"Snap the granola, sprinkle ginko bola." -Wu-Tang Clan
Think any granola bar is healthy...think again. There's dangerous fat in that energy bar! Some have as much unhealthy saturated fat as a candy bar. A full-size Snickers has 5 grams and one popular "nutrition" bar has 4.5 grams. Yes, many energy or nutrition bars have added vitamins, minerals and protein that keep you fueled, but in the end, having one is really no different than taking any multivitamin and eating a candy bar! Scary! Label-reading tip: Ignore the health halo around energy bars, and be sure to check the calorie and fat content before you grab and go. A healthy snack bar should have fewer than 200 calories and no more than 2 grams of saturated fat.
Other label reading tips:
-Check calories and serving size. They're the most important bits of info on the entire label. You've got to d the math: Multiply the number of servings you're going to have by the number of calories per serving shown on the label.
-Eyeball the ingredients list. If it reads like War and Peace, skip it. Odds are it's highly processed, loaded with salt and has enough preservatives to mummify your cat. Many packaged items have been moneyed with so much they're almost non foods.
-Look at the fiber content-even if the front of the package says "Made with Whole Grains." Truly healthy whole-grain breads should have at least 3 grams of fiber per slice; cereals should have 4 grams per serving or more.
-Calculate healthy fats. Subtract the grams of trans fat and saturated fat from the total fat in a food. What's left is the good unsaturated fats, and there should be ore good than bad. So, if a food has 10 grams of total fat, 1 gram of saturated and zero trans, 9 grams come from healthy fats...a nice pick!
You Bars: Lets you create your own custom snack bars with a selection of ingredients like protein powder, nuts, dried fruit and seasonings to choose from. You can even give your personal bar a unique name. Make them with stuff that you need. $3 per bar.
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