Do healthy granola bars exist?

brit024
brit024 Posts: 10 Member
edited October 3 in Food and Nutrition
So my husband has always said that there's no such thing as a "healthy" granola bar - that they contain preservatives to keep their shelf life and they are loaded with carbs. I agree with this, but i'd love to find a granola bar that is somewhat healthy and not loaded with crap.

I usually eat the nature valley granola bars, because they are cheap and the NuVal score is a little higher than some of the other granola bars, but they still contain about 43 grams of carbohydrates and quite a bit of sugar.

I've tried clif bars and other protein bars, but they can be spendy and I still don't know if they are healthy. I usually try other things for snacks like nuts, fruit, etc., but granola bars are so easy to throw in my purse, they are very filling, and usually cheap when bought in bulk.


I'm interested to find out if you include granola bars in your diet, and if so which ones? Do you think there is a healthy one out there??

Thanks!!

Replies

  • jgic2009
    jgic2009 Posts: 531 Member
    Make your own! Then you don't have to worry about what kind of junk is in there. It's cheaper, too.
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
    They do.

    Check out www.snackgirl.com for ideas.
  • RNewton4269
    RNewton4269 Posts: 663 Member
    It is easier to make your own...tons of recipes out there.
  • peterson_jessica
    peterson_jessica Posts: 119 Member
    I trust Kashi. I think they are a good, almost natural brand.
  • AggieCass09
    AggieCass09 Posts: 1,867 Member
    i often make my own, but when in a pinch i use the Cascadian Farms brand in either peanut butter or chocolate chip...both are very good and dont contain preservatives or HFCS AND have a good texture too!
  • deegarcia19
    deegarcia19 Posts: 98
    I eat natures valley oat n' honey :)
  • LouLouDyson
    LouLouDyson Posts: 6 Member
    I really love Nakd bars. They are cold pressed bars with oats and 1 or 2 of your 5 a day included depending on the flavour you choose. They have no added preservatives etc and tasty. I love Apple Pie, Ginger bread and Berry flavours.. Most health food stores sell them and some supermarkets in the gluten free sections.. try them out :)
  • brit024
    brit024 Posts: 10 Member
    They do.

    Check out www.snackgirl.com for ideas.

    Awesome. I'll check it out, thanks!
  • theginnyray
    theginnyray Posts: 208 Member
    I also second snack-girl.com
    But I usually keep Nature Valley ones around. They are pretty delish. I get burnt out on the protein bar type ones pretty easily, and they always have a funny taste. And regular ol granola bars covered in chocolate defeat the purpose of trying to be healthy!
    If it's an on-the-go snack - how about a homemade trail mix? Get some nuts/seeds, dried fruit, maybe a handful of Multigrain Cheerios or Kix, mix everything, then divide into small baggies so it's easy to grab and go?
  • busterrocks
    busterrocks Posts: 35 Member
    larabars

    If you go to their website and you click on a flavor, they show you a picture of each ingredient (apples, walnuts, etc). How many food companies can show you pictures of ingredients that you'd actually recognize! :smile:

    That said, there have been many online recipes to make your own larabars-type bars
  • NovemberJune
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
    my son and i love to make our own healthy ones. and i get the south beach ones, well now they changed to snackwell's. good but probably not healthy!
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    I second Kashi - waaaay lower in sugar than a lot of other brands. Honey Almond Flax - yum!
  • TAWoody
    TAWoody Posts: 261 Member
    You can't say granola bars and then go into talking about protein bars and other bars. Do you mean granola bars with granola or snack bars that include all of those? If you just want a snack bar then your husband obviously hasn't looked around a lot because there are lots of healthy choices. I down a Larabar everyday between breakfast and lunch and it's completely natural and has nothing else added. They're about $1.40 each and keep me from getting hungry
  • havalinaaa
    havalinaaa Posts: 333 Member
    I always have a kind brand fruit and nut delight bar in my bag, they're delicious and mostly natural. Not really a granola bar, they're mostly nuts and dried fruit paste with a little honey and puffed rice. The brand makes several other varieties, but the fruit and nut is by far my favorite.
  • it_be_asin
    it_be_asin Posts: 562 Member
    I bought muesli bars, I made muesli bars at home, then I realised that there really wasn't a way of constructing a muesli bar that didn't involve a buttload of sugar. So I gave up muesli bars and swapped them for savoury crackers/bsicuits/cookies/whatever you want to call them.

    Muesli bars should be in the chocolate bar aisle, seriously. OK, they have a bit more fibre, but the amount of sugar sometimes is not that different.
  • kimtpa1417
    kimtpa1417 Posts: 461 Member
    Kashi- pumpkin flax = yummy
  • nkziv
    nkziv Posts: 161 Member
    Make your own! Then you don't have to worry about what kind of junk is in there. It's cheaper, too.

    Yep. make it yourself! you can control the sugar that way, too... most of them are soooo sugary
  • anetap2000
    anetap2000 Posts: 116 Member
    I love pro bar. I eat it as lunch when I don't take anything with me ( its over 300 kcal) It's healthy but expensive. But I think you got what you pay for!
  • christine24t
    christine24t Posts: 6,063 Member
    Make your own! Then you don't have to worry about what kind of junk is in there. It's cheaper, too.
  • nickscutie
    nickscutie Posts: 303 Member
    Nature's Path makes a great organic granola bar, good flavor selections as well.
This discussion has been closed.

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