Daily News column for July 27 edition
UNTIL RECENTLY, the "nutrition bars" that hit the fitness scene in the late '80s were consumed almost exclusively by endurance athletes like seven-time Tour de France cycling champion Lance Armstrong.
Now recreational athletes, corporate execs, soccer moms and just about everybody has jumped on the nutrition-bar bandwagon.
But for the average consumer, do these products deliver healthy nutritional alternatives or just more healthy-eating hype?
Do most people - including the average daily exerciser - need the extra calories contained in nutrition bars? Do these "meal replacements" really satisfy hunger and provide the same quality of nutrients as recommended servings of the five food groups?
How nutritious are these bars - or are many of them just "designer" candy bars?
A 2001 report issued by the independent testing group ConsumerLab.com revealed that 18 of 30 laboratory-tested nutritional bars "did not meet the claims of ingredient levels on the label." ConsumerLab.com also discovered that half of the nutrition bar labels were inaccurate.
Bars often exceeded the carbohydrate level shown on the label, the testers found. One bar's label claimed it had 2 grams of carbs, "but testing showed it actually contained 22 grams," ConsumerLab.com said.
Big bucks for small bars
According to a recent report by market researchers the Mintel International Group, more than 900 nutrition bars were introduced between 2001 and 2004, and bar sales grossed a whopping $838 million in 2004 alone!
There's a lot of dough being made on power bars.
But if you're a nutrition bar, energy bar, meal replacement or protein bar junkie, you need to take a very close look at what you're eating.
Hands down, most nutrition and health experts recommend that people get their primary nutrition from real foods and discourage reliance on supplements or meal replacement bars for high-quality nutrition.
Says Consumer Reports, "The quality of nutrition you get may be inferior to that of real food... in a few bars some protein comes from low-quality sources such as collagen or gelatin, which have few essential amino acids."
If you are trying to lose weight, I would stay away from most of these products altogether. You can satisfy your caloric and nutritional needs easily with a low-fat, high-fiber diet that includes plenty of fruits and vegetables.
If the first ingredient is some form of sugar - corn syrup, brown sugar, brown rice syrup, raw sugar, honey, maltose, dextrose, sucrose, fructose or cane juice - that means the product contains mostly sugar.
In many cases, the sugar content in a nutrition bar is 20 grams or more, making these products nothing more than high-priced candy bars.
Calorie content can range anywhere from 200 to as high as 400 calories. Fat, saturated fat, protein and carbohydrate content also vary from one product to another. Some bars claim to have 5 grams of fat (not a low-fat item), while others have 10 grams of fat.
And don't fall for the low-carb and net-carbs baloney on a diet-bar label. Nothing magical is going to happen if you eat the low-carb or net-carb version of a product instead of the regular one. Weight loss is all about portion control, not carb control.
A carbohydrate is a carbohydrate is a carbohydrate! Weight loss occurs when overall caloric intake is reduced.
I've eaten my fair share of nutrition bars, and I've yet to find one that satisfies my hunger like good old-fashioned food.
Sure, there are times when a nutrition bar comes in handy, but I've found nothing satisfies better than a one-ounce serving of nuts or dried fruit, which is just as convenient to carry as a bar.
I keep one-ounce bags of nuts in my kitchen and in the truck of my car. A one-ounce bag of nuts is a real bargain, too, at around 40 cents.
Good alternatives
Here are some good energy snack alternatives for those on the go. These will stretch your dollars, too:
A word to the wise
When it comes to "nutrition bars," the buyer should beware. As often as possible, get your energy (calories) from real foods. You'll save a few bucks, too!
Comments (1)
I don't buy nutrition bars that often, and when I do, I read the label carefully to make sure I'm getting a big dose of protein. I like having some protein at breakfast time and sometimes those are a convenient way to make sure I get breakfast as I'm driving to work... I don't see 'em as a snack item.
Posted by Theresa | July 29, 2005 7:49 AM
Posted on July 29, 2005 07:49