Things You'll Need:
- Time and attention (to read the labels).
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Step 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.
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Step 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.
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Step 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.
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Step 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.
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Step 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.
