Nutrition Bars: Health Food or X-Rated Candy?

Nutrition Bars: Health Food or X-Rated Candy?

Anna Delany


Health food or X-rated candy?
Most people know that old saying, "don't judge a book by its cover," but perhaps a better rule for today's consumers would be "don't judge a food by its packaging," especially where weight loss is concerned. Around the nutrition bar aisle, for example, we're like children in a candy store - only instead of Sponge-Bob Square-Pants, packages boast words like "lean body," "healthy," "meal-on-the-go," and "lose weight fast!" to draw us in.
And drawn in we are. With sales of nutrition bars projected to hit the $3 billion mark in America for 2004, the advertising is working. But are these bars really as healthy as we think, or are they just x-rated candy for adults?
*

The many faces of nutrition bars

Nutrition bars originally began as a booster food for body-builders and professional athletes who needed an easy way to get more calories and nutrients. Ironically, the next wave of consumers to pick up on the trend were people who wanted less calories in their diets. Dieters opted for nutrition-bars as meal-replacements that were supposedly well-balanced, protein-packed, nutrient-dense and completely calorie controlled.
Since then, many different varieties of nutrition bars have become available for as many different purposes including weight loss, protein-enhancement, low-carb lifestyles, and even children's diets. But no matter what form or flavor a nutrition bar takes, what most people think they're getting is a well-balanced meal-replacement that will help them to enhance their health and control their weight.

Health-food or x-rated candy?


Protein bars can potentially contain 10 teaspoons of sugar
Nutrition bars are certainly marketed as health foods and usually purchased as such. Underneath the wrapper, however, there's a different story - one that has Mars Bar written all over it.
Fat. For example, the fat content of nutrition bars is remarkably high. From our selection of 20 nutrition bars, only four had less than 5g of fat per bar. Atkin's Advantage Bar and Carb Solutions Mint Choc Chip both had 10g of fat each, and the Atkin's bar also had a shocking 6g of saturated fat (the same as a McDonald's cheeseburger - 75% of your daily intake). Compare that with 11g fat and 7g saturated fat in a Kit-Kat .
Sugar. In terms of sugar content, things aren't much better. Most bars we analyzed had at least 15g of sugar and some had up to 31g - that's 4-8 teaspoons of sugar to help the rest of the bar go down! Compare this with 22g of sugar in a Kit-Kat bar (5.5 tsp) and you'll find sweet little difference between the candy bar and the health food.
A consumer lab study of nutrition bars has also shown that many bars exceed sugar claims by an average of 8g, adding another two teaspoons of sugar to the mix. Some of the low-carb bars use sugar alcohol to sweeten the product, which means there can be as little as 1g of real sugar content, but sugar alcohol is not necessarily a good choice either.
Protein. Of course the nutrition bar's main claim to fame is its high protein content, which is fine - unless you're already getting more protein than you need. Most of us don't realize it, but American Heart Association studies show that the average American actually eats two times more protein than is recommended. Excess protein consumption is not only unnecessary, but also unhealthy and can lead to dehydration, ketosis and bowel problems in the short term and calcium leaching, osteoporosis, and kidney stones in the long term.
Other nutrients. The fiber content of the bars varies from 0-10g, so it pays to check the label. Similarly check the label for the amount of vitamins and minerals present as these vary greatly from bar to bar. Some bars have up to 100% of the recommended daily value for up to 22 vitamins and minerals, and some have no more than a candy bar.

Peanut butter cookie-dough for breakfast?



In theory, meal-replacement bars contain a well-balanced source of the nutrients you should get from a regular meal. But put it this way - who has "peanut butter cookie dough" for breakfast, "rich chocolate brownie" for lunch, or "cookies 'n' cream" for dinner? Nutrition bars are alright once in a while as an on-the-go substitute, but they should not replace real meals.
The fact is, although nutrition bars contain important nutrients, the sources of the nutrients are never the same as real food. There are no moolied up carrots in a Lean Body bar, or juiced blackberries in a Balance bar. And, in truth, the complex make-up of nutrients in most foods, and the way they affect our bodies, is not well understood. Therefore, more natural food sources whose benefits are proven are a much better option than processed foods.
Another problem with nutrition bars as meal substitute is that psychologically they don't satiate hunger. They don't provide the colors, textures and complex flavors of real foods such as meat, grains, fruits and vegetables which help your body and mind to feel "full". Consequently, you're more likely to eat more of them, more often.

