How to Pick Healthy Breakfast Bars

Breakfast bars are becoming increasingly popular. However, not all of these bars are as healthy as they seem. This guide will outline some practical suggestions to follow when you are attempting to choose a healthy breakfast bar.

Things You'll Need

• Time and attention (to read the labels).

Instructions

Choosing A Healthy Breakfast Bar.

1. Check the sugar content. Breakfast bars that are high in sugar can cause a spike in your insulin levels. This will leave you feeling sluggish when the spike subsides. Try to avoid breakfast bars that contain high fructose corn syrup. As a rule of thumb try not to exceed ten to fourteen grams of sugar when choosing a meal replacement bar.

2. Pay attention to how many grams of fat the breakfast bar contains. In particular the amount of saturated fat. Many breakfast bars have a surprisingly high fat content. A good goal is to aim for no more than four grams of saturated fat and ten to twelve grams of total fat.

3. Check the total calories. A high calorie breakfast bar may not be bad if you are living an active lifestyle. However, a breakfast bar with hundreds of calories may not be the best idea for starting a day at the office.

4. Make sure that the breakfast bar contains at least a few grams of protein as well as a high percentage of the recommended daily allowances for vitamins and minerals. It is also good if the breakfast bar contains a few grams of fiber. There is a real need for caution however, as a lot of breakfast bars are not much more than junk food mildly reformulated to appear as healthy.

5. Consider making your own breakfast bars. There are many recipes for breakfast bars on the internet. These recipes are usually quite easy to make and are both nutritious and healthy.

Tips & Warnings

• Read the labels carefully. Don't assume that because the bar is labeled as "fruit" or "grain" that it is healthy.