Are Clif and Luna bars ACTUALLY healthy?

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  • Janice2210
    Janice2210 Posts: 3 Member
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    I'm gutted as I love Clif bars but as if I'm honest it's the sugar I'm craving in them and there is a reason I look like a telly tubby and these bars arn't going to get rid of my jelly bell any time soon...wish salad could taste as amazing as Clif bar peanut butter crunch! If I was tall and skinny i'd eat these every day!
  • atheeren
    atheeren Posts: 1 Member
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    Frequently I find that I'm about to do something physically intensive with the realization that I haven't eaten anything for several hours and looking at not being able to eat a full meal with enough time to digest before doing whatever it is (mostly beach volleyball league). I find that Clif bars give the energy I need while also being really easy on the stomach while exercising.
  • kmsnyg
    kmsnyg Posts: 100 Member
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    I eat a Luna bar everyday and have lost 70 lbs. So I don't care if anyone thinks they are unhealthy. They give me carbs and protein. I enjoy the taste. They fit in my calories.
  • corinic91
    corinic91 Posts: 148 Member
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    camrunner wrote: »
    They fit my definition of "healthy." But I guess that varies from person to person. For me, what's important is that they satisfy my hunger for long enough that the number of calories they have isn't very significant. I mean, I try to average something like 100 calories an hour I spend awake as a baseline, so if I eat a 250 calorie Clif bar and I'm satisfied for 2-3 hours, that's a win in my book.
    ^interesting way to look at it, I've never thought about calories that way. I like it!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    edited October 2014
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    Love 'em, and fortified with many of the same chemicals in natural foods that provide vitamins and minerals. Also, Clif bars one of the few that are great for post endurance cardio for that magical 4:1 ratio carbs:protein. Besides, fruits are high in sugar too.
  • AmZam05
    AmZam05 Posts: 130 Member
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    I think they are delicious but I don't eat them. I think they are expensive for what you get and I'd rather have something fresh like plain greek yogurt with berries for a protein/carb snack rather than something that has been processed and sits on a shelf for months.

    However if you are really in a pinch I think they are convenient and healthier than grabbing a candy bar, but I personally wouldn't intentionally snack on them if I have time to prepare something healthier.
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,817 Member
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    I fit them into my macros a few times a week as an evening snack. Much better for me than what I used to eat 3 months ago :wink:
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,065 Member
    edited October 2014
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    I know that the Clif bars have a lot of sugar. I stick to protein bars that have very little sugar.
  • nam985
    nam985 Posts: 140 Member
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    Are they the absolute best nutritional choice? Probably not. However when you aren't able to actually sit down and have a nice plate of veggies and hummus or some yogurt with nuts and fruit they aren't the worst. I tend to have them once or twice a week when I am busy teaching dance classes and need a little something to keep me going and prevent me from getting "hangry" (because hell hath no fury like a ballet teacher who hasn't eaten all day!).
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
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    Neither of them are healthy for me. They both contain soy. Soy screws with my head, so I avoid them like the plague (which sucks because they are yummy!).
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
    edited October 2014
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    You have to understand what they're designed for. Like another poster said, they're for quick energy when you're burning a ton of calories, and I don't mean an hour of spin class. I mean hiking, backpacking, cycling for several hours. In those situations you need all those calories or you'll bonk. I keep two or three in my daypack even if I don't think I'll need them.

    I would never eat them because I thought they tasted good. In fact I think they dry my mouth out too fast and make me drink water faster than I want to in situations where water is limited.




  • jayeme
    jayeme Posts: 6 Member
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    I'm not sure how healthy they are, but it's better than candy, portable, tasty, and provides necessary energy/nutrients so I think they can definitely be part of a healthy lifestyle. On the subject, I've been trying out new, similar bars and found a really, really delicious one. They're called "Garuka Bars" and they are a small company, sweetened with raw honey, and the bars are SO tasty. I hope this is allowed to post, I am in no way affiliated with this company but you can order a sample bar for $1 here: http://www.garukabars.com/free-sample/.
  • libbydoodle11
    libbydoodle11 Posts: 1,351 Member
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    I don't consider them healthy. There is not anything wrong with including them in your diet. I also don't consider kettle chips, cookies or ice cream healthy and I include those foods in my diet.
  • erikarobles
    erikarobles Posts: 205 Member
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    I just finished a round of Whole30 and it opened my eyes on all processed foods. Yes lara bars are high in sugar but they are the best choice as far as additives and chemicals.
  • myfitnesspale3
    myfitnesspale3 Posts: 276 Member
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    Clif and Luna bars seemed like an easy step to take to improve diet, and they're good if they replace potato chips or candy bars. So I had a bunch for a while.

    But as I started low-carb-high-fat and started reading food nutrition labels carefully, I see that most "protein bars" have more grams of carbs that interfere with daily carb limits.

    As a guideline I try keep daily grams of protein higher than carbs. So protein powders completely replaced Clif bars in my diet.

    Hard to beat bars for convenience.
  • DrewMontoya
    DrewMontoya Posts: 77 Member
    edited October 2014
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    corinic91 wrote: »
    camrunner wrote: »
    They fit my definition of "healthy." But I guess that varies from person to person. For me, what's important is that they satisfy my hunger for long enough that the number of calories they have isn't very significant. I mean, I try to average something like 100 calories an hour I spend awake as a baseline, so if I eat a 250 calorie Clif bar and I'm satisfied for 2-3 hours, that's a win in my book.
    ^interesting way to look at it, I've never thought about calories that way. I like it!

    Me neither. It's absolutely brilliant!

    I feel the same way. They help me hit some macros, taste like a candy bar, and they keep me satisfied for hours. By virtue of helping me stay within my kcal goals, they are as healthy as it gets. For me, of course.

    I prefer ZonePerfect bars, however, since they're just "nutrition bars" with 24g of carbs. As has been pointed out, Clif bars are best suited for active people doing active things, so they have a lot of carbs. (40g) They spike my blood glucose something fierce.

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