Below is a table with the nutrition facts of this food:
In terms of the healthiness of this granola bar, it may seem as if it is a good healthy small snack to have during intervals in one’s day. However, it contains a great amount of trans fat, which is a particularly harmful type of fat. Although granola bars are a popular snack for athletes and people too busy to have proper meals, it does not necessarily mean that they may be as healthy or nutritious as they think they are. This particular granola bar with a ‘Quaker’ brand includes ingredients such as caramel, chocolate and marshmallows. These cookie bars are only a little better than high calorie actual candy bars because of the amount of sugar all the ingredients have. In all, what one ends up by eating this type of granola bar is a snack that is full of all types of fats and sugar with an actual nutritional value, which is very low.
The fats and sugars such as saturated oils, trans fats and sweeteners should be avoided because they are of high amounts. The artificial flavors are simply to enhance the appearance of the cookie bar, and hardly affecting the nutritional value being important to one’s health. The manufacturers of granola bars are very tricky-in that they decide to divide where to put the sugars and hence labeling them in a different way. However, when an aggregate calculation is taken, the sugars and fats outweigh any other nutrition consisting in the bar.
According to the nutritional values of this granola bar, it would be very inappropriate for one to consume such a ‘cookie’ bar during exercise. This is because the amount of protein and the high amounts of fats this bar provides would slow down the movements of food from the stomach to the muscles; hence, making one uncomfortable with continuing to exercise. Instead of all the heavy components, it is better to have carbohydrates during exercising that lasts more than 30-45 minutes because it would help maintain energy. During exercising, sodium is needed almost as much as carbohydrates, which these bars do not provide.
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Bibliography:
Martinson, Wendy. Food For Sport. 19 February 2010 <http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/Sport.aspx>.
Marxe, Ira. Granola and Other “Health” Bars? United States of America. 16 May 2003 <http://www.antiaginglifeextension.com/health_matters_minutes/articles/health_bars.asp>.
Sunder, Talli van. Granola Bar: Healthy Treat or Sugary Sweet. Article, Nutrition. 2 June 2009 <http://www.beinghealthy.tv/archives/granola_bars>.
