The 33 million households buying nutrition bars and shakes can benefit from knowing that nutrition bars are not created equal. While many nutrition bars are portable nutrition power houses, a few popular bars have as much or more sugar than a doughnut. However, most consumers do not know this fact, according to a recent survey of 1,000 Americans on nutrition topics conducted by Kelton Research.
Confusion Over Nutrition Content
When asked which in a list of food items has the most sugar, 50 percent of consumers incorrectly identified a Krispy Kreme® glazed doughnut as having the most sugar. In reality, a PowerBar Performance top-selling Chocolate bar (18g of sugars) and Clif Bar’s top-selling Crunchy Peanut Butter (18g of sugars) tip the sugar scale more than a Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut (10g of sugars). Conversely, all the Atkins Advantage® bars are lower in sugar, each having 3g or less of sugar.
Choosing a Nutrition Bar That Is Right For You
It is important to understand that nutrition bars have a wide range of nutritional content — sugars, protein, fiber, calories and fat — and each individual has unique nutrition needs. For some people, eating sugar means they experience a ‘sugar spike and crash.’ Energy levels drop, and they feel hungry sooner.
Even with products in a healthy category, like nutrition bars, you should read labels to make the right choice based on your nutrition philosophy and lifestyle needs. People who run marathons have different sugar requirements than those running to a meeting. Many nutrition bars are low in sugar and include high protein and fiber, and vitamins and minerals. Others are packed with sugars.
America’s Struggle with Sugar
Of the many nutrition factors Americans monitor, sugar is creating a sweet stir. Not only did consumers in the survey rank it, along with calories and fat, in the top three most important things to look for on a nutrition label, they also ranked eating less sugar as the number one most difficult healthy habit to practice in relation to nutrition.
Of those who said eating less sugar was the most difficult healthy habit to practice, many cited not liking the taste of healthy foods (42 percent) or not having the knowledge of how to follow this practice (18 percent) as the reasons why.
You Can Have Great Taste and Great Nutrition: Atkins Advantage
People can choose low sugar without sacrificing great taste. All Atkins Advantage nutrition bars have lower sugar than the other top nutrition brands and are packed with protein and fiber, yet they taste great and rank among the top-selling bars.
