The facts about nutrition bars

Nutrition bars — we use the word loosely — show up in movies in the oddest ways. In “Mean Girls” (with Lindsay Lohan), they’re fobbed off on an unsuspecting clique of popular girls as weight-loss snacks, when in fact they’re designed to pack on pounds. And in “Snowpiercer” (with Octavia Spencer and Tilda Swinton), a sci-fi flick about a post-climate change world, they’re gelatinous protein blocks made from insects. Sadly, those may not be much better than what’s available to you!

A report by Consumer Lab finds that many aren’t as healthy as they claim. The report analyzed the nutritional content of 17 topselling bars and found that they often contain more carbs than listed on the nutrition panel — one bar had 57% more! Some are also high in fat and cholesterol: One had 22% more fat than listed — mostly sat fat — and double the cholesterol. Others are too low in fiber: One contained only 62% of the fiber listed.

To be a smart shopper, read the nutrition panel and look at the ingredients listing! Bars that declare “net carbs” often are hiding their true content. If the wrapper of a bar says net carbs total only 2 grams, but the Nutrition Facts panel shows 20 grams of carbohydrates, there may be 18 grams of sugar alcohols (such as erythritol) in the bar. Skip bars containing tapioca starch (not a good fiber source).