Inside Energy Bars

Sympatico - Health and Fitness, Flannery Dean, Nutritionist Oct 6, 2006

Before you stock up on what can be a calorie-dense substitute, you need to educate yourself

Trying to keep up with the relentless demands of family, work and the gym is tough to do on a diet of donuts and soft drinks.

On the prowl for a healthy alternative to sugary snacks, but too busy to eat sensibly, many of us reach for energy bars instead, confident we’re doing the right thing.

After all, an energy bar beats half a muffin and a latte right?

Before you stock up on what can be a calorie-dense substitute, you need to educate yourself about what you’re buying—and what you’re buying into.

Defining Your Needs
Energy bars were originally targeted to athletes, but cleverly marketed they’ve made major incursions into the mainstream as snacks and meal replacements.

Energy, in this case, simply refers to calories and not to any galvanizing magic formula. The main appeal of power products is their convenience, taste and portability—it’s easier to pull an energy bar from your pocket than a bowl of oatmeal, but in the long run, trite but true, real energy comes from a balanced diet of whole foods and regular exercise.

Energy bars typically lack essential nutrients such as disease-fighting antioxidants found in plant foods or the good fats available in fish and nuts. Efficient and handy, energy bars represent a quick fix and should be viewed as a complementary addition to your daily diet, not a mainstay, whether you’re an Olympian athlete or a world-class couch potato.

If you’re looking for an occasional meal substitute or snack, however, your choice in energy bars is going to be very different than those of an athlete wanting a pre-or-post workout energy boost.

To make the right decision for you, start by reading labels!

For the Athlete
• High calorie content may be more important to athletic performance than vitamins or minerals.
• For endurance look for more than 30g of carbohydrates—an aid to maintaining blood sugar levels. Eat an hour before your workout.
• Elevated protein content is important—10 to 20 grams—to help in recovery.

For the Non-Athlete
• Check calories and sugar content! Less than 200 calories for a snack; anything more threatens to become a meal.
• Make sure it’s made with vegetable or canola oil, and contains less than five grams of saturated fat, has 15 grams of protein and three to five grams of fibre.
• Drink water when you eat an energy bar—fiber and water are a satisfying combination and will help you fill full.

Learn about Mealeuca's Fiberwise Bars