Granola bars have been a staple snack of mine for years. I used to eat box after box of the Quaker Chewy Granola Bars chocolate chip flavor. It was just enough chocolate and I figured the “granola” aspect was good for me.
Until one day about a year ago I was at the store and noticed a new granola bar on the block- Kashi TLC (Tasty Little Chewies). After comparing the two nutrition labels, I immediately switched. I’m a huge fan of the Cherry Dark Chocolate Kashi bars, my husband loves the Honey Almond Flaxseed and the Trail Mix aren’t too bad either.
When you compare the labels- the Quaker ingredients are filled with the usual processed junk that you can’t pronounce and wouldn’t really recognize anyway. The Kashi ingredients are things you could probably find at your grocery store, or a nice health food store.
The Quaker ingredients, while they have some whole grains and even fewer calories, list things like partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oils (with a note “Adds a dietarily insignificant amount of trans fat), high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup solids and artificial flavors.
The Kashi ingredients don’t have anything fake, artificial or trans fat related, not even one mention of the word “sugar”. In the Kashi Cherry Dark Chocolate, you’ll find hard red winter wheat, long grain brown rice, red tart cherries, dark chocolate, honey and natural flavors.
I’ve included both nutrition labels so that you can compare for yourself. I’m especially fond of the generous fiber and protein found in the Kashi bar and I’m willing to take the extra calories to have better ingredients. These Kashi Bars have 2 Weight Watchers Points and for diabetics, equal a 1.5 Carb exchange.
See other Food Finds from Diets In Review.