Diet bars: a healthy replacement for unhealthy sweets when dieting or eating right

The fashion for a healthy lifestyle has contributed to the appearance on the market of many products claiming to be healthy. These include diet muesli bars. According to the manufacturers, they are made entirely from natural, healthy ingredients, have low calorie content and help you lose weight.

But before you buy fitness bars, you need to find out what beneficial and harmful properties they have, and whether they are really suitable for your diet. Athletes can take note of several recipes for products that can be prepared at home.

The benefits and harms of fitness bars for weight loss

There is a large assortment of sweets marked “Fitness”, “Health” or “Diet”. According to the manufacturers, they are rich in whole grains, dried fruits, nuts, seeds, berries, protein and other components. These sweets have the following beneficial properties:

Contains grains: barley, oatmeal, wheat, rice, etc. These components are rich in fiber, which cleanses the digestive tract of toxins and waste, and makes the intestines work more actively. They are suitable for snacking because the rough dietary fiber swells inside the stomach, causing a feeling of fullness without spikes in blood sugar.
They have high nutritional value, a breakfast bar will quickly and permanently relieve hunger, energize, and stimulate brain function. There is no need to waste time preparing food.
They have a natural, balanced composition. Healthy sweets are rich in vitamins, minerals, amino acids, which are necessary for normal life. Saturate the body with B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, fatty acids, etc.
The grains in the composition normalize metabolism (including carbohydrates). Coarse dietary fiber helps break down fats and reduce cholesterol levels in blood vessels.

Diet bars allow you to restore strength after an active workout or hard physical work. They are suitable for a snack, and can also replace a full meal. In addition, fitness bars are tasty, healthy and convenient.

Including them in your diet is an effective way to avoid dieting breakdowns. Healthy sweets are an excellent substitute for unhealthy confectionery products that spoil your figure and contribute to an increase in body fat.

Fitness bars have the following disadvantages:

high calorie content - about 550 kcal/100 g. This is due to an excess of sugar, other sweeteners, fatty components and flour in the composition;

Attention! Nutritionists say that it is enough to eat 30 g of a muesli bar per day to replenish energy reserves, satisfy hunger and saturate cells with useful substances. You should drink it with unsweetened tea or water.

large amounts of sugar or sweeteners (sucrose, fructose). Simple carbohydrates lead to increased glucose levels, metabolic disorders, and digestive problems. Such desserts are contraindicated for diabetics;
palm oil is practically not processed by the body, settles on the walls of blood vessels, in the liver, slows down metabolic processes, contributes to an increase in body fat and the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system;
A large amount of fat is found in nuts, seeds, vegetable oil or butter. These components increase the calorie content of the product and additionally load the liver;
Most bars are rich in flavors, flavor enhancers, dyes, and preservatives. These chemical additives disrupt the functioning of the liver and kidneys and can cause allergies.

Also, the bars may contain low-quality condensed milk, molasses (maltodextrin), and wheat flour. These components increase calorie content, disrupt digestion, promote weight gain, and can cause allergies.

Be sure to check out:

Nestle Fitness granola bar

Girls, good morning everyone!

How does each of us start our morning? From breakfast, of course!

Let's talk about a delicious and healthy breakfast.

Which of us girls doesn’t like to treat ourselves to sweets? We all love this business, but due to excessive consumption of sweets in our diet, we can encounter troubles in the form of fat on the sides and butt, cellulite, etc. (I’m not talking about health problems at all).

So what can adherents of proper nutrition do then? Believe it or not, there is a way out. And he is the culprit of my review today.

A little preface...

During the New Year holidays and 2 months of doing nothing, I gained a couple of extra pounds. Previously, I didn’t really care about this: I either took diet pills (this is already an end), or I simply waited until the excess weight left me on its own, because everything was fine with my metabolism and in the spring I lost the excess on my own. But then it dawned on me: I need to change something in my life. Constant harm negatively affects not only my figure, but also my health. That’s how I switched to proper nutrition, but I’ll definitely write a separate review about this someday.

PP (proper nutrition) involves giving up baked goods and sweets, but since I can’t deny myself this, I found an alternative. These are whole grain bars!

So, before us is a 23.5 gram baby in a light package with the inscription “Fitness” on it. This is where I want to dwell in more detail...

Ladies, do you really blindly believe everything that is written on the package? Fitness here suggests not that you can eat tons of these bars and melt before your eyes, but that these bars can replace unhealthy sweets in the morning or lunch! No more no less! Hoping for weight loss in this case is extremely stupid!

I like to drink tea with this bar in the morning, and it doesn’t affect my figure in any way, moreover, along with PP I’m also losing weight (WHAT MIRACLES).

The bar is very small and neat, it does not fall apart before your eyes, and on top the eye is pleased with the path of chocolate glaze.

