We're bombarded with advertisements that claim that protein bars and energy bars are healthy, but when you read the label you do not really know if you're getting something healthy or merely fast food in a wrapper.
Junk Food Disguised As Health Food Our only defense against buying rubbish is that you should always read labels carefully.
Some of these bars are loaded with sugar which can make them just as bad as a regular chocolate bar.
And by getting into the habit of reading labels you'll quickly realize that there really is no such thing as an energy or health bar that can replace a nutritional home made meal.
Although these bars provide some form of energy in the sense that they contain calories, most of these products are only glorified candy bars.
Healthy Ingredients or Not? If you look at some of these labels, you see a very long list of chemicals, sugars, hydrogenated oils, artificial sweeteners and processed trans fats.
Not the kind of ingredients you expect to find in so-called 'health foods' that can help you to lose weight of all things! So, if you're really into health bars, always choose one that contains as little refined sugar and saturated fat.
Especially be on the look out for saturated fats which have been linked to high blood cholesterol.
Also, while it's hard to avoid ingredients like hydrogenated oils in energy bars, try to find a bar with no more than 3 grams for every 200 calories in the bar.
But, always remember the golden rule, if the ingredients sound like they belong in a science lab instead of your stomach, then its just junk food trying to look like health food.