Cereal and snack bars can take the place of an entire breakfast if someone needs to eat on the go. The light treats can also serve as a way for someone to eat a healthy snack when they are feeling run down and hungry over the course of the day. According to "Prevention" magazine, cereal or snack bar consumption is on the rise with sales of these types of bars increasing from year to year at a steady pace.
Types
A cereal bar is generally a snack bar that is made up of some kind of compressed cereal held together with some type of edible adhesive such as sugar paste or marshmallow. A snack bar has a far less rigid definition as they can be made up of granola or other grains.
Optimum Sugar Content
In order to qualify as a healthy alternative to sitting down and eating breakfast these cereal or snack bars cannot be loaded with sugar. Dietitians from Good Housekeeping say that the sugar level should be less than 5 grams, though a bar can still be considered a healthy alternative with as many as 15 grams of sugar as long as that is the maximum count. There also needs to be a consideration that if the cereal or snack bar has real fruit included, the sugar content can be slightly higher and still be healthy.
Optimum Protein Content
If someone wants to substitute a cereal or snack bar for an actual meal than the bar must give them a good amount of protein in order to keep their bodies fueled. Bars with at least 5 grams of protein are considered healthy enough to keep you going.
Optimum Fiber Content
High fiber has been shown to greatly reduce the risk of heart failure. Breakfast bars or cereal bars that are being used as a substitute for a sit-down breakfast should contain at least 5 grams of fiber. Because of this, it is preferable the bar be made of whole grains like oat or whole wheat.
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