It tastes just like regular chocolate, the taste is rich and bright. I only need one bar a day (and a couple of Zula candies) to satisfy my sweet tooth.

I show a photo of the bar in general and closer.

Now let's talk a little about the benefits of green grain babies.

⓵ PER 100 GRAMS THEY HAVE THE SAME ENERGY VALUE AS CHOCOLATE, WHY NOT BE BETTER TO EAT CHOCOLATE?

Yes, their EC is equal, BUT if you look at the composition of the bar and regular chocolate, the difference will be clear and understandable! Chocolate contains TRANS FATS, while our bars contain FATS OF VEGETABLE ORIGIN. I think the difference is simply significant! By eating chocolate you are bringing yourself closer to diabetes. That's the whole difference.

In addition, there is nothing in chocolate other than stabilizers, while cereal bars contain a lot of vitamins.

One Fitness bar contains 17% of the average daily calcium requirement of an adult.

Something like that.

⓶ High content of protein, dietary fiber and all the necessary components for the body.

This is a multicomponent mixture, which means it contains many vitamins, minerals, amino acids - that is, everything that the body may need for work and life.

⓷ It’s convenient to take it with you to school or work as a snack.

⓸ Only 87 kcal.

And everything would be fine if not for one BUT. Very fatty though!

This bar contains PALM OIL, the dangers of which everyone has probably heard.

Therefore, despite all the advantages, I cannot recommend this product.

In general, I say YES to muesli bars, and NO to this one.

I hope I was useful to you.

Until next time.

Are they really dietary and low calorie?

Sports bars differ depending on the composition:

Cereals – made from pressed cereals with honey, nuts and seeds, etc. Ideally, they contain a lot of complex carbohydrates and a minimum of fat. They speed up metabolic processes, quickly fill you up, and satisfy your hunger after a fat-burning workout.
Protein - contain 40% protein. Used for muscle growth throughout the day or after training (including on a low-carb diet).
Protein bars with carbohydrates (1:3 or 1:4) contain from 400 kcal in 1 snack. Especially useful after intense exercise and hard physical work.
With L-carnitine – contains the fat burner of the same name, which creates conditions for weight loss. The low-calorie bar can be eaten before and after exercise.
Oatmeal – this option is suitable for weight loss, as it contains a minimum of carbohydrates and healthy ingredients. The product is suitable for use before/after training, morning or evening.

To understand whether you bought low-calorie bars or not, you need to study the composition. If sugar, fats, and chemical additives are in the first positions, then they are completely unsuitable for weight loss.

A chocolate bar that contains a lot of protein, complex carbohydrates, a minimum of fat and simple carbohydrates is considered dietary. Allowable calorie content – up to 200 kcal/100 g.

If the composition of the bar meets dietary standards, then you can include it in the menu. The main thing is to use it in moderation. It is correct to replace unhealthy sweets with them during tea drinking, use them as a snack or replace a meal. If a person eats more than 2 of them daily, then weight will increase due to excess calories and carbohydrate levels in the body. For example, athletes during mass-building training can consume protein bars, reducing the amount of carbohydrates in the diet.

Important! None of the groups of bars directly affects weight loss. Weight will decrease when the body expends more energy than it receives from food.

Which protein bars are better: factory-made or homemade?

High-quality fitness bars have a balanced composition, they charge you with energy, speed up your metabolism, and relieve hunger for a long time. If you choose the right store product, it will only bring benefits. To have a snack and replenish your energy, all you need to do is buy a healthy chocolate bar and eat it with pleasure, rather than wasting time on cooking.

However, it often happens that factory products contain excess sugar, fats, simple carbohydrates, and chemical additives. This invariably leads to disruption of metabolic processes, digestive disorders, increased body fat, and allergies.

If desired, the diet bar can be made at home. Then the composition will depend entirely on you. Sugar can be replaced with honey or natural sweeteners such as stevia. There will be no dyes, preservatives, flavors, flavor enhancers, or palm oil in the recipe. The composition can be replenished with useful substances, and the amount of fat can be reduced.

As you can see, it is safer to make your own protein bars. However, in a store-bought product, the proportions of dietary supplements, vitamins and minerals are correct. But if desired, their quantity can be calculated together with a nutritionist.

Nestle Fitness cereal bar with chocolate - reviews

Positive feedback

Hello to all those with a sweet tooth! With the onset of summer, we all begin to think about our figure and nutrition, since revealing clothes “oblige” us to look slim and fit. However, extremely healthy foods quickly become boring and I want something tasty - and then Nestle Fitnes bars come to my rescue

The bars can be purchased at any grocery store; I often see them in vending machines with a variety of snacks. When the bars went on sale about a year ago, they could be purchased for 25 rubles, but now the average price is about 30 rubles.

You can immediately note the only, in my opinion, drawback of these bars - their “biting” price for a very small product. I want to share with you a joyful discovery: when I went to the Magnit chain store today, I saw a 1+1 promotion for Fitness bars, i.e. you pay for one, you get the second as a gift

The weight of the bar is 23.5 grams, the calorie content of one bar is 87 calories, which is very important for those who count calories or simply monitor the calorie content of the foods they consume.

There are three varieties of Fitness bars: regular without additives, chocolate and strawberry. I prefer the regular one, it has a very pleasant taste of honey muesli, the chocolate one is too cloying and sweet, but today I tasted the strawberry one for the first time

All bars are packaged in a bright wrapper with the eye-catching word “Fitness”, the compact size allows you to take it with you for a snack, the packaging is easy to open - in a word, the ideal snack format!

The first thing you notice when opening the package is the amazing aroma! Here the strawberry bar is the undisputed leader, the rich berry-strawberry smell makes your mouth immediately water with anticipation.

My impressions of this bar: its consistency is reminiscent of pressed Fitness cereal with generous inclusions of strawberries and cranberries; I’m very glad that this is not just strawberry flavoring!

The bar is harder and crunchier when compared to, for example, Korny bars, but at the same time lighter. If, again, we compare it with Korni, Fitness is able to suppress a slight hunger or become a tasty snack with a cup of tea or coffee; it cannot overcome a strong feeling of hunger, while Korni is twice as heavy in weight (50 grams) and very satisfying, it can easily pass for a meal food.

If you also want to try to quit your sweet addiction, then I bring to your attention my personal top 4 best muesli bars:

(criteria: price, availability, weight, natural composition, taste, nutritional value)

Muesli bar Frutilad Muesli bar Nestle Fitnes Muesli bar Leovit “Coffee and Chocolate” Muesli bar Leovit Losing weight in a week

My verdict:

The Nestle Fitness bar has undoubtedly become, along with the Corny bars, my favorite and a great substitute for sweet cravings. The strawberry version, which was discussed today due to its aroma and berry filling, seems to me to be a low-calorie way to pamper your taste buds without harming your figure!

*Thank you for spending this time with me and I hope my review was helpful! My name is Polina, contact me exclusively on a first name basis and I will be happy to answer your questions in the comments.*

Experts' opinions

Nutrition experts say that not all diet bars are healthy and can be included in the diet when losing weight. To choose a good product, you need to study the composition, pay attention to the proportions of BZHU, calorie content. If sugar or sugar-based syrups, fats (palm oil, butter), chemical additives, and milk chocolate are in the first positions, then you should avoid such food.

A healthy dietary bar should contain whole grains, dried fruits, berries, nuts, seeds, and high-quality protein. Such products nourish, charge, serve as material for the construction of new cells, improve metabolic processes, digestion, cleanse, and promote weight loss.

You can make delicious and healthy candies yourself. A nutritionist will help you calculate the proportions of BJU and calorie content in order to get the ideal product for a particular person.

Margarita Koroleva, nutritionist

A well-known nutritionist advises to always read the ingredients when choosing diet bars. According to M. Koroleva, you need to buy products with whole grain flakes, freeze-dried pieces of fruit, flax seeds, and chia. The amount of almonds, dried apricots, walnuts, prunes, and dates should be small. The fact is that nuts and dried fruits are quite high in calories.

The list of not the most healthy ingredients looks like this: sugar, fructose, palm oil, lecithin, emulsifier E476, molasses, etc.

Elena Kalen, nutritionist

An expert in the psychology of weight loss and a certified coach says that store-bought bars contain many harmful additives that cause more harm. They always contain simple carbohydrates, which cause spikes in blood glucose levels, causing an immediate rise in energy, and then a sharp decline.

The nutritionist advises avoiding store-bought bars with flavorings, sweeteners, large amounts of chocolate coating, hydrolyzed gelatin, corn syrup, and palm oil.

E. Kalen argues that a high-quality diet bar cannot be cheap. She also advised preparing healthy sweets at home using a nutritionist’s recipe.

Liz Applegate, sports nutritionist

A California expert speaks out against store-bought granola bars for weight loss. She claims that they contain an excess of sugar, fats, and simple carbohydrates. In terms of the amount of these ingredients, the bars are comparable to candy, so when losing weight it is better to give them up or consume them in minimal quantities. In addition, the level of simple carbohydrates indicated on the wrapper is often exceeded.

