Supplement Bars
October 28, 2009 | Comments: 2 Comments
Categories: Nutrition, Uncategorized
When you are pressed for time and starving, having a supplement or snack bar around to help you get to the next meal isn’t always a bad thing, but not all bars are created equal. Some are filled with sugar alcohols and artificial flavors, while others have as few as three natural ingredients. Here are some that are good for you and tasty!
Snack Bars
Kashi GoLean Crunchy! – These bars range from 130 to 180 calories and many of them have a little chocolate. Low in fat and high in fiber, these are great any time.
Kashi TLC Bars – Coming in at only 120 calories, but 5-7 gram of protein per bar, these are a perfect mid-morning snack. Trail Mix and Cherry Dark Chocolate are particularly good.
LaraBars – Many of the bars only have three ingredients: fruit and nuts. The calories are little higher on these bars, up to 220, but they count as one serving of fruits and the provide Omega-6 fatty acids and 4 grams of fiber. Good stuff.
Luna Bars – 170-180cal per bar. These are packed with fiber and protein and make a great pre- or post-workout snack. They also come in mini-size with only 80cal per mini.
Meal Replacements
Clif Builder’s Bar – At 270cal and 20g of protein per bar, these are the only all natural, high protein bar on the market. There are others with a lower carbohydrate count, but they contain artificial sweeteners. Avoid the chocolate flavor, but the chocolate mint, vanilla almond and peanut butter are good!
Pure Bars – Only 200cal per bar, so you will need a piece of fruit or a slice of turkey jerky with this one, but they are 100% natural, vegan, organic and they provide one and a half servings of fruit! And a little pricy. But good! You could easily cut these in half and make two snacks out of one bar.
These are just my suggestions. Most of the bars I have chosen here are all relatively low in fat, but you will find that there are many other all-natural bars available that have quite a few calories from fat because they contain nuts. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just make sure that your daily fat intake stays within your limits. Eat clean and eat often!
I love all things Clif that I have had. Pretty high calorie, but for in the middle of a bike ride, or at the end of a workout they are great!I saw the Larabars at Costco, I plan on checking them out too, they seem VERY good, love the minimal, simple ingredients.
Ron, Clif makes a good bar! The original Clif bars are great, but they can to have too many carbs for people trying to watch their sugar intake. One thing though, avoid the Clif Organic Kid Bars. Sadly, there is almost no protein in them.
Also remember, my clients are women, so most of the calorie information provided is aimed at someone who has a lower calorie target than you. For you, a 250 calorie snack may be just fine!