Let’s face it, muesli, cereal and fruit bars make the ideal snack for both adults and children. They’re perfectly wrapped into individual portions and you can have them on hand in the cupboard or your bag at any time. However you may be concerned about the sugar or fat content, or why the ingredients listing is so long. 

The two main types of products are muesli bars (whether whole-grain types or baked cereal types) and fruit bars. Muesli bars tend to be a mixture of nuts, seeds, grains (like rolled oats), honey or dried fruit bound together. Many of these healthy-sounding ingredients have nutritional benefits:

• Nuts and seeds contain polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats which are considered ‘good’ fats. They’re a valuable source of vitamin E, zinc, fibre and protein. Protein is an essential nutrient required for growth and development.
• Grains are good sources of dietary fibre, which is key to avoiding constipation.
• Honey is added for sweetness, along with sugar, glucose or glucose syrup.
• Dried fruit provides natural sugar, vitamins and antioxidants. The ingredients list tells you what form the fruit is in and how much is present. Check it out on bars claiming ‘fruit pieces’, ‘fruit filled centres’ and ‘real fruit topping’.

Fruit bars are generally made from concentrated fruit juice or dried or puréed fruit. It’s interesting to look at the percentage of fruit in the ingredients – this can range from 20% to 99%. Other ingredients may include those listed below.

• Emulsifiers are added to foods to ensure mixtures of oil and water-based ingredients stay combined together. 
• Humectants keep foods moist and prevent them drying out.
• Polydextrose is a bulking agent in that it adds volume to foods without contributing to the energy and nutrient profile. 
• Antioxidants have two functions. Firstly, they are beneficial to good health by destroying free radicals. Secondly, they can be included in foods to prevent oils and fats from deteriorating and developing rancid flavours, and reduce colour and flavour changes.
• Isomalt is a natural sugar substitute and acts as a sweetener. It can also act as a bulking agent and a humectant.  
• Inulin, like isomalt, is used in foods as a sugar replacement as it provides less energy than sugar. 

Looking at the packaging, you may see the following claims about muesli bars:

• Low in fat – it must contain no more than 3g of fat per 100g of food. 
• Source of fibre – it must contain at least 4g of fibre per serving.
• Low GI – it will help keep you feeling fuller for longer (offers greater satiety).

Nutrition information panels can make good reading too. As a general rule look for muesli bars with less than 10g fat per 100g, less than 15g sugar per 100g and more than 6g fibre per 100g…oh and ones that taste nice too!

So armed with a few facts you can make a more informed choice about these handy snacks…although the double chocolate option does sound tempting! Alternatively you could always make your own bars :-)

Avoid peanuts and peanut products if there is an allergy or family history of peanut allergies.

Endorsed by our New World Nutritionist  ||   Proudly Partnering with Parents Centre

Add Tile: