THIS Bar

As a nutrition coach, I am frequently asked what bar I recommend by my clients and friends. My typical response is that I don’t recommend bars unless you are absolutely starving and there isn’t anything healthier at your disposal. I think that we have become too reliant on bars as a nutrition solution. All of the marketing mumbo jumbo that’s thrown at us has created believers of the bar as a comprehensive source of nutrients and replacement for real, whole food. I mean, why wouldn’t I want to eat something that provides 356 grams of protein in one serving?! Sure, I’m exaggerating what some bar labels state, but “packed with protein” is one of the selling points people commonly fall for. The reality is, an average woman only needs about 46 grams of protein in one day which is very easy to attain if we’re eating well-balanced meals. The ingredient that we should first tune into is the amount of sugar in a bar. Some of the so called “healthy bars” out there have as many sugar grams as a regular candy bar!

So, my advice is, if you need a healthy snack to get you through the mid-afternoon hangries, try and grab for a real, whole food, like a piece of fruit, some veggies or a handful of unsalted, unroasted nuts. But if you find yourself in a situation where you can’t access these things, then I recommended grabbing THIS bar by Health Warrior: the Chia Bar Super Snack. These 4 oz. bars pack a powerful punch. Made with the almighty Chia seed as the primary ingredient, they have more omega-3 than salmon, more fiber than oatmeal, and more protein than tofu. My favorite thing about the Chia Bar is that they have less than 5 grams of sugar – *WIN*! They come in 8 different flavors (my favorite is coconut), they are GF and Vegan and the best part…my kids love them! You can find them at Whole Foods and Safeway, but click here if you are looking for additional locations.

So, today’s Fresh Start Shout Out goes to Health Warrior for creating a bar that really gets it right and doesn’t derail our healthy habits.  Nice work!