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Tag: Snack bars

  • Eating different snacks could lower your cholesterol

    Eating different snacks could lower your cholesterol

    MedPage Today reports on a new study, reported in the Journal of Nutrition, revealing that people who ate certain snacks instead of other snacks, including junk food, saw their cholesterol levels fall, even though they did not change anything else they ate.

    The theory behind the experiment is that food is a type of medicine.  The right food can lower your LDL cholesterol and possibly your risk of death. In this experiment, the snack food was a substitute for a statin.

    The patients in the experiment were not on statins. They could not take them or they did not want to take them. They had no chronic conditions and did not smoke.

    The snack substitution worked well, with almost everyone adhering to their new diet. That is not always the case! A lot of people are hard-pressed to give up junk food and other snacks that are unhealthy.

    So what are foods with cholesterol-lowering ingredients? They are pretty yummy, as it turn out: Oatmeal, smoothies, granola, chocolate bars. These foods replaced snack bars, oreos, goldfish, potato chips and other junk foods, they would have eaten.

    To keep your cholesterol down, you can also eat hummus and whole grain foods, including crackers with cucumbers, carrots, or celery.  These foods are cholesterol free. They also provide soluble fiber, one way to lower cholesterol. In the vegetable category, eggplant, okra, beans are great. In the fruit category, apples, grapes, strawberries and citrus fruits are good.

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  • Snack bars are not as healthy as you might think

    Snack bars are not as healthy as you might think

    Did you know that eating snack bars may not be good for your health? They are generally marketed as “granola,” “protein,” “energy,” or “nutrition” bars, but most of them are more like candy bars. The nonprofit Cornucopia Institute reports that snack bars are generally not as healthy as their manufacturers would like you to believe.

    Except for the certified organic bars, most snack bars contain unfamiliar chemical ingredients. Beware of bars labeled “natural,” which means nothing. Any company can put a “natural” claim on a product regardless of its ingredients. Natural bars can contain harmful chemicals. Many “natural” bars contain “soy protein isolate,” which should be avoided.

    In addition, the “non-GMO” label is meaningless, unless accompanied by the USDA organic label.

    The only regulated labels are “made with” organic ingredients and “USDA organic.” Bars labeled “USDA organic” have at least 95 percent of their ingredients, by weight, certified as organic. There are no toxic pesticides, insecticides, herbicides or harmful chemicals involved in their manufacture. They are always verified as non-GMO. You can be relatively sure that the ingredients are not dangerous.

    Bars labeled “made with” organic ingredients have at least 70 percent of their ingredients, by weight, certified as organic. They are not as heavily regulated as “USDA organic.” They may have fewer health benefits than “USDA organic” bars and should be avoided in favor of USDA organic bars.

    If you want to ensure you are eating a healthy snack bar, buy USDA organic bars containing nuts, seeds and fruit as their primary ingredients. The Cornucopia Institute says “Simple Squares” have it all, seven whole organic ingredients in each bar. Avoid bars with added sweeteners, particularly sugar, and added flavors and colors, even “natural” flavors and colors.

    Cornucopia Institute has a scorecard showing the relative nutritional value of different snack bars, which you can find here.

    This post was originally published on December 19, 2017.

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