The bar market is as saturated as it's ever been making it difficult to pick the right bar. We're going to cover some of the ingredients to look out for when venturing down that packed aisle of bars..
- Natural Flavors: 4th most common ingredient on all food labels. Essentially a chemical flavor enhancer with no contribution to nutritional value. Very processed, steer clear!
- Palm Oils: Typically GMO. High in saturated fat, make sure the bar is Non-GMO Project Verified.
- Syrups: High in glycemic index (high in sugar). Will spike your blood sugar. Look for healthier alternatives such as agave or coconut nectar which is marginally lower in sugar than the common brown rice syrup or tapioca syrup.
- Xanthan Gum: Created when sugar is fermented in bacteria, know to suppress healthy gut bacteria and slow digestion. Made of soluble fibers your body can't break down. The most highly processed gum out there!
- Carrageenan: Derived from seaweed, ironic because it's highly processed. Causes inflammation and digestion problems including IBS and bloating.
- Guar Gum: If you're going to pick a bar with a gum, this is the one. Guar gum is derived from legumes called guar beans (natural, plant based source) with a clean and relatively simple manufacturing process. Certainly one of the healthier alternatives. Guar Gum has been even known to lower blood sugar and cholesterol.
- Sunflower Lecithin: The cleanest and simplest emulsifier out there. No chemicals are used to extract and create the lecithin. Pulled from sunflower seeds, it's the most natural emulsifier produced to date with no negative side effects.