The energy bar is a type of supplemental food that is shaped like a bar and contains high-energy foods like cereal. This type of food is recommended for those who do not have enough time to eat a nutritious meal. The basic purpose of an energy bar is to cure fatigue, and improve one’s concentration, especially during vital times. Nowadays, there is an overabundance of energy bars on the market, each of which boasts of its performance enhancing capability.

Energy Bar and Energy Drink

Although the energy bar provides the body with quick energy, it should not be misconceived as similar to an energy drink. Energy drinks contain a high amount of caffeine while energy bars do not.

The purpose of the energy bar is to supply physical energy to the body through the calories that it contains. The energy drink is intended to maintain or improve one’s mental energy through the stimulation of the body’s central nervous system. This is done by consuming moderate to high doses of the stimulant caffeine. However, energy drinks also supply physical energy through its sugar content. Both energy drinks and energy bars contain added minerals and vitamins.

Nutrition in an Energy Bar

The energy from this type of food comes from carbohydrates, protein and fat. Generally, one energy bar will contain between 200 to 300 calories (equivalent to 840 to 1,300 kilojoules), 3 to 9 grams of fat, 20 to 40 grams of carbohydrates and 7 to 15 grams of protein.

Benefits and Disadvantages of the Energy Bar

There are a lot of energy bars in the market, a number of which claim that it has added health benefits aside from providing energy. This type of promotion may appeal to a lot of consumers. However, it is always important to remember that energy bars basically only provide energy. In order to verify if there are really added health benefits to energy bars, it is still best to refer to the product’s nutrition facts label.

One advantage of energy bars is that they are convenient to eat. It can be taken anywhere, can be eaten anywhere. It does not need to be prepared and thus it will not cause any mess. In addition, they do not need to be refrigerated. They are compact and lightweight, so there would be no problem taking them along when away from home. Take note that there is some energy bars that melt when exposed to heat and then there are those that will be very difficult to chew once exposed to the cold.

Energy bars are very good for pre-exercise eating. Eating before exercising is advised in order to maximize the body’s endurance and stamina. The calories obtained from eating an energy bar will fuel the body during exercise.