Karen Hiser

"It's a battle of mind versus mattress.... Starting a day with an early victory over self leads to more victories." Stephen Covey, Principle Centered Leadership.

Snack and meal replacement bars are a boon to travelers with hectic schedules. But when you grab a handful of bars at the grocery or convenience store, what are you really getting? Have you read the label to check calorie, fat, trans fats, carbohydrate, and protein content? You might be surprised at the nutritional content (or lack thereof) in your favorite bar.

The Criteria

We spent some time surveying and taste testing the snack and meal replacement bar landscape. Based on research and discussion with nutritionists, we developed several rating criteria.

We categorized most sports bars as meal replacement bars (perhaps somewhat erroneously). They pack a substantial amount of calories, making them inappropriate for a quick snack for the non-athlete.

 

Attribute	Criteria
Calories	Snack bars receive a check mark if they have less than 200 calories each. Meal replacement bars receive a check mark if they are at least 250 calories. If you consume too few calories, you’ll be hungry and more likely to binge.
Fat	Less than 30% of calories coming from fat and less than 1/3 of total fat grams coming from saturated fats. (Fat has 9 calories per gram.)
Trans Fats	Ingredients do not include any partially hydrogenated oils.
Fiber	At least 6g of fiber. Experts recommend that women eat 25g of fiber per day; men should get 38g. Most Americans consume less than half the recommended amount.
Protein	At least 30% of calories coming from protein. (Protein has 4 calories per gram.)
Sugar	No highly processed and refined sugars such as white sugar or corn syrup.
Taste	A totally subjective assessment of how good the bar tastes.
Retail Price	Retail price when sold individually, based on our local Raleigh, NC grocery store.

The Bars

Our selection of bars was primarily based on availability. In addition, we steered clear of “low-carb” bars, as we find them to have extremely high fat content and, as a result, high caloric content. We selected our bars from the “diet” aisle in the grocery store.

Snack Bars	Flavor
Balance Gold	Chocolate Peanut Butter
Dexatrim All in One	Lemon Bar Crisp
Kashi GoLean Crunch	Chocolate Peanut Bliss
Luna Bar	Chocolate Peppermint
Pria Nutritional Energy Snack Bar	Chocolate Peanut Crunch
Zone Perfect	Apple Cinnamon

Meal Replacement Bars	Flavor
Balance Satisfaction Meal Bar	Chocolate Crisp
ClifBar	Lemon Poppyseed
PowerBar Harvest	Iced Oatmeal Raisin
Slim Fast Optima Meal Bar	Oatmeal Raisin

General Thoughts

In general, these bars provide limited nutritional value when compared with fresh foods. In their defense, manufacturers face a big challenge; it’s difficult to duplicate Mother Nature and produce a bar that’s both good-tasting and good for you.

Many of the bars were very caloric. While most met our total fat requirement, only two bars met our saturated fat requirement. Note that many experts now recommend that you limit your saturated fat intake to only 7g per day.

Only a single bar met our fiber requirements.

Only two bars met our protein requirements, although many of the bars contained more than 20% protein.

Fortunately, manufacturers are getting serious about avoiding trans fats, and only two of the bars contained any partially hydrogenated oils.

Finally, refined sugar remains the number one food additive in America, and our survey firmly confirmed that. 60% of the bars surveyed contained either white sugar or corn syrup.

Our Favorites

We picked our favorites based on texture, flavor, and overall nutritional content. Bars that avoided trans fats, highly refined sugars and extensive preservatives helped sway our opinion.

We list our favorites and comments here only in the spirit of sharing, not as a guideline or recommendation.

Healthy Travel Network Favorite Snack Bar: Kashi GoLean Crunch Bar
Retails for about $1.39

Overall, we liked the Kashi GoLean Crunch Bars. Relatively new, the Kashi bars are unfortunately hard to find (we found them at Target). Don’t confuse them with the original Kashi GoLean bar, which pack on as much 100 extra calories per bar!

The GoLean Crunch bars are one of the few bars that met both our total fat and total saturated fat requirement. In addition, we loved Kashi’s approach to all natural ingredients, with minimal processing and no highly refined sugars, additives, or preservatives.

Healthy Travel Network Favorite Meal Replacement Bar: ClifBar
Retails for about $1.39

Although technically a sports bar used by athletes, we liked the ClifBar for its all-around goodness and 70% organic content. Besides the Kashi GoLean Crunch Bar, the ClifBar is the only other bar that met our fat requirements. And while it didn’t quite meet our fiber and protein requirements, it still provides 5g of fiber and is 20% protein.

At only 230 calories, the ClifBar is a little slim to be a full meal. Consider pairing it with a high-fiber salad or similar dish.

Everything in Moderation

As with anything, you should use snack and meal replacement bars in moderation. We recommend not eating more than one per day. Focus your remaining meals on fresh, unprocessed vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and lean proteins. This balanced approach will help you stay healthy and fit throughout your travels.

Click here for our complete nutrition and taste analysis for all 10 bars.