Main conclusions

As you can see, not all diet bars are suitable for weight loss. When choosing and consuming healthy treats, you need to follow these recommendations:

Study the ingredients before purchasing a store-bought diet bar. Avoid products with a lot of sugar, fats, and chemical additives.
Choose a diet bar with whole grains, honey, dried fruits, quality protein, a small amount of nuts and seeds.
Give preference to a product that contains more proteins, complex carbohydrates, low fat and simple carbohydrates.
Use diet bars instead of a snack or replace them with a full meal.
Consume no more than 30-50 g of product per day.
If you have free time, prepare your own nutrition bars. A personal nutritionist will tell you the proportions of BJU and calorie content separately for each client.

If you follow these recommendations, diet bars will help you steadily and safely lose weight and saturate your body with useful substances.

If you have your own proven recipes for healthy sweets that have helped you get rid of extra pounds, then share them in the comments.

Nestle Whole Grain Fitness Bar 23 g

The Fitness® bar is high in fiber and low in fat. The fiber in whole grains regulates digestion, helping to maintain optimal body weight.*

Complex carbohydrates are digested more slowly and keep you feeling full longer.

Enriched with vitamins D, B2, B6, calcium and iron. *subject to a balanced diet and regular physical activity.

Whole grain bar

For 1 serving: 23.5 g Energy value 87 kcal Proteins 1.4 g Carbohydrates 16.3 g including sugar 5.0 g Fats 1.6 g Dietary fiber 1.2 g Sodium 0.09 g

Ingredients: cereal products (whole grain wheat, rice), sugar, glucose syrup, invert sugar syrup, barley malt extract, palm oil, humectant (glycerin), brown sugar invert syrup, salt, flavoring, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin), acidity regulator (sodium phosphates), antioxidant (tocopherols), vitamins and minerals.

Bar with whole grains and strawberries

For 1 serving: 23.5 g Energy value 87 kcal Proteins 1.4 g Carbohydrates 16.2 g including sugar 5.4 g Fats 1.6 g Dietary fiber 1.3 g Sodium 0.09 g

Ingredients: cereal products (whole grain wheat, rice), sugar, glucose syrup, invert sugar syrup, barley malt extract, palm oil, humectant (glycerin), strawberries, brown sugar invert syrup, candied cranberries (sugar, cranberry, sunflower oil), salt, flavoring, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin), acidity regulators (sodium phosphates, citric acid), antioxidant (tocopherols), vitamins and minerals.

Whole Grain Chocolate Bar

For 1 serving: 23.5 g Energy value 87 kcal Proteins 1.4 g Carbohydrates 16.1 g including sugar 6.5 g Fats 1.7 g Dietary fiber 1.4 g Sodium 0.08 g

Whole grain bar with French milk chocolate and caramel

For 1 serving: 23.5 g Energy value 87 kcal Proteins 1.4 g Carbohydrates 16.3 g including sugar 7.1 g Fats 1.6 g Dietary fiber 1.4 g Sodium 0.07 g

Ingredients: grain products (whole grain wheat, rice, whole grain wheat flour, corn flour), milk chocolate 14% (sugar, cocoa mass, milk fat skim milk powder, whey powder, cocoa butter, emulsifiers (soy lecithin, E476) , flavoring (vanillin)), humectant (glycerin), palm oil, vitamin-mineral complex, glucose syrup, sugar, invert sugar syrup, barley-malt extract, caramel pieces 4% (sugar, glucose syrup, skimmed sweetened condensed milk (milk skim, sugar), milk fat, cream powder, salt, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin), flavor (toffee caramel), antioxidant (tocopherols, mixture concentrate), acidity regulator (E339), brown sugar invert syrup, corn starch

Cereal bar with peach and apricot flavor

For 1 serving: 23.5 g Energy value 87 kcal Proteins 1.4 g Carbohydrates 16.1 g including sugar 6.5 g Fats 1.7 g Dietary fiber 1.4 g Sodium 0.08 g

Cereal bar with ripe berry flavor

For 1 serving: 23.5 g Energy value 87 kcal Proteins 1.4 g Carbohydrates 16.1 g including sugar 6.5 g Fats 1.7 g Dietary fiber 1.4 g Sodium 0.08 g

Ingredients: grain products (whole grain wheat, rice, whole grain wheat flour, corn, rice flour), chocolate (sugar, cocoa mass, skimmed milk powder, whey powder, cocoa butter, emulsifiers (soy lecithin, E476), flavoring ( vanillin)), glucose syrup, sugar, invert sugar syrup, barley malt extract, humectant (glycerin), vegetable oils (palm and sunflower oils), brown sugar invert syrup, salt, cocoa powder, emulsifier (sunflower lecithin), cocoa powder, flavorings (chocolate, vanillin, cinnamon), acidity regulator (sodium phosphates), cocoa powder, antioxidant (tocopherols), glucose, vitamins and minerals.
The manufacturer reserves the right to change the appearance of the packaging, product composition, flavorings and consistency. We try to keep up with changes, but if you notice any discrepancy, please let us know by email or in a comment on the product. Thank you!