DE-Constructed: Granola Bars

October 28, 2010 | In: Child Nutrition, Nutrients

Welcome to “DE-Constructed”- a look at the nutrients found in common, popular kids’ foods. This month we are looking at granola bars. Sounds healthy, right? And certainly a convenient, on the go snack! While some of these granola bars may be great options, others pay homage to the candy bar, packing a hefty dose of sugar and fat, and hiding under a “health halo”. Just look at the packages: healthy, nature, fiber, TLC, organic. These claims lure me to the box too…for a closer look.

How is a parent supposed to know which to choose? The Nutrition Facts Label and the ingredient list on each package can help guide your choices. First, scour the nutrition facts label to check for sugar, fat, sodium, and fiber; then turn over the package and look at the sources of these nutrients on the ingredient list.

We’ve done some of the work for you. Check out these randomly selected, kid-oriented options:

Brand	Calories	Total Fat	Sat. Fat	Sugar	Sodium	Fiber	Calcium
Nature Valley: Strawberry Yogurt	140	3.5 g	2 g	13 g	110 mg	1 g	200 mg
Quaker: Chewy Chocolate Chip	100	3 g	1.5 g	7 g	75 mg	1 g	80 mg
Kashi TLC: Chewy Trail Mix	140	5 g	0.5 g	5 g	105 mg	4 g	0 mg
Hershey’s: Reese’s Sweet & Salty with Peanuts	170	9 g	2.5 g	9 g	180 mg	2 g	0 mg
Kudo’s: Milk Chocolate Chip	120	3.5 g	2 g	11 g	70 mg	1 g	250 mg
Trader Joe’s: Chewy Peanut Crunch	130	2.5 g	0 g	12 g	150 mg	1 g	20 mg
Disney: Chewy Rainbow Chocolate Gems	120	4 g	1.5 g	9 g	105 mg	1 g	20 mg
Cascadian Farm: Organic Chewy Chocolate Chip	140	3 g	1 g	10 g	125 mg	1 g	0 mg
Fiber One: Chewy Oats & Chocolate	140	4 g	1.5 g	10 g	90 mg	9 g	100 mg
Special K: Strawberry	90	1.5 g	1 g	9 g	95 mg	0.5 g	0 mg
Nutri-grain: Strawberry	130	0.5 g	0.5 g	12 g	120 mg	2 g	200 mg

*Nutrition information obtained from www.calorieking.com.

Healthiest: We looked at overall qualities, but you may be focused on a single nutrient such as sugar or fiber. In that case, it’s easy to see how each granola bar fares in nutrient categories compared to its competitor. Kashi TLC Chewy Trail Mix seems to be the overall best choice with low saturated fat, the least sugar, and a good amount of fiber. Although its calorie content is on the higher side in comparison to the chart as a whole, it is still a reasonable amount for a snack. Pairing this granola bar with a 1/2 cup of milk would add protein and calcium to make it more nutritious, satisfying and filling.

If you are concerned with sugar content, aim for less than 9 gm per serving (a donut has 12 gm!); for fiber, go for more than 2 gm per serving (5 gm per serving is considered a high fiber item); sodium a worry? shoot for under 200 mg per serving.

Unhealthiest: Hershey’s Reeces Sweet & Salty with Peanuts seems to be the least healthy with the highest calorie, fat, and saturated fat content, along with moderate to high levels of sugar…but I bet it tastes good.

What are your criteria for choosing granola bars for your child?

Disclaimer: This is just a small representation of a single flavor from each of many popular brands on the market, not of all bars available. Nutrient content may change with different flavor options within each brand. The purpose of this chart is Nutrition Facts label education, and not specific brand recommendations.

Contributing Author: Cami Ruark