Weight control and nutrition bars

A calorie-controlled meal replacement bar may seem like a great idea for weight control. But because they're often more like candy than real food, and don't satiate hunger in the same way a meal does, nutrition bars are not always a good choice for dieters.
CalorieKing.com Weight Loss Consultant, Pat Fiducia says she no longer recommends nutrition bars to people who are trying to lose weight because they quickly become just another high-calorie snack food for dieters. "Initially, they seem like a good idea," she explains, "People start eating them as a sensible alternative to unhealthy on-the-go meals like McDonalds. But because they taste so good, and don't really seem like a whole meal, people soon start to eat them just as a snack, having two or three a day in addition to meals. That's when they become problematic."
She also points out that using meal replacement bars for weight control doesn't resolve lifestyle issues underlying weight problems in the first place, such as poor eating habits, a lack of exercise, emotional eating, and binge eating.

Not what the dietitian ordered


A cheeseburger and an Advantage bar both have 6g saturated fat
CalorieKing.com dietitian, Joan Bushman, also advises avoiding nutrition bars most of the time. "Meal replacement bars are really just 'fake' food in a convenient packet," she says. Real food is just as convenient though, as she points out: "If you're going to the store to buy nutrition bars anyway, why not just buy the real food! Nuts, dried fruit, fresh fruit and lowfat cheese all provide similar nutrients and energy, are less expensive, and much better for you. A homemade trail mix, bagged into separated servings, is also a great snack idea."
However, she does admit to keeping a Balance Outdoor bar in her bag for "emergency" situations. Why Balance Outdoor bar? "Balance Outdoor bar is one of the few meal bars that is a reasonable size and is moderate in calories, fats and sugars. It's also not covered in chocolate, so it doesn't melt."
Lemonzest Luna Bar and the Bear Valley Meal Pack are also "reasonable" nutrition bars, according to Joan. Among the worst bars on the list in her opinion are Slim Fast and Myoplex bars, which are very high in sugar and trans fats, and Kidsport Nutrition Bar, which is targeted at children and is also very high in sugar and fat.

Nutritional data for twenty selected nutrition bars

Our dietitians have ranked these bars from best to worst according to three criteria; the balance of nutrients, the types of ingredients and the accuracy of the marketing.

	Net Weight	Cals	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Fat	Sat Fat	Protein	Vitamin and Mineral Content
Better choices
Balance Outdoor Bar, Nut Berry	50g/1.76 oz	200	22	2	14	6	1	15	Minimal
Bear Valley, Sesame Lemon Meal Pack (Note: Restrict portion size to 1/2 bar)	106g/3.75 oz	410	54	4	26	12	2	16	Minimal
Clif Luna, Lemonzest	48g/1.69 oz	180	26	1	14	4	3	10	Moderate
Average choices
Lean Source, Weight-Loss Bar, Caramel Nut	51g/1.8 oz	180	21	1	11	4.5	2.5	15	Moderate
Designer Whey Detour, Caramel Peanut	43g/1.5 oz	170	14	2	5	6	2.5	15	Low
Healthy, Shape 'n' Slim Bar, Banana flavor	100g/3.52 oz	150	28	3	8	2	0.5	5	Moderate
Clif Bar, Energy Bar, Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch	68g/2.4 oz	250	43	5	20	6	2	11	Moderate
Worldwide Pure Protein, Chewy Chocolate Chip	78g/2.75 oz	300	28	0	11	7	4	32	Moderate
Labrada, Lean Body, Cookies & Cream	78g/2.75 oz	280	16	0	11	6	4.5	31	Moderate
Balance Gold Crunch, Chocolate Chocolate!	50g/1.76 oz	210	23	0	15	6	4	15	Moderate
Pro42, Chocolate attack	105g/3.7 oz	380	37	2	1	8	5	42	High
Slim-Fast, Chewy Granola, Peanut Butter	56g/1.97 oz	220	35	1	15	6	3.5	8	Moderate
Worse choices
Atkins Advantage, Chocolate Mocha Crunch	60g/2.11 oz	220	22	10	0	10	6	20	Moderate
Carb Solutions, Mint Chocolate Chip	60g/2.11 oz	230	15	1	1	10	3.5	24	Moderate
Met-RX, Peanut Butter Cookie Dough	100g/3.5 oz	360	51	2	25	5	1.5	27	Moderate
KidSport Nutrition Bar, Creamy Peanut Butter	50g/1.76 oz	190	28	1	18	6	3.5	9	Moderate
Healthy! Chocolate	50g/1.76 oz	190	32	2	23	2.5	1	10	Moderate
Myoplex, Deluxe Nutrition, Peanut Butter Bar	90g/3.2 oz	360	44	1	31	9	2	24	High
Kashi, Go Lean, Chocolate Almond Toffee	78g/2.75 oz	290	45	6	6	6	4.5	13	Minimal
Slim-Fast, Meal-on-the-go, Rich Chocolate Brownie	56g/1.97 oz	220	35	2	24	5	3	8	Moderate

Note: Data for all nutritional information according to stated weight. Actual weight of some bars can be up to 15% more. Figures are rounded.