Do Energy Bars Help You Lose Weight? - Part 2

Yesterday I brought up the discussion of energy bars and how they relate to weight management.  (To view yesterday's blog, please click here.)

Today I will be showing you how to scrutinize the ingredient list on an energy bar for maximum nutrition and weight loss benefits. This is what you want to look for on the label of a nutrition bar:

1) Look for a bar that contains whole grains and whole fruit as carbohydrate sources instead of simple sugars and high fructose corn syrup.  (Monica has covered the topic of HFCS a few times.)

2) Watch the quality of fat and total fat content contained in a product. Three to five grams of healthy fat from nut and/or seed sources would be ok. You do not want any tran’s fat or partially hydrogenated fat (these two fats are the same thing but partially hydrogenated fat is only listed on the ingredient list of the label). Consume no more than a couple grams of saturated fat.

3) Find good quality protein from whey/soy souces. (Consume only soy that is organic otherwise it may be genetically modified. And that's a whole other story.) Aim for 7-14 grams of protein. You probably don’t need much more than that unless you are an Olympic trainer and/or training more than an hour or more at a time.

4) Search for brands that contain 3-5 grams of fiber per serving.

5) Look for a calorie level on your bar that fits your individual caloric needs. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of using the Daily Needs Calculator if you are serious about losing your weight. If your calories are miscalculated and you are not tracking your food intake, will not get to your goal!