Granola bars are frequently regarded as a nutritious snack, but despite these promises made in the marketing, many of them are packed with extra sugar, calories, and artificial additives.
As an illustration, one serving of Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Harvest granola bars can have up to 15 grams of sugar, largely from added sugar. This is equivalent to almost 4 teaspoons. To give you some context, the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise limiting daily calories from added sugar to 10% of total calories, or 12 teaspoons per day for someone following a 2,000-calorie diet.
According to studies, consuming too much added sugar may increase your chance of developing a number of chronic illnesses, including as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.
Although some granola bars choose to utilize sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners to reduce the amount of sugar, these substances have also been connected to health issues. For instance, sugar alcohols like xylitol and sorbitol may create digestive troubles in persons who are sensitive to their effects since they are not completely broken down in your body.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the green light for the use of additional artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose, and saccharin. However, evidence indicates that they may interfere with blood sugar regulation and may harm your good gut bacteria.
In addition, a lot of granola bars contain ingredients that are highly processed, such as preservatives, vegetable oils, added sugars, and artificial flavors.