copper
gluconate, d-calcium pantothenate, manganese sulfate,
vitamin B

6, riboflavin, vitamin B1, vitamin A [palmitate],

chromium chloride, folic acid, d-biotin, potassium iodide,
sodium molybdate, sodium selenite, vitamin K1vitamin D3,
vitamin B

12), inulin (fiber), soy nuts, natural flavor, cranberry

fruit pieces (cranberries, apple juice concentrate, sunflower
oil), sunflower oil.

Reprinted in part from: