Breakfast Bars

Breakfast Bars

Breakfast cereal with milk and fruit is a healthy way to start the day. Everyone knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and yet there are more and more people who are skipping breakfast. The manufacturers of breakfast cereals have tried to come to the rescue with a range of breakfast cereal bars. They have the same names as the popular cereals but when it comes to the nutritional value they're quite different.

Nutritional value

The difference in the nutritional value of breakfast bars in comparison to breakfast cereals can be seen in two major ingredients:

Sugar - The bars are sticky with sugar and have one and a half to two times the amount of sugar as cereal. There is an array of different types of sugars in the bars including; straight sugar, malt extract, glucose syrup, glucose solids, dextrose, fructose, raw sugar, honey. Sugar is also present naturally in the dried fruit content. All the ingredients are listed on the packet. By law the major ingredient must be listed first, followed by the others in order of the amounts used.

Fibre - Breakfast bars have more sugar than the cereals but less than half the amount of fibre. Fibre is an important aspect of the nutritional value of breakfast cereals.

Brand comparison

A comparison of three of the major brands on the market shows that all the bars have more sugar and less fibre than the corresponding cereal. Breakfast bars vary in weight depending on the brand but they weigh around 30g and have been compared to a 30g serving of the cereal.

• A Kellogg's Sustain bar has almost 11g of sugars whereas a 30g serving of the cereal has less than half the amount with less than 5g. The bar is 36% sugars while the cereal is just over 11% sugars. The bar also has much less than half the fibre of the cereal.
• A Kellogg's Just Right bar has over 11g of sugars whereas a 30g serving of the cereal has about 7.5g. The bar also has much less than half the fibre of the cereal. The bar is 34% sugars while the cereal is 22% sugars.
• A Kellogg's Rice Bubble bar has 8g of sugars, twice as much as a 30g serving of the cereal which has just over 3g. The bar is 36% sugars while the cereal is over 11% sugars.
• Uncle Toby's Sportsplus bars have almost 12g of sugars per bar, twice as much as a 30g serving of the cereal which has 7g of sugars. The bar is 32% sugars while the cereal is 23% sugars. The bar also has much less than half the fibre content of the cereal.
• Uncle Toby's Lite Start bars sound healthy but they have one and a half times as much sugars and less than half the fibre of the cereal. The bar has 13g of sugars whereas a 30g serving of the cereal has less than 6g. The bar is over 35% sugars while the cereal is less than 20%.
  
• Sanitarium's Fruity Bix bars have over 8g of sugars per bar whereas a 30g serving of the cereal has just over 5g. The bar is almost 33% sugars while the cereal is 18% sugars. There is also fat in these bars that is not present in the cereal.

Teeth warning

One of the best things about cereal is that you add milk to it but with a breakfast bar there's no milk and you can't add any fruit either. As well as being a good source of calcium, adding milk to cereals can counteract some of the harmful effects of sugar. The major problem with sugar is that it's bad for teeth. The new breakfast bars are extremely sweet and dentists say that sweetened cereal products eaten without milk are much more hazardous to teeth. These breakfast bars are potentially a dental disaster and they're usually eaten when you're not carrying a toothbrush. Of all the health problems related to diet, the one that costs the most in the 1990s is dental decay.

Muesli bars

The main differences between a muesli bar and a breakfast bar are in the fat and sugar content. A typical muesli bar has more fat than most breakfast bars but only about half the sugar content.

Dried fruit bar recipe

Enjoy this healthy dried fruit bar but don't make it a replacement for breakfast.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (150g) sultanas
• 1 cup (140g) chopped dried apricots (or dried fruit medley)
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1 cup (150g) pitted prunes
• 1/2 cup (25g) flaked coconut, toasted*
• 1 cup (100g) toasted rolled oats**
• 1/2 cup (40g) wheatgerm
• 1/2 cup (75g) sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup skim milk powder

Method

In a medium saucepan, combine sultanas, apricots and orange juice. Bring to the boil, stir for one minute, cover with lid and turn off heat.

When cool, combine with prunes, coconut, rolled oats, wheatgerm, sunflower seeds and milk powder.

Press mixture into an oiled 20cm (8") square cake tin. Press down well with hands to compact mixture. Refrigerate for 24 hours before serving. Makes 16 square bars

* Toast coconut on a dry frying pan, over medium heat, taking care it does not burn.
* * Toast oats on a flat baking tray in a moderate oven for about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice until oats are golden brown. Cool before use.

Further information

For more of Rosemary Stanton's advice on food and nutrition consult the revised edition of Rosemary Stanton's Complete Book of Food and Nutrition (Simon & Schuster). Recommended retail price is $29.95.

Copyright 2006 CTC Productions