There are lots of snack bars to choose from inside a
 
supermarket. It can be difficult to discern which ones
 
are healthy and which ones are not worth trying to be
 
careful about your food choices. What are the things
 
that you need to look for when selecting a snack bar?
 
These guidelines may help you in choosing a healthy
 
snack bar by means of reading product labels:
 
1. Look at the Energy Content.
 
When you are a very busy person, you might want to
 
choose a healthy snack bar which can give 600 kJ.
 
Looking at the energy content also includes taking in
 
consideration the size of the snack bar. For example, 30
 
g Snack Bar A at 500 kJ will satisfy your energy needs
 
more than a 20 g Snack Bar B at 520 kJ.
 
2. Check out the Fat Content.
 
As much as possible, avoid snack bars that contain
 
saturated fat. If you really want that snack bar, better
 
aim for less than 2g per bar. Saturated fat is harmful,
 
because excessive intake may cause heart disease or even
 
cancer. While the overall fat content may be large, you
 
must look at the saturated fat content, because if Snack
 
Bar A has 5 g of overall fat and contains 0 g of
 
saturated fat, then it is better than Snack Bar B which
 
has 4 g of overall fat but contains 1 g of saturated
 
fat. All in all, the total fat content must be 5 g or
 
less in a snack bar to be considered “healthy.”
 
3. See the Sugar Content.
 
To complete the trio with fat and energy content, make
 
sure you check the sugar level of the snack bar. Several
 
snack bars contain sugar, which comprises almost half of
 
their total weight. High sugar levels are not favourable
 
because too much sugar can temporarily boost energy, but
 
this energy declines very fast. As much as possible,
 
look for snack bars with less than 9 g of sugar.
 
4. Read the Ingredients List.
 
After looking at the nutritional facts, you may also
 
want to check out which food substances are used in
 
making the snack bar. Healthy snack bars will list oats,
 
raisins, bran, honey, fruits and other natural
 
ingredients.