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It’s become fashionable to eat energy bars these days. But are they good for you?

The truth is energy bars are not all the same.

Some are nutritious, some aren’t. Different types of energy bar include high-protein bars, meal replacement bars, diet bars, and high carbohydrate bars.

Some of the advantages are portability and convenience, and while the manufacturer often aims to provide a balanced source of vitamins, minerals carbohydrates, protein and fibre, the resultant energy bar is often high in calories, sugars and fats.

To a certain extent the publicity promotion surrounding energy bars has been very successful. When people think of energy bars, they are used to seeing images of high performing athletes performing at top levels.

People think if they are seen eating an energy bar, they are projecting the image of a person who cares about their health. In some ways this image has become more important than the nutritional value of the bar.

Which looks better? A golfer standing on a tee munching an apple, or a golfer producing the latest fashionable energy bar and making a pose?

The truth is all foods give you energy, it’s just that energy doesn’t appear anywhere in an apple, pear, peach, or bananas name. To make energy you need calories.

As an energy bar is generally portable and doesn’t perish easily, it should really only be used in circumstances where it is impractical to use or eat other types of food, and of course depending on your activity, depends on the type of bar you should eat.

High-protein bars for example can be useful to long-distance runners or vegetarian athletes, but to eat a meal replacement bar or a diet bar under these circumstances may not be advised.

Generally you should look for a bar that is low in saturated fat. You can determine this by looking at the label and seeing the words contains hydrogenated fat. Also you aim to find a bar which provides around 3 g to 5 g of fibre, as well as offering minerals and vitamins.

Be careful of energy bars if you have a nut allergy as some bars contain nuts and nut extracts.

Good advice on the use of energy bars is to only use them when absolutely necessary, and as everyone’s system is different, various bars should be sampled before you attempt to use an energy bar in a competition.

Another fact about energy bars is that while they may contain vitamins and minerals found in vegetables and fruit, they generally do not contain the natural chemicals found in fresh fruit and vegetables such as phytochemicals, bioflavoinoids, and natural fibre.

So for healthy eating what is the best course of action?

To put it simply, stick to fresh food, yoghurt, fruit and vegetables were possible, and only use carefully selected energy bars under circumstances where portability and preservation are priorities.

Tags: althlete nutrition calories energy