Nutrition and Energy Bars – The Rundown
Eating a sensible diet is very important to maintain good health, and is even more important when you are dieting and trying to get into great shape. Sometimes it’s difficult to incorporate all the necessary foods into your daily meals, especially if you are constantly on the go. Nutrition bars – or energy bars – are made to incorporate all the vitamins and minerals that are ideal to have at every meal.
Meal replacement bars are just that – a meal replacement. They are convenient little bars that are loaded with the essential vitamins you require, and fill you up like a real meal. These bars are called many things, such as: energy / nutrition / protein / diet / meal replacement bars. Whatever you call them, they all do the same thing – replace your meal.
Energy Bars Are Not the Same as Snack Bars!
Meal replacement bars are not the same as snack bars or granola bars. Meal replacement bars are generally much higher in calories, and are larger by weight. These bars are generally between 250-350 calories each. They also have a much higher protein content than snack bars.
Check the Labels
Most meal replacement bars are quite healthy. However, you may want to check the label for a variety of things. For example, some bars may have caffeine in them, such as cocoa or coffee extract. Some bars may have a high concentration of saturated fats. Try to pick those bars with less than three grams of saturated fat.
Sodium is another item to watch out for. Most bars have on average about 150 mg of sodium. It is generally advisable to limit your daily sodium intake to under 2400 mg. Fiber is something that would be very beneficial in a bar. Fiber intake is essential if weight loss is one of your goals. Many bars on the market are high in fiber, such as Kashi or PowerBar.
Even though these bars are quite healthy, you probably shouldn’t have any more than one or two a day. It’s best to get your nutrition from real food.
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Posted In: Health Nutrition
Tags: diet bars, energy bars, meal replacement bars, nutrition bars, protein bars, real meal, snack bars
