Susie Burrell crunches the numbers and reveals what to look for on the box, to see if it passes the bar.
Back-to-school season is upon us, along with a wide range of snack food options being marketed to busy parents to fill the growing number of compartments in a new-age school lunch box.
While plenty of kids’ snacks look healthy, and some may even be sold in the health food section of supermarkets, you certainly need to have plenty of nutritional knowledge, as well as a magnifying glass, to fully analyse what is in a typical snack bar, and determine if it is really a healthier choice.
Luckily, we have done the hard yards for you, and have ranked the best, and not-so-good snack bars for children based on their nutritional profile and ingredients.
What to look for in a muesli bar
When it comes to snacks, you cannot go wrong with whole, minimally processed foods such as plain yoghurt, cheese, fresh fruit or legumes, but the reality is that school-aged children regularly consume snack bars. In fact, Australian data has shown that on average Aussie kids consume as many as three packaged snacks each day, and as such it can be helpful to know what to look for if the goal is to optimise nutritional intake.
As a general rule of thumb, bars that have a wholegrain base, and offer at least 3 grams of dietary fibre per serve, are a good starting point. Minimising added sugar intake, and seeking out options that contain less than 5 grams of sugars per bar, is a sound reference point. Seeking out minimally processed bars that have a relatively short ingredient list, with ingredient names you recognise, will help you choose bars that are as nutritious as possible.
Based on these parameters, here are some of the best options, and the ones to steer well clear of.
The good
Coles Joyful Muesli Bar
A base of 49 per cent wholegrains, along with added sweetener to significantly lower the sugar content, mean these bars fare much better nutritionally than many muesli bars, and offer 4 grams of dietary fibre per bar.
Carman’s Aussie Oat Bars
With a base of 47 per cent wholegrains, less than 3 grams of sugar per bar (depending on the flavour) and 4 grams of dietary fibre, this bar ticks the box nutritionally while remaining lunch box friendly.
Uncle Tobys Protein Muesli Bars
One of a handful of snack bars that offers a decent 7-gram serve of protein per bar, thanks to the addition of soy protein, plus these bars contain less than 5 grams of sugars per serve and more than 3 grams of fibre.
Uncle Tobys Muesli Bars Chewy
The nutritional profile of this range of muesli bars has improved significantly in recent years, now offering a bar that contains a base of 36 per cent oats, less than 5 grams of sugar per bar and more than 3 grams of fibre.
Nestle Milo Snack Bars Original
It may come as a surprise to see this bar towards the top of the list, but for just 75 calories, and with 2 grams of dietary fibre and less than 4g of sugars, there is nothing that stands out nutritionally with this bar, but there is nothing overly concerning either.
Steer clear of
Mother Earth Baked Oaty Slices
Don’t be fooled by association with all things wholegrain and natural. Each of these bars contain almost 3 teaspoons of sugars, loads of processed fat and very little dietary fibre.
Kellogg’s K-Time Baked Twists
With a base of refined sugar and carbohydrates, these twists contain close to 3 teaspoons of sugars per bar and offer very little dietary fibre or protein to help keep hungry kids satisfied.
Kellogg’s LCMs
These sweet bars are low in calories, but with a base of refined white rice and sugar, they can be likened to confectionery, offering no protein, fibre or the nutrients that come from wholegrains.
The best recipes from Australia’s leading chefs straight to your inbox.
Sign up