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Healthy eating isn’t always cut and dry, and it can be difficult to parse through which items included in your diet actually offer any nutritional value and which act more as empty calories than anything else. Oftentimes food items marketed as healthy are blindly assumed to be good for you without ever checking the label, but the reality is that many foods can fly under the radar, offering very little benefit to your diet and instead causing weight gain when eaten regularly. As you evaluate your diet to make healthy changes to your eating habits, there’s one popular snack that should be consumed in moderation, if at all, to reduce accidental weight gain and sugar intake in your everyday life.
Commonly considered one of the healthiest snacks you could munch on in between meals, granola bars and protein bars are actually products which can secretly house an alarming amount of sugar, offering empty calories and failing to keep you full. If you aren’t aware of the exact ingredients included in the particular bar you’re eating, you could be inadvertently consuming as much sugar as in a can of soda or a candy bar, making this snack unconducive to weight loss.
“Granola bars are the worst 'healthy' food for weight loss because they are full of inflammatory ingredients that prevent weight loss, including refined sugars and grains. Many food manufacturers claim that their granola bars are healthy because they contain oats - and oats are an excellent source of soluble fiber and slow-burning carbs,” notes nutritionist Heather Hanks. “However, the added ingredients in granola bars are what make them so unhealthy.”
Granola and protein bars can be packed with a variety of nutrients, but making the sweeping assumption that they’re good for you can be detrimental to your weight loss goals. When we assume a food is healthy we often end up eating more of it, and when it comes to certain bars, this can quickly pack on the calories. “While these foods may be convenient they can prevent weight loss efforts, among other negative side effects,” explains nutritionist Lisa Richards. “Processed foods are manufactured with refined carbohydrates that are highly inflammatory and wreak havoc on gut health.”
At first glance granola bars may seem less processed than chips or unhealthy desserts, but they can actually contain just as many preservatives as the former. Additionally, any foods that can provoke inflammation in the stomach affect your digestion and can make it more difficult to lose weight or feel even simply comfortable in your body.
If you’re feeling at a loss as to what you should be snacking on when keeping granola and protein bars to a minimum, there are a variety of other options which can provide even more nutritional value to your body without overloading you with sugar and empty calories. “A go-to convenience food should lack refined carbohydrates and provide a great source of protein and fiber to keep you feeling full and satisfied,” notes Richards.
“These foods include trail mix, bananas, apples, and other easy to travel fruits and nuts. It's important to recognize that convenience doesn't have to mean processed.” While the occasional protein or granola bar won’t ruin your diet success, keeping your intake to a minimum and focusing on whole, unprocessed foods will ultimately benefit your body more.
Snacking is actually a healthy part of any diet, even for weight loss. However, it will always come down to the quality of your snacks that determines the value it adds to your life, and focusing on unprocessed, low calorie, nutrient dense snacks is going to be your best bet for achieving weight loss without depriving yourself of food and dramatically reducing your calories.
Fruits, nuts, and vegetables with hummus are great replacement snacks for granola bars, and while bars are undoubtedly a convenient item to include in your diet, leaving them out will allow room for snacks which can ultimately offer more to your body. While you can consume just about anything in moderation and still lose weight, granola and protein bars are not nearly as healthy as they appear when it comes to boosting your overall well being.
