FRUIT AND NUT CEREAL BAR, CRISPED RICE BAR, PEANUT BUTTER AND CEREAL BAR, BREAKFAST CEREAL BAR
Energy bars are far more about convenience than necessity, and they do suit the needs of many hungry people who seek a hassle free, somewhat nutritious snack. Energy bars awaits at energy convenience store, each boasting its ability to enhance performance so, one can spend a fortune on these pre-wrapped bundles of energy, thinking they offer magic ingredients. Their advantages: they’re portable and they tend to have a good balance of fast- and slow-release carbohydrate, a bit of protein for recovery, and low levels of fat.
There’s a huge range of energy bars available, though the carbohydrates in different bars tend to come from similar sources: rice, oats and, in a few products, maltodextrin for complex carbs, and dried fruit or fructose and glucose syrup for simple carbs. Energy bars has also promote pre-exercise eating. Fueling before exercising is a great way to boost stamina and endurance. The energy bar industry has done an excellent job of educating us that pre-exercise eating is important for optimizing performance. The associated energy boost likely does not result from magic ingredients (chromium, amino acids) but from eating 200 to 300 calories. These calories clearly fuel you better than the zero calories in no snack. Note that calories from bananas and low – fat granola bars are also effective pre-exercise energizers.
A Few Good Rules: If your choice is between a high fat, high salt typical fast food meal and an energy bar, you’re better off nutritionally choosing the bar. But they don’t contain the nutritional health benefits of a well chosen, varied diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, very lean sources of protein, nutrient dense carbohydrates and good sources of fats. So, if you choose these as part of your diet, keep them in perspective, and make them healthier by adding some raw veggies, a piece of real fruit, and some whole grains or beans if you expect to make a meal out of these bars. As a snack or pre-workout source of energy, they are pretty much o.k. as is, with the proper amount of water you need for exercise.
