The Under 5 Rule, Is It Still Okay To Eat It?

My husband recently got back from a weekend cross country camp he runs every year for his team.  And as usual he brings home a bunch of extra food the kid's did not eat.  I usually get over-sized bagels, cream cheese packets, "Country Time" lemonade and an assortment of granola bars- all food teenagers who run a lot can eat without gaining a pound.  Yesterday I had a 320 calorie plain bagel topped with 70 calorie cream cheese and I added a tablespoon of my own organic jelly. Being a lifetime WeightWatcher member - this is a snack I did not even bother calculating the points on!!!  I knew it would be more than I wanted to face!

Nevertheless with all this free food around I noticed a common mistake consumers make when they think they are purchasing healthy food.  This concerns granola bars.  Food manufacturers often promote whole grains on the front of a package.  However if you really want to know what you are eating flip over the pacakge and look at the ingredients list. Most granola bars contain about 8g of whole grains per serving.  The Whole Grains Council considers 16 grams a serving and if you eat a total of 48 grams a day that would equal the 3 servings of whole grains recommended per day by the USDA (www.ChooseMyPlate.gov).  Confused?  Yes even as a dietitian this can be hard to figure out.

When selecting granola bars it's great if they have whole grains - but more importantly look at the ingredients list.  If sugar is in the top five you may want to opt for another snack.  If you want to be a little more liberal - go with top three.  Look at these products below.  The Walgreen's brand sporting the whole grain endorsement has sugar as it's second ingredient.  The Kellogg's Nutri-Grain bar has sugar as the 6th ingredient.  While sugar is farther down the list on the Kellogg's brand both items contain 12 grams of sugar.  The Kellogg's brand is lower in fat and sodium and also has more fiber - however it also has more preservatives and additives than the Walgreen's brand.  So which one do you choose?

A better choice over granola bars is making your own snack. Mixing 20 unsalted dry roasted almonds and 1/4 cup dried cranberries is a healthier way to go. (250 calories, 13 grams fat-mostly healthy fat, 1 g sat fat, 4g fiber, 5g protein)  It is more calories than the granola bars - but do you ever eat one granola bar???