Cereal, breakfast, and snack bars have gained vast popularity over time. But among these bars, you will see Nutri-grain bars pretty much everywhere.
In fact, according to statistics from 2017, Americans have spent more than 190 million dollars on Nutri-grain bars. And the numbers have been climbing ever since.
Most of these bars will have a large label stating “healthy.” But is that the case? Are Nutri-grain bars healthy?
The answer is no, but there is so much to the topic that you should know about. So, if you want to feed your curious mind correctly, you should go through every part of this article.
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Why is Nutri grain Bars So Popular?
Recently, Nutri-grain bars have become one of the staple cereal bars. Many individuals have swapped their morning “healthy cereal” with these bars. The nuts, fruits, and oats that these bars usually have fill up your tummy and offer energy. But why has it become so popular?
The thing about our life is that we usually stick to a tight schedule. Having free time is not taken for granted nowadays.
And in this tense and busy life, getting a good amount of protein and energy for going through the rest of the day is something that we look for. Well, that is where the Nutri-grain bars pop up.
If you take a closer look at the packaging of the Nutri-grain bars, you will notice terms such as “Morning energy,” “No Corn Syrup,” and “No High Fructose.” Aside from the convenience, the bold terms are other reasons why Nutri-grain bars have gained popularity.
These bold terms draw your attention to the bars and make you think that you have something healthy and worthy of the money you will spend.
Another thing that contributed to the success of the cereal bars is the “Soft Baked” nature. That made it achieve a wholesome character, allowing it to emphasize the product’s healthiness.
Let’s face it! You already know that baked foods are better than fried foods. So, why would you not think that these bars are not healthy?
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Nutritional Value of Nutri-Grain Bar
To understand whether these bars are truly healthy or not, you need to look at the bars’ nutritional value. Let us take the Soft Baked Strawberry, for example. And its nutritional count is as follows:
- 2 grams protein
- 140mg sodium
- 12 grams sugar
- 3.5 grams total fat
- 25 grams total carbohydrate
- .5 grams saturated fat
- 1 gram fiber
- 130 total calories
Furthermore, one bar will be more than enough to fulfill 10 percent of your daily intake value of vitamin A, calcium, iron, riboflavin, vitamin B6, niacin, and zinc.
What about the nutritional value of other Nutri-grain bars? The nutritive values will be in the same alleyway as the Soft Baked Strawberry.
Is Nutri Grain Bars Healthy?
With all of the things aside, let us get to the topic that brought you here in the first place. Are Nutri-grain bars a good pick for a healthy diet or not?
If you take a look at the nutritional content of the bars, the enormous red flag is the 11-12 grams of sugar. Many people will defend this amount of sugar by stating that it is from fruits.
That statement might give you the idea that the amount of sugar is not something you should be worried about. In reality, you should not worry about the sugar present in the whole fruit. But Nutri-grain bars do not have much whole fruit in them, do they?
The fruit that is present on the Nutri bars is processed. And when fruits go through the processing method, they lose a vast amount of nutritional value.
For example, take a look at the Soft Baked Strawberry. It will not have much of a whole strawberry. Instead, what is present in the bar is Strawberry Puree Concentrate.
What makes whole fruit and Puree Concentrate different? Firstly, this form of fruit will lack the fruit’s natural vitamin C content and fiber. Those two components will get destroyed during the processing.
Secondly, the shelf life of Puree Concentrate is higher than whole fruits. For that reason, the bars will have a prolonged expiry date.
Not to mention, the brand also adds a high amount of sugar in this fruit form to make it taste good. But that is not the only sweetener you will find in a Nutri bar. There are fructose, dextrose, corn syrup, and inverted sugar present as well. All of these qualify as added sugar as well.
What Can You Expect by Having Nutri-Grain Bars Daily?
So, at this point, we hope that it is clear that Nutri bars are not as healthy as they seem to be. Why? Because of all the sugar that it contains!
Yes, these bars do contain whole grains and fruit. But as we have mentioned, due to the processing method, the nutritional values of the ingredients degrade substantially.
Another thing you should note is that these bars are not that much of a good source of protein. And you might already know by now breakfast should be full of protein. So, that makes these bars less qualified as a quick breakfast.
But what side effects can you expect after you pick up the habit of eating Nutri-grain bars every day? Considering that most would eat at least four packs of these grains throughout the day, we can say that the total sugar amount you will be getting from these bars is 48 grams.
That is a lot! And the short-term effects of this amount of sugar is:
- Abdominal pain
- Increased blood pressure
- Allergenic reactions
- Increased blood sugar levels
These short-term effects might not seem that detrimental, but you should not forget that there are long-term effects for consuming too much sugar. Among all, these are the most major adverse effects that you will face for consuming too much sugar:
- Diabetes
- Increased LDL levels
- Weight gain
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Learning impairments
- Infertility
- Lower immune system
So, as you can see, the sugar in Nutri bars is there for taste only. It does not have any beneficial effects. Instead, it will deteriorate the condition of your health and might make you go through severe health complications in the long run.
Should You Stop Eating Nutri-Grain Bars for Breakfast?
As you might have already figured out, the high amount of sugar is the biggest red flag for the Nutri-grain bars. However, if you follow a strict diet with little to no sugar, you can surely grab one bar for breakfast.
You will significantly reduce the chances of facing all of the health complications that we talked about.
That brings up the question of how much sugar you should consume daily. According to AHA, you should limit your added sugar intake to no more than 100 calories. That is about 24 grams of sugar or six teaspoons of sugar. And as each bar of Nutri-bar has 12 grams of sugar in it, you will still have around 12 grams of headroom.
Nonetheless, if you cut off the excess sugar intake entirely and do not want to grab Nutri-grain bars in the morning, you can try healthy alternatives.
Grabbing yourself a banana or apple and some wheat toast could do the trick. This alternative will fit into your habit and offer you tons of nutrition and health benefits.
However, if you really cannot give up the convenience that these snack bars offer, you can opt for the pre-packaged bars that are wholly organic, contains whole fruit, and do not have tons of added sugar.
There are a couple of bars out there that will have as little as 3 grams of sugar. That is like night and day if you compare it with the 12 grams of sugar that Nutri-grain bars have.
And even if you have two of them healthy ones throughout the day, you will still have 18 grams of sugar-intake headroom.
Furthermore, if you pick the ones with a reasonable amount of fiber and protein, you can start your morning with something that will fuel you properly throughout the entire day. Also, you will not need to worry about serious health complications by sticking with the superior and healthy oat bars.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How healthy is Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain?
Compared to others on the market, it has a larger amount of protein but still contains a good amount of sugar, thus making it unhealthy.
How many calories are in Nutri-Grain?
You’ll get around 155 calories in a single serving of 40g.
Are Nutri-Grain bars good for weight loss?
Absolutely not; instead, you’re more likely to gain weight.
Final Words
Still wondering, are Nutri-grain bars healthy or not? They are not! The bars have at least 12 grams of total sugar, which is like 50 percent of the total sugar you should consume each day. And if you cannot give them up, you will face serious health complications, which can eventually lead to death.
