Choose Wisely-Snack Bar

Choose Wisely #7

This weeks “Choose Wisely” discussed the right snack bar to have with you when you are on the go.  The Larabar is a food bar that is great when you are phase 3 stabilized.  When traveling this would make a great companion.

Choose This:

The Larabar is a tasty raw food energy bar whose ingredient list is so short and healthy! No gluten, no dairy, no soy, no harmful additives. Fruit, nuts, and a spice or two. The consistency of the bar is awesome – no coatings that melt so it’s great for traveling or keeping in the car for emergencies. They are easy to break in half, but they don’t’ crumble. They are easy to chew and chewing good makes them last longer and not only takes away cravings, but helps with that growling stomach. There are so many tasty flavors and with no additives there are no weird aftertastes. The high amount of carbs will provide endurance energy, especially for distance walkers and hikers.
NOTE: Larabar has several new flavors that contain chocolate chips as one of the ingredients. There is sugar an ingredient in the chocolate chips. According to their website, the chocolate chips contain only 4 ingredients: unsweetened chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter and vanilla. Avoid these varieties.

Do not choose this:

Any processed food with a long list of ingredients is a cause for concern. These bars have a lot of ingredients and is very processed. The main concern for me is the multiple instances of soy. For weeks I have been stating why I do not recommend soy in the diet unless it is from fermented forms of soy. Many respected doctors and nutritionists, including Dr. Andrew Weil, all agree that certain derivatives of soy should be avoided.

Ingredients: Organic Brown Rice Syrup, ClifPro® (Soy Rice Crisps [Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Flour, Barley Malt Extract], Organic Soy Flour, Organic Roasted Soybeans), Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Toasted Oats (Organic Oats, Organic Dried Cane Syrup), Organic Cane Syrup, Organic Peanut Butter (Organic Peanuts, Salt), Peanut Flour, Dry Roasted Peanuts, ClifCrunch® (Apple Fiber, Organic Oat Fiber, Inulin [Chicory Extract], Organic Milled Flaxseed, Psyllium), Organic Date Paste, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt.