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The Perfect Bite: The least healthy granola bar

If you think granola bars are a wholesome snack or breakfast on the go, think again. This seemingly healthy food is often low in nutrients and high in sugar. On this episode of The Perfect Bite, host Andrea Jenna is joined by Sobia Khan, registered dietitian and professor of food and nutrition at George Brown College in Toronto, Ont. They take a look at five popular granola bars and find out which one is best for you.

“People have the perception actually because they think there’s granola in here that they are healthier. Some of them can be as bad as a chocolate bar,” Sobia says. “Of course chocolate bars are far worse, but certainly this is not something I would recommend people eat every day.”

“Make sure that there is some sort of a whole grain in there, like oats, rye or barley. The things that I would be looking for on the nutrition facts panel are things like fibre, so make sure you try to pick one that is at least 2 grams or more,” she explains. “Certainly watch the sugar content, because there’s a lot of different types of added sugars in the granola bars.”

“I would not go more than 8 grams of sugar, which is around 2 teaspoons of sugar per bar. And certainly also look at the added fat content, because you want to make sure that the saturated fat content is less than 2 grams per bar.

Also see: The Perfect Bite: Which cheese is best for your health?

Nature’s Path Organic Honey Oat Crunch Flax Plus (2 bars (40 g), 190 calories, 7 g fat, 60 mg sodium, 3 g fibre, 9 g sugars)

“Good crunch,” says Andrea after taking a bite. “But it is a bit dry.”

“I definitely taste the crunch which is really good,” agrees Sobia. “But I would definitely have to say it’s on the sweet side.”

“It’s like an oatmeal cookie,” adds Andrea.

Nature Valley Crunchy Oats 'n Honey (2 bars (46 g), 220 calories, 9 g fat, 135 mg sodium, 3 g fibre, 12 g sugars)

“You can hear the crunch,” remarks Andrea. “This one tastes more like honey.”

“I think I like this one better,” says Sobia. “This one has a little bit more toasty flavour.”

Also see: The Perfect Bite: The No.1 worst potato chips

Kashi 7 Whole Grains and Almonds (Healthiest option: 1 bar (35 g), 150 calories, 5 g fat, 115 mg sodium, 4 g fibre, 5 g sugars)

“Not as sweet as I thought it was going to be,” says Andrea.

“It’s got some nuts in it, it looks like,” Sobia says. “Some oats as well.”

“I almost feel like that would be healthy,” Andrea adds.

Andrea was right – Sobia says this whole grain bar is the healthiest option.

“If you look at the ingredient list, you’ve got seven different types of whole grains – so oats, rye and barley,” she explains. “And if you look at the fibre, it’s got a lot more fibre than the other bars, 4 grams of fibre. And the sugar is actually surprisingly very low. It’s only about one teaspoon of sugar per bar

PC Chewy Trail Mix Cranberry Almond (Least healthy option: Andrea’s favourite: 1 bar (35 g), 150 calories, 5 g fat, 90 mg sodium, 1 g fibre, 12 g sugars)

Andrea immediately notices the sweet taste of this cranberry almond option.

“The sweetest by far,” she says after taking a bite.

Both Andrea and Sobia agree they can taste some dried fruits in this bar.

This sweet choice won over our nutritionist, and she named this her favourite granola bar.

“I liked the texture, I liked the fact that it’s got oats in it, and dried fruit,” she explains.

This one was Andrea’s favourite, too, because of it’s sweet flavour. But unfortunately, this yummy bar is also the one Sobia recommends staying away from.

“It’s got almost three teaspoons of sugar in there, also the fibre is very low, it’s only 1 gram of fibre,” she explains.

Also see: The Perfect Bite: The healthiest store-bought apple pie may surprise you

Quaker Harvest Crunchy Oats, Honey & Almond (2 bars (42 g), 200 calories, 9 g fat, 90 mg sodium, 3 g fibre, 10 g sugars)

“I think this is like the loudest crunch,” says Andrea. “It’s like an oatmeal cookie.”

“They really do taste like cookies,” Sobia agrees.

Healthy snack alternatives

If you are looking for another snack on the go, Sobia says there are tons of things that can help you incorporate more fibre.

“If you enjoy eating fruits, any fruit is great. Certainly eating vegetables and eating them with hummus or even peanut butter to up the fibre,” she recommends. “Also having just crackers and cheese – but just make sure the crackers that you’re picking are more whole grain crackers.”

“Also smoothies,” she continues. “People don’t always think about this, but smoothies are still very high in fibre and you can do a combination of fruits and vegetables.

What's your favourite granola bar? Or do you prefer another snack? Let us know in the comments below.