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Odwalla: Beware of their candy bars disguised as trail mix
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Odwalla's slogan is 'Nourishing The Body Whole.' I was introduced to them through their Chocolate Chip Trail Mix Odwalla Bar which is advertised as being a Good Source of five Essential Vitamins & Minerals Including Antioxidant Vitamins A, C & E
Here is the nutritional information for the Odwalla Chocolate Chip Trail Mix bar:
Top 6 Ingredients
- Trail Mix (various dry roast nuts & seeds)
- Brown Rice Syrup
- Organic Oats
- Semisweet Chocolate Chips
- Evaporated Cane Juice
- Brown Rice Flower
Aside from the trail mix, everything else in the Top 6 ingredients is high glycemic (i.e. BAD CARBS). These ingredients, organic or not, are going to spike blood sugar levels. Why is this bad? When blood sugar levels are spiked, your body automatically spikes insulin levels as a response. When this happens, a number of other hormones are released into your system causing your body to store what you're eating, along with everything you eat for the next 2-3 hours, as body fat.
Lets look at the overall nutrition for a moment:
Odwalla Chocolate Chip Bar Nutrition Facts:
Calories 200 (60 from Fat)
Total Fat: 7g
Total Carbs: 28g (Fiber 2g, Sugars 15g)
Protein: 5g
Net Carbs: 26
The fat alone is more than what you'd want in an entire meal let alone a small bar. Transitions, a low glycemic lifestyle (and a healthy way to eat low-carb) recommends no more than 5g of fat per MEAL. The net carbs bother me the most. Health carb meals should be at 10 or less net carbs.
How does the a Snickers Bar compare? (Snickers Bar Nutrition Info)
Regular Snickers Bar
Calories: 250 (110 from Fat)
Total Fat: 12g
Total Carbs: 32g (Fiber 1g, Sugars 27g)
Protein: 4g
Net Carbs: 33
Okay, so the Odwalla bar does have slightly fewer net carbs and 5 less grams of fat, but at that point, by eating either of the above examples, you're still spiking your blood sugar levels, which will still trigger an insulin response and therefore cause everything you eat for the next 2-3 hours to be stored as body fat.
Is that really what you'd call a nutritious, healthy snack?
Now...what about the vitamins and minerals you ask? Its important to remember that you have to weigh the benefits of getting your vitamins and antioxidants. There are a lot healthier ways to get antixoxidants, vitamins and minerals. Keep in mind that sugar is an inflammatory source for our body. I haven't seen any research on the Odwalla bar, but there is a good chance that the antioxidants present in the Odwalla bar are going to be neutralized by the inflammatory response of your body due to the amount of sugar.
So what IS a healthier option? Check out the Extend Snacks and Bars. ExtendSnacks are low glycemic, gluten free snacks clinically proven to stabilize blood sugar up to 9 hours. What does this mean for you? It means that you can go ahead and have a healthy, TASTY bar that won't spike your blood sugar, and in fact, has been clinically proven to reduce hunger.
The nutrition label on the Chocolate Delight Extend Bar reads:
Calories: 150 (25 from fat)
Total Fat: 3g
Total Carbs: 20g (Fiber 6g, Sugar 0g, Sugar Alcohols 4g)
Protein: 12g
Net Carbs: 10g (subtract fiber & sugar alcohols from total carbs)
The best thing (aside from hunger control and maintaining blood sugar levels)...they actually taste good!
So where can you get them? A variety of Extend Snacks, including bars and chips, can be purchased through online retailers. I've also found a limited selection at Wal-Mart and WalGreens. Pretty much the same places you can find Odwalla and Snickers Bars...but now you're armed with a little more information and will hopefully make a healthier, more nutritious choice!
