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Dietician Sheela Seharawat

Health benefits of nutrition bars

Even though we all at times grab a nutrition bar, may be for a quick snack or even in busy day sometimes, we always have one question in mind - would they be of any benefit to our overall health? In fact the truth is that it is always better to substitute one for lunch in a busy day than to grab those high saturated fat burgers, fries and pastries.
In the process of making various lifestyle changes on the journey to fitness, the most essential area to make all the adjustments is our eating habits and food choices. It is nearly impossible to attain optimal health without proper nutrition and starting to eat to nurture our body rather than eating something just because it tastes good or you like it. It is where nutrition bars can be a good friend for the body in the regime to be fitter and stay in shape.

What are the key health benefits of these nutrition bars?
In todays on the run culture, sitting down comfortable and having your meal might seem to be an impossible luxury extravaganza. This is where the nutrition bar emerged and seemed like just the right medicine that your doctor prescribed you. Today anyone who misses his/her meal and need a boost of energy, these glittering and attractively packed bars comes handy in your bag. Here are some key benefits that these bars serves you and also you need to know:

• - These are ideal for quick boost of energy and endurance. It frees you from terrible hungry pranks at times when you are unable to have your meal or lack time to have one.
• - These bars are simple and can be added occasionally into your daily meals. A much better option than to hit a fast food outlet. They are balanced nutritionally and provides the body with the needed energy to carry along the day.
• - Convenient and easy to incorporate before and after a workout session. It provides the body with the much needed fuel for endurance and recover from a strenuous exercise regime. A convenient and complete package in one single bar that the body needs.
• - Can be easily incorporated in our daily lifestyle. Just have one along with your favorite breakfast cereal. It does not need any preparation, just open and have and all you get is a protein packed alternative along with vitamins and minerals and that too in all in your hand.

Nutrition bars – are they all alike?
Every time you visit the store, you see a new packed nutrition bar promising to be better than the other in taste and packed with more protein or vitamins. Perhaps it might not be true that what tastes better, is the best. So setting favors and tastes aside, let us understand what constitutes a good nutrition bar.

Proteins: a good one should have atleast 15 gms of protein and preferable from whey or casein and not soy, collagen or gelatin.
Carbohydrates: a good meal replace bar should have a balanced of fat, carbohydrate and protein in a 30:40:30 ratio respectively. It has also been seen that to enhance the taste factors some bars have considerably high amounts of sugar. Ensure that the sugar in the label of the bar is not more than 10 -15 gms.

Fats: bars with polyunsaturated vegetable oils like the olive, coconut and safflower are the better ones. Avoid he ones that contains cholesterol boosting oils like the palm kernel oil. The overall fat contains in a bar should not be more than 3 gms saturated and 0 gms trans fat.

Vitamins and Minerals: a good nutrition bar would contain 1/3rd of the daily requirement of vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, E, D and A, potassium, magnesium, calcium and zinc. These are a good replace for meals.

Fibers and Calories: although most of the nutrition bars contains barely small quantities of fibers, but good ones have between 4 to 6 gms. Also, pick up a nutrition bar whose label reads atleast 200 to 300 calories on it.

When you choose to partake the bars in a smart manner, using your common sense and continuing your current healthy eating plan, you will soon begin to discover its benefits—and the results of your hard work.