If you're adamant about living a healthy lifestyle, then the chances are you watch what you eat. Processed desserts, sugar-filled candy and soda are just a few of the many foods shunned by the wellness world, and for a good reasonthey're typically low in nutritional value. When obtaining a healthy lifestyle, food is your fuel. If you fuel your body with healthy, wholesome foods, it will continue running at its best. That's what we all want, right? We know that sticking to a healthy diet is easier said than done. A nagging sweet tooth, midday hunger pains, or skipped lunch can make the decision to opt for unhealthy, convenience foods all the easier. This is exactly why we're big advocates of planning your meals and snacks ahead of time at Bob's Red Mill. If you have healthy and flavorful food just waiting for you to eat it, then you're much less likely to stop by the drive-through on the way home.
Why Oat Bars?
We think oat bars are the perfect snack. Why? Not only are oat bars full of healthy, whole-food ingredients like oats, nuts and honey, but they also flaunt some pretty impressive health benefitsbenefits like fighting off hunger pains and boosting your fiber intake. If you're searching for a nutritious snack that you can enjoy nearly anywhere, then oat bars are an excellent treat. But don't just take our word for it. Check out a few of the benefits yourself.
Oat Bars Can Boost Your Energy
Enjoying an oat bar in between meals is a great way to receive a midday energy boost. Whether you're facing a long day ahead or simply need the motivation to get through your next meeting, snacking on an oat bar can help keep your mind and body functioning as they should. Loaded with protein and fiber, oat bars will provide a wide array of nutrients that you may not be getting from your morning meal. Far from boring, the delicious taste of oat bars is so enticing, you'll forget all about your favorite candy bar.
Oat Bars Help Keep the Hunger Pangs at Bay
Oat bars are a great way to keep the hunger pangs from creeping up on you. While eating a healthy meal for breakfast is recommended, it's not always an option. Some mornings are busier than others and a large meal doesn't quite fit into the schedule. Or, maybe something came up and you forgot to grab that breakfast smoothie on the way out the door. Whatever the reasoning may be, there are certain days when lunch feels much too far away and you crave a snack to keep you satisfied for the time being. This is where oat bars genuinely shine. An excellent treat full of healthy, nutritious foods, oat bars are a great way to silence hunger pains between meals. When made with whole grain oats, these bars add a bit of bulk to your diet that will leave you satiated for much longer than most other snacks. Plus, they're delicious!
Store-Bought Oat Bars
When it comes to planning out healthy snacks ahead of time, not much is more accessible than a delicious oat bar. If your schedule is running thin and you don't have the time to make a healthy homemade snack, store-bought oat bars are an excellent option. While most oat-bars are loaded with good-for-you ingredients, some varieties are better left on the shelves. To help you choose the most nutritious oat bar money can buy, we put together a list of what to look for in store-bought oat bars and the benefits they provide. Keep scrolling to get started!
Check for a Clean Ingredient List
When choosing the right oat bar for you, it's essential to look at the ingredients list. Bars that contain a long list of modified ingredients should be avoided. Instead, search for a shortlist containing clean ingredients. Natural foods like whole grain oats, organic honey and peanuts will provide you with much more nutritional value than artificial ones. If you come across an ingredient listed that you're not sure of, we recommend looking it up. Remember, food is your fuel and you want it to be as high-quality as possible.
Choose Bars Rich in Protein
If you're choosing to indulge in a midday snack, make sure it's high in protein. High-quality protein can be found in abundance in whole foods like oats and works wonders for the body. An oat bar with a significant amount of protein (seven grams or more) will ensure that you stay energized and focused throughout the day. Why protein? Protein is a molecule that works hard to keep your body running as it should. Getting protein through the foods you eat is essential to the health of your hair, nails, bones and muscles. Protein also helps keep your tissues and organs running as they should. By acquiring protein through healthy snacks like oat bars, you can ensure that your nutritional needs are being met, even if your meals may fall short.
Seek out Oat Bars That Are Low in Sugar
The adverse health effects of unnatural sugar are presenting themselves more and more each day. Consuming an abundance of foods and snacks high in sugar negatively impacts your health and, over time, can cause your overall wellness to decline. This being so, you'll want to avoid processed sugar as much as possible and stick to consuming natural sugars instead. Natural sugars, like fruit sugars, work in a much different way. While too much of anything can be a bad thing, natural sugars are much better for you than processed ones. When searching for healthy oat bars, check that the sugars listed are as natural as possible. Ideally, you'll want to choose an oat bar with ten grams or less. Organic honey, fruits and organic tapioca syrup are all clean sugars that you can consume without worry.
Making Oat Bars at Home
If you love making healthy homemade treats, then you might be tempted to add oat bars to your snack-making resume. The good news is, making homemade oat bars is quite simple. By following a well-tested recipe and using wholesome ingredients, you can ensure that your bars come out perfect every time. If you're looking to boost a pre-existing recipe or start from scratch, here are a few ingredients we recommend starting with.
Pick the Ideal Base: Oats
What would an oat bar be without oats? Using high-quality, wholesome oats to make your bars is the first step to creating an excellent snack. Oats will add bulk and texture to your bars that many other grains can't provide. Additionally, because of their versatility, oats taste (and bake) great when combined with other ingredients. From salty and sweet to savory and spicy, the many mix-ins you can add to oat-based bars are endless.
Choose a Natural Sweetener: Honey
When making bars from scratch, it's important that you use a natural sweetener in your recipes. While there are several different sweeteners you can choose from, we've found honey to be among the best. High in essential antioxidants, honey is excellent for your health and tastes even better when mixed into an oat bar. Just a little bit of honey goes a long way, meaning that your bar can remain low in sugar while still being sweet enough to curb your candy cravings.
Tie the Recipe Together with a Binding Ingredient: Chia Seeds
Depending on the other ingredients in your oat bar recipe, you'll want to make sure that a proper binder is added to your bars. A binding agent like chia seeds works to bring all of the recipe ingredients together to turn it into the bar-like texture that you know and love. While honey, nut butter and eggs can be used to bind ingredients together, chia seeds are among the few low-allergy binding ingredients. A tiny superfood packed full of omega-3 fatty acids, protein and fiber; they're an excellent way to build your ideal oat bar.When it comes to choosing a healthy and delicious treat, oat bars are the way to go. Now that you know what to look for in store-bought oat bars and the ingredients to use to make your own, it's time to put that knowledge to use! If you're on a tight schedule and don't have time to make a batch of oat bars this week, head to the store and pick up your favorite flavor of Bob's Bars. Made with simple, clean ingredients, they're a high protein, low sugar snack that both children and adults can enjoy guilt-free. From everyone at Bob's Red Mill, have a happy and oat-filled day!Have a favorite oat bar recipe that you'd like to share? Let us know more about the healthy ingredients you use in the comments below. We can't wait to hear from you!