Healthy Snacks: How to Choose a Nutritious Granola Bar for Weight Loss

Granola bars are one of my favourite healthy snacks, especially to help lose weight. Nutritious, portable, and most importantly, delicious! They are a great energy snack, especially for students who need a boost to study. With so many choices, though, it's a little confusing.

Yummy, but healthy?

Here are a few tips for choosing the healthiest granola bar:

Choose whole grains: Any granola bar you choose should have whole grains such as oats as the first ingredient - not sugar or anything else. Studies show the people who choose more whole grains lose weight more.

Look for fibre: Whole grain bars should automatically have at least 3 grams of fibre per bar. Fibre is important for limiting the impacts of sugar and starch on blood glucose, which is something most students get more than enough of. So lok for as much fibre as possible in your bars!

Go low on sugar: Every 4 grams of sugar is 1 teaspoon of sugar! I like to keep my granola bards under 8g of sugar. The less the better, but you want to find the right balance of health and nutrition for yourself!

Be wary of trans fats: Companies don't have to report trans fats in their products if there is less than 0.5g of trans fats. So make sure to always read the ingredient list and make sure there are no "partitally hydrogenated oils" in the list - this means trans fat. Be especially wary of bars that have chocolate chips or yogurt/chocolate covering.

Go organic: Take a trip down your organic aisle, especially to check out any sales on granola bars to fit these into your budget. I always prefer fewer ingredients that are recognizable when possible. But remember - organic doesn't necessarily mean healthy. Read the nutrition information, as always!

Happy snacking and good luck choosing a granola bar to aid in your weight loss!