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September 27, 2007

Do Energy Bars Help You Lose Weight? - Part 1

Many “energy” bars are nothing more than glorified candy bars. The attraction is the word “energy.” According to the FDA, the word “energy” on any label means that the food item supplies calories to the consumer.  Eating it will not necessarily make you more energetic!  This is great marketing, but misleading to a consumer.

So do these bars help you lose weight?J0337262

Based on my experience people seem to lose weight more quickly and have more energy by consuming  whole foods instead of processed items. An example of a whole food snack would be a nice crunchy apple and a small handful almonds.  Additionally, the variety of food choices you can obtain from plant and animal type of snacks provide you with more vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals that the body regularly needs. You are lured into buying fancy bars because of their taste, convenience and easy consumption.  Based on that they may have an occasional place in today’s hectic world.  I would first encourage you to consider the following points before purchasing them, especially if you are trying to lose weight:

1. Use this type of snack more for “emergency” types of situations. Whole food snacks are preferable. 
2. Be selective regarding the ingredients and calorie count in the bar you pick. (I’ll go into that on tomorrow’s blog.)
3. Determine why you are really consuming these foods in the first place.  Are you simply eating the bar as a snack that you enjoy? Are you an athlete who needs the extra calories? Do you eat the bar as a meal replacement? (This is not always a good idea.) Are you eating it because you need the energy?
4. Be cognizant of the total calories you are consuming when you are in the process of losing weight. You need to create a calorie deficit of at least 500 calories every day to lose about a pound of fat a week.
5. If that bar is more of an extra in your food plan, those extra calories could prevent you from losing weight. I would definitely check out ND’s Daily Needs Calculator so you know just how many calories you need to lose weight and then track it.

Tomorrow’s blog will show you how to look for a better quality energy bar for weight loss. 

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