By Marina Guacci
A peanut-butter flavored granola bar is the epitome of what a good snack should be. Portable and accessible, with a deliciously nutty taste. One of the great things about any granola bar really, is that they’re meant to sustain you; containing healthy, nourishing ingredients that should be enough to hold you over until your next meal. However, some granola bars are better for you than others.
If you aren’t cautious, or knowledgeable about nutrition labels, you may be consuming an unnecessary amount of unhealthy calories that will leave you feeling hungry, and unsatisfied. When searching the grocery store aisles for the perfect brand of granola bars there are some tips to keep in mind. Nutrition labels are there for a reason; keep an eye on the grams of sugar, amount of protein and fiber, and the actual ingredients that are used to make your favorite bars.
Since this may be hard to keep track of, here is a definitive list of healthy brands – that are peanut butter flavored of course – to ensure that you’re making the right choices when it comes to buying a granola bar that has the ingredients necessary to keep you feeling energized and full.
LaraBar
220 calories
19 grams sugar
6 grams protein
3 grams fiber
Who doesn’t love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate? LaraBars’s peanut butter chocolate chip granola bar has only four ingredients that you can pronounce – dates, peanuts, chocolate chips, and sea salt. Even though it has 19 grams of sugar, and only 6 grams of protein, LaraBars are able to sustain even the hungriest of college students with natural ingredients that have sustenance.
Kind Bar
150 calories
7 grams sugar
3 grams protein
2.5 grams fiber
Be kind to you body with this low calorie brand of granola bars. The Kind peanut butter granola bars are normally around only 150 calories and have only 10 grams of sugar. While they may not have as much protein as other brands, they still have quality ingredients like quinoa, and amaranth that will keep you full and satisfied until the next time you eat.
Nature Valley
190 calories
6 grams of sugar
10 grams of protein
5 grams of fiber
Whether you’re a fan of nature or not, you can’t deny the delicious taste of Nature Valley granola bars. Their peanut butter dark chocolate protein chewy bars pack in a powerful 10 grams of protein into one delicious nutty snack. People with celiac disease can rejoice because this flavor is one of nature valley’s only gluten free options! Regardless of whether or not you have celiac disease, this bar will be sure to do you justice.
Annie’s
100 calories
7 grams of sugar
2 grams of protein
1 grams of fiber
Clocking in with the lowest amount of calories is Annie’s organic peanut butter chocolate chip granola bars. Although it may not have a generous amount of fiber or protein, it makes up for it with wholesome ingredients like whole grain oats and brown rice flour. Not to mention – it tastes great and is gluten free too!
RX Bar
210 calories
13 grams of sugar
12 grams of protein
4 grams of fiber
RXBar’s peanut butter chocolate bar is a classic combination of wholesome ingredients like egg whites, dates, and peanuts that perfectly form a protein packed square of goodness. With 12 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber, this bar will be sure to leave you feeling full in between meals.
