My Nutrition Snack Bar Favorites

One of the questions I am often asked is, which energy bars are the best for snacks and can they be used as a meal replacement. I am not a fan of using snack bars as a meal replacement. Nothing can replace regular food. Most of the so called nutrition bars on the market are loaded with hidden sugars and extra carbs your body does not need. A large number of people rely on snack bars as a fast and quick meal not realizing that they are most likely eating more carbs and added sugars than a normal meal contains. If you are wondering why you're not loosing weight or perhaps even gaining, it could be because you're relying on snack bars too much. I recommend eating them only as a snack to ward off hunger or if there is nothing else to eat or as a recovery snack after a workout. I keep them handy to take on the road or if I know I am going to be away from a proper food source longer than three hours. Not all nutritional snack bars are created equal. Like I said most of them contain too much sugar and extra carbs. I have four favorites that I personally use and recommend. The types I prefer are labeled Gluten Free, Non GMO, Vegan, Dairy Free, no preservatives, no refined sugars, low glycemic, organic, no soy, live or raw food bar. I know, you are wondering what the heck is in the ingredients then, is there anything good? Well actually there is plenty of good stuff, like real food with a higher nutrient content than the average snack bar. The less items listed on the ingredient list the better. My four top picks for nutritional snack bars are Raw Revolution, LaraBar, Pure and Kind. These are usually found at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Henry's, Healthy Discounts and other health food stores. For example; Raw Revolution's 100% raw, organic live food bar only has five ingredients in their Cashew bar. These types of bars are generally lower in sodium, lower in fat, higher in protein, higher in fiber and do not use added processed or refined sugar. Your snack bar calories should not be much higher than 250 calories depending on what you are using them for. I like mine to be around 200 – 220 calories per bar. Always check the calories on the Nutrition Facts label of your bars and make sure the number of calories listed does not take you over your total recommended calories for the day.