NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — With the kids home for the summer what do you feed them when they get hungry?
You want easy, satisfying, and healthy snacks. And you know there are a lot of snack bars out there and they may seem like a nutritious option.
But are they really better than say cookies? The answer may surprise you.
Kids' snack bars may seem like the perfect option for smaller appetites they go anywhere and can live at the bottom of their backpack for days.
“The average kids’ bar is about 1 ounce and 115 calories, compared with just over 2 ounces and 210 calories for the adult bars,” said Consumer Reports' Trisha Calvo.
But do they deliver the nutritional boost your kids need?
Consumer Reports nutrition experts looked at 17 popular kids' snack bars to find out which are truly healthy snacks and which are just dressed up in healthy-looking packages.
Some were “just” OK.
Take Earth’s Best Organic Sunny Days Strawberry Snack Bar: It has very few whole grains and a lot of added sugars for a very small bar!
The first ingredient of Larabar Bakes Kids Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar is buckwheat, a whole grain but of the 17 Consumer Reports tried, it’s also the bar with the most added sugars!
“Ideally, you want to look for a bar that’s made with oats or another whole-grain and contains few processed ingredients. When you look at the ingredients list, the more that you recognize, chances are the healthier the bar will be!” said Calvo.
Like Cerebelly Smart Bars, Organic Sweet Potato Blueberry Banana, made with dates, oats, sweet potato, sunflower seed butter, and pumpkin seeds and no added sugars.
Or if chocolate is your kid’s thing, they might like Junkless Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bar. It’s made with Whole-grain oats, and while it might have a bit more sugar than other bars CR looked at, it has a fairly simple ingredient list!
“You can even make your own…There are lots of easy recipes online, and it allows you to customize the ingredients and amount of sugar you use,” Calvo said.
Don’t want to bake? Your kids can help mix up some trail mix using their favorite whole grain cereal, dried fruit, and nuts. – Just add a scoop to single-serving baggies so you’re ready the next time those little tummies rumble!
And there’s no reason you have to stick with kid-specific bars for your kids. There are some healthy adult bars...that you can just break in half like the Jonesbar PB and J bar and Kind's Healthy Grains Oats & Honey with Toasted Coconut.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at jennifer.kraus@newschannel5.com.
This is a beautiful story of chosen family, proving a father figure doesn't have to have biology in common to make a difference in a child's life. The story of De'Andre and Alex will remind you that our relationships help determine the course of our lives. And that being supportive of someone - through a meal, a shared experience or even swim lessons can make all the difference.
- Rebecca Schleicher
