U4REA

Anatomy of a Nutrition Bar
By Steve Edwards
It's hard to believe that about a decade ago, nutrition bars were all referred to as "Power Bars" the way cola is referred to as Coke. That's because Power Bar was just about the only brand in a very small market that included, mainly, outdoor athletes. Nowadays, you can't walk into the corner 7-Eleven without seeing a barrage of "nutrition" bars that fill the shelf space once occupied by sugary energy-enhancers like Snickers and Good & Plenty.

There's a good reason for the mania. Today's on-the-go lifestyle has created a demand for healthy snacks that take no preparation time. Nature's contribution, fruit, is a good option but sometimes our diet dictates a need for protein, which fruit lacks, or perhaps just a change of menu. So a problem arises when trying to decide what type of bar you should choose.

Another problem is picking the healthy bar from the pretenders, because nutrition bars are not created equal. Remember that Snickers was the first candy to be advertised as an energy bar. Their ad campaign showed athletes and businessmen running around snacking on candy, in much the same way you might see Mia Hamm scarfing a Power Bar today. The scary thing is that this comparison may not be as paradoxical as it seems. Some of today's "nutrition" bars aren't that far from Snickers. And with the smorgasbord of like-sounding treats you now have to choose from, it's difficult to make educated choices. "Protein bar," "energy bar," "low-carb bar," -- just what is the difference?



Here is a quick breakdown to help you find the right nutrition bar.

The world of the nutrition bar is clearly divided into three different realms: protein, energy, and meal replacement. However, stores rarely know the difference, so when shopping you're usually faced with so many labels that you may not want to read them all. But you should, because they differ wildly. How else are you going to tell which bar is right for you?

While we're on labels, let's start with a Snickers bar. While not likely to be considered healthy, you might be surprised to find just how close a Snickers comes to some "nutrition" bars. This combo of chocolate, peanuts, various sugars and partially hydrogenated soybean oil has 280 calories in a 2 ounce bar, with 4 grams of protein, 35 grams of carbohydrates (30 of which are sugar) and 14 grams of fat (5 of which are saturated fat). This gives you the parameters of the quick label overview that you'll want to note, which are:

Size - Keep in mind that some bars are much larger than others. Usually the ounces are in line with the calories, but not always. Don't be swayed by a high-protein bar with 40 grams of protein that is twice as large as the other bars. But it's not the size that matters, it's the calories.

Total calories - Some small bars will be packed with calories, which isn't necessarily bad--that depends on the type you're looking for. But fat is more dense than either carbohydrates or proteins so small bars with a lot of calories may contain more fat than you want.

Fat - Sports bars shouldn't have much fat, but meal replacements should have some, as it's a major part of feeling satiated. Not only that, fat slows the metabolic process, which is a good thing when you aren't engaged in exercise.

Saturated Fat - This is the bad fat, and it's itemized on the label. You don't need much in your diet, and a bar should reflect that. Some bars, like Atkins and others that follow their philosophy, can have more than 40% of your daily-recommended saturated fat in one bar, so beware! No bar should exceed 4 grams of saturated fat, which is 20% of your daily allowance.

Protein - While there should be a high percentage of protein in protein bars, it should make up 20% or less of the total calories in a sports bar. Usually, bars exceeding 20 grams of protein are considered protein bars.

Carbohydrates - An energy bar should have a lot of carbohydrates, but a protein bar should not have too many. Meal replacement bars are in between, trying to equate eating a normal small meal. As a general rule, less than 10 grams should mean it's a protein bar, 20-25 grams means meal replacement, and over 30 means an energy bar.

Ingredients -Although analyzing ingredients may seem like a pain, in fact, picking out natural ingredients versus chemicals can be done with a quick perusal. But this is probably more of a tie-breaking procedure, perhaps coming after taste.

Taste - Let's face it, taste is very important. It's also the reason there are so many marginal bars on the market. Consumer demand for good tasting bars has led companies to add more and more suspect ingredients, and they're getting away with it as the flood of bars makes label reading less likely. For example, Balance Bar came up with their instantly popular Gold line, which have more than double the saturated fat of their other bars. Sure they taste great. They should, as their nutritional profile is a lot closer to a candy bar (more on this later). But taste is important, especially for meal replacement bars, and some experimenting should be done to find a bar you like. After all, if you're replacing a meal what you're eating ought to taste good.



Types of Bars

Carbohydrate Energy Bars (or sports bars)
Remember the Power Bar? Ah, yes, the old dreaded carb-heavy bar. But this is what you want for pre, during, and post exercise, when your body exhausts its carbohydrate stores for maximum performance. All sports bars are carb heavy, usually around 4 parts carbs to 1 part protein. Most of these bars don't contain a lot of fat because fat slows the time it takes to digest and this is paramount when you need energy right away. These bars are only for times when you're active. Most aren't coated because they tend to sit in your pockets or pack while you're exercising and will melt. They aren't perfect for meal replacement, unless it's a pre-workout meal, and generally don't taste as good as meal replacement bars. Once the only thing on the market, these are now by far the minority of what you'll see. Clif and Power are the two biggest names on the market.


