Best Cereal Bars
Imagine a hassle-free nutritious breakfast, exactly how the cereal bars made their way into kitchens across the world. Packed with whole grains for fiber, nuts for protein, seeds for minerals, and vitamins – they are the best go-to snacks when hungry. But despite all the claims which cereal bars are good for you? We have listed out the very best here, just for you.
1. Yogabar Multigrain-Energy Bar
Yogabar Energy Snack Bars Pack comes with 10 bars in four flavors – nuts and seeds, chocolate chunk nut, orange cashew, and vanilla almond.
These chewy delightful bars are packed with protein and fiber. They are made with oats, millets, almonds, seeds, and honey. It contains 25-30% whole grains, 10-15% nuts, and 10-15% seeds.
The bars have neither added sugar (processed) nor any artificial sweeteners. The sweetness comes from natural honey.
These are wholesome snacks that contain omega three fatty acids and good for adults and kids. They are ideal for people with gluten intolerance, as they are 100% gluten-free.
These guilt-free snacks also come in an easy to carry packaging.
2. Nestle Nesquik Cereal Bars
Nestle’s Nesquik cereal bars are for days when you are in a hurry to start the day. The pack contains six 25 grams bars that are packed with many health benefits.
The cereal bars are made from whole-grain cereal, chocolate, cow’s milk, nuts and soya. It also contains six vitamins, iron and calcium, for a healthy start. It is a good snack option while travelling.
3. Eat Anytime Berry Blast
These delightful crunchy granola and cereal bars are rich in nutrition and super tasty. They are made with an assortment of nuts, seeds, and oats that increase the antioxidant content, minerals, and omega-three fatty acids essential for good health.
The bars contain oats, soya nuggets roasted almonds, prebiotic fiber, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds. They are low on sugar and fats and contain no cholesterol or trans fat.
These bars are an excellent alternative for chocolate bars, especially for kids. The pack contains six individually packaged bars that are easy to carry. The bars have a shelf life of 6 months.
4. Nature Valley Variety Cereal Bars
The Nature Valley cereal bars pack contains ten units in three flavors – Canadian maple syrup, oats & dark chocolate, and oats & honey.
The product contains no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. Also, it is vegan friendly and lactose-free.
These go-to snacks contain actual wholegrain rolled oats, Canadian maple syrup, dark chocolate pieces, and honey.
It is made in Spain and imported for consumption in India.
5. NUTRIX Blueberry White Chocolate Cereal Protein Bar
The blueberry white chocolate cereal bar has 9 g of protein per serving. It is rich in amino acids, vitamins, and fiber nutrients. Every bar contains 29% grains and beans, 20% fruits and nuts, and 10% seeds. A bar can give you a boost of more than 180 kilocalories.
Therefore, these antioxidant-rich bars are a great snack for sportsmen, gym-goers, office goers, and kids as well. Also, it has no added sugar or preservatives that are otherwise harmful to you.
The pack contains six individually packed bars and is 100% vegetarian.
Buying Guide
Sugar
Refined sugar is one of the most harmful ingredients in the modern-day diet. Sugar has no known nutrient and just adds sweetness (sucrose).
Well-known brands sometimes pack their cereal bars with oodles of sugar. Say a 45-gram bar pack has 17 grams of sugar, or a 42 grams pack contains nearly 13 grams, or even a 50-gram bar comes with 6 grams of sugar.
So the sugar content varies from 12% to over 35% in a single bar of granola (cereal bars). So leave aside the sugar coating (pun intended) in the claims and go for the ones that come with natural sweeteners like honey.
Be wary of artificial sweeteners as well, they may not cause a sugar overload, but anything synthetic should be consumed as less as possible.
Carbohydrates
Most cereal bars say ‘contains whole grains,’ but you are misled with that because you assume it contains only whole grains. Read the fine print that lists out the ingredients. You will find many of them add refined carbs, which are not so healthy for you. If you were planning to go on a cereal bar diet to lose weight, think again.
Calories
Companies have innovated new ways of marketing these cereal bars; now, they make them look more colorful and attractive, targeting kids as their primary consumers.
Truth be said, most of them are no better than actual candies – a small pack loaded with calories.
If you are an adult and given the sedentary lifestyles that most of us have, the granola bars will pile more weight than help you lose any.
Of course, for active people who exercise regularly and watch their calories, these bars are effective quick energy boosters.
Allergens
Granola bars get most of their protein from nuts and seeds. Nuts are common allergens. So you need to be careful if you are allergic to nuts. Plus, they may contain milk solids, soy, or sesame seeds, all of which cause allergic reactions in many people.
Never pick up a bar of granola if you are allergic to any ingredient unless you have thoroughly read the label to understand the probability of possible irritants.
Gluten-free
People with celiac disease and those who have gluten intolerance react adversely when they consume food items that contain gluten.
Wheat, barley, rye, triticale, and oats all contain gluten. Cereal and granola bars contain one or more of these grains, mostly.
There are special bars made that do not contain these grains, and the product is marketed as “gluten-free”.
Vegan
100% vegetarian is not vegan. Vegan implies nothing but plant-based ingredients, so it excludes dairy as well. While most granola bars are vegetarian, only a few are vegan. Those that are, specifically mention ‘lactose-free’ or ‘vegan-friendly’ on their label.
