Nutrition bars for weightloss are very popular these days but according to Good Eats host Alton Brown they've been around forever. "Although energy bars might appear to be modern marvels, mankind has been seeking out compact nutrition sources for centuries. For instance, back in the Middle Ages, no well-equipped Crusader left the castle without a dense fruitcake called pan forte packed with honey, grains, nuts, and dried fruit. Pan forte was the most calorie-laden food of its day and it delivered vitamins and minerals and energy and enough fiber to keep the most noble knight a regular guy" explained Brown in a recent episode on how to make your own nutrition bars.
Advantages of Making Your Own Nutrition Bars
Cooking up your own bars means knowing exactly what's in them, saving money, as well as a better testing bar that hasn't been sitting in a box for weeks or maybe even months (warehouse, truck, store). The downside to making your own bar is that it's time consuming (shopping for ingredients and cooking). It can end up being more expensive (if you don't know what you're doing). It can also get very high calorie very fast if you're not careful about ingredients and serving size. Take the do it yourself bar featured on a popular paleo-diet blog (not going to include the name for fear you might actually listen to this guy). It looks yummy but the calorie count is 380 calories for a teeny tiny bar. May as well just eat a huge bag of nuts and call it a day.
The Smart Way to Make Your Own Nutrition Bars
There are tons of sites online where you can find recipes but if you're main goal is weightloss then be sure to find a recipe that includes protein, fat, as well as healthy grains. A bar that has a good balance of all three is going to be the best for most metabolic types and will also not go overboard with calories. Try this killer Homemade Energy Bar Recipe. Tastes good, decent size and adequate calories for most.
You Bar a family owned business based out of L.A. lets you design the bar then makes them and ships them to your house. All you need to do is visit their site, pick your ingredients, name your bar, and place your order. Their site even lets you see the calorie count as you go so you don't have to worry about going overboard. The bars taste good, the only downsides are not all ingredients available are organic and a box of bars is about $39! A bit on the pricey side but worth it for those who want to design their own without having to cook.
My Favorite Nutrition Bars for Weightloss are Larabars
Made from 100% whole food so taste like a real meal instead of an unsatisfying snack. They're affordable, not high calorie, organic, unprocessed, can be found in most markets, and come in many tasty flavors including ginger snap, pecan pie, cinnamon roll, and key lime pie (just to name a few I've tried). My favorite is the Larabar Cocoa Mole
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