High Protein Bars
These have a full serving of protein per bar, usually over 20 grams. Since protein can only be so dense, those that have more usually just have more calories. However, the ratio of both carbohydrates and fats changes from bar to bar, often dramatically. Checking labels is essential until you find a brand that fits your desired profile. High Protein Bars are also labeled as:

Low Carb Bars
Which don't always have low carbs. This is a marketing ploy. Some do, but check labels. A quick overview of some of the most popular brands show carbs ranging from 7 to 23 grams. These can also be very high in fat. Keep an eye on the saturated fat content, because it tends to be high. After all, the carbs need to be replaced with something.

"Net Impact" Low Carb Bars
Talk about marketing ploys, these are supposed to have even less carbs, but most of the bars we surveyed had just as many carbs as in the above categories and the fat levels were higher. The Atkins chocolate coconut bar has 8 grams of saturated fat, which is 40% of the RDA. This is excessively high for a 230-calorie snack.

Meal Replacement Bars, or Protein/Carb Bars
Not differing too much from the above, these at least tend to be more straightforward in their marketing. These are designed to replace meals, and usually have a protein/carb/fat ratio that is balanced, often along the lines of 40/30/30. While Zone Perfect and Balance Bars add ingredients to keep theirs right near this level, others tend to allow the protein content to creep up, since carbs and fats are easier to find in other meals. These bars often have some fat, which is important because it slows the digestion process and makes you feel more full. But, again, watch out for saturated fats. Anything over 4 grams per bar is excessive.

If there is one factor in choosing between a protein or meal replacement bar, it's probably the current level you are exercising. If you are working out hard, then the higher protein bars are probably needed to repair muscular breakdown. If not, then standard meal replacement should be fine. Either way, if you are at work and need both energy and brainpower, choosing a bar with some carbohydrates and protein will serve you better.

Sugar Free Candy and Chocolate
These sneak into this article because they somehow often take up shelf space with the above. Make no mistake; these do not enhance any type of performance. They may not contain sugar, however the nutrition profiles, in fact, make a Snickers look like health food. Let's use Atkins again. An Atkins Endulge Chocolate bar contains 12 grams of fat (7 saturated), 1 gram of protein, and 16 grams of carbs - and you thought Atkins was all about low carbs - in a 150-calorie bar, yikes! These carbs come from sugar alcohol. While not technically sugar, sugar alcohol provides nada when it comes to performance. These bars are probably about as empty as anything you can eat.

__________________
__________________
Ray
Laparoscopic
Surgery: 08/18/05
Dr.AMIT TRIVEDI

Stats:
5"11
Most-315lbs
Surgery-290lbs
Current-180lbs
Goal-180lbs

SaturdazeChyld

NelleBelle50

Does anyone have problems with "Luna" bars after surgery. My before surgery taste tests have kept me coming back to these.

Does anyone dump on them?

__________________
Annelle
Lap RNY 9/22/05
Dr. Bradley Pierce
310/241/180

dkessell

Wow that was a lot of information.
Thanks for all of that, I bet it was a lot of work to reseach and type.

__________________
Dennis
Open Dr. Callery 2/9/05
366/225/160

rodaniel

Anybody else tried Chef Jay's Tri-O-Plex High Protein bars? They've got truckloads (30g) of protein and don't make any attempt to taste like candy, but more like a very dense muffin.

They're a bit high in fat and sugar content, but oddly enough they don't trigger any problems despite the fact that I'm sensitive to sugars. I'm geussing that this may be due to the fiber content that makes it slower to break down. And since these bars are large (and did I mention dense?) you can easily use a half of one at a time.

Rob

__________________
Lap RNY - 7/27/04
Performed by Dr. Don Davenport
380 / 367 (Day of Op) / 259 / ???

"Everyone asks me how much I have lost - but the more important question should be how much have I gained."

Life's a beach!
www.2dolphins.com

bridgetgirl

I did okay with Luna Annelle. Stacie bought me some after I had PS, the apple cinnamon ones and I did great. I tried finding more, when I do I stock up!

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J.Bridget Fisher
2/9/04 lap 5'11"
298/155

www.myspace.com/caliclovercutie
We must have a theme, a goal, a purpose in our lives. If you don't know where you're aiming, you don't have a goal. My goal is to live my life in such a way that when I die, someone can say, she cared." - MaryKay Ash

jlcsmokey

How soon after surgery can we eat protein bars?

__________________
Janice C
Woburn, MA - Dr. Ameri
Winchester Hopsital
7/25/05
Consult/ surgery/ current/ goal
248/ 237/164/ healthy

ers2433

Hi, I just found this old post and thought it has lots of good info on protein bars for us rookies who are learning learning and learning more every day.

__________________
Robin


Surgery = May 30, 2006
290 / 219 / 185

Dr. Hunter @ VMMC in Seattle, WA