Mini-packs of energy--and taste

When you want a snack bar that is a little smaller in size but still packs the nutrition and taste you want, consider Clif Bar’s Mini Energy Bars. Each one is 28.4 grams of energizing ingredients that give you pocket-sized fuel and taste you keep you going. Tuck them in your pocket, purse, bag or backpack.

 Delicious, convenient and organic, CLIF BAR MINI Energy Bars contain the same combination of nutritious and energizing ingredients found in full-size CLIF BARs. Joining the popular chocolate flavors—Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Brownie and Crunchy Peanut Butter—CLIF BAR MINI Energy Bars are now in a variety pack of three delicious bakery flavors—Oatmeal Raisin Walnut, Blueberry Crisp and Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch. 

And the CLIF C Bar is another full-size alternative-- a fruit and nut bar made like a home baked snack.  CLIF C starts with  all-natural ingredients including a pinch of sea salt – just enough to bring out the true taste of the bars’ naturally sweet fruits and wholesome nuts.  Two layers of distinct flavors and textures make this bar a healthy and great tasting snack, offering one full serving of fruit in every bar. The 70 percent organic CLIF C bars come in four flavors:  Raspberry, Apple, Blueberry and Cherry Pomegranate.

Very handy to have around.

http://www.clifbar.com/

Luna-Licious

They say these are made for women but anyone can love them. These new Luna Protein Bars are sure to please and they are so handy—you can take them anywhere so you won’t be tempted by less than healthy snacks. They are not meal replacement bars but nutritious delicious snack bars. The flavors— Chocolate Peanut Butter, . Chocolate Cherry Almond, Cookie Dough, to name a few—are as tempting as they are satisfying.

LUNA Protein is the first high protein bar for women that provides satiation with natural and organic ingredients. In under 200 calories, LUNA Protein offers 12 grams of soy and whey protein and 3 grams of fiber to satisfy hunger.  It contains no artificial sweeteners, high fructose corn syrup or trans fats, and no ingredients sourced from genetically modified organisms.  It is also certified kosher by Orthodox Union (OU).

Look for them and other new varieties of Luna such as the inspiring White Chocolate Macadamia and pack a few in your briefcase or bag so you are ready when unexpected hunger or cravings start to play havoc with your good eating intentions.

A Brief Piece About a Little Snack

Sometimes a regular size bar is a bit too much but you stuff the half- you- really- would- rather- save –for- later- but- don’t- have- a -way to- keep- it- for- later into your mouth.

So, now, Luna Bars now offers Luna Minis. There are many flavors, but the S’mores is especially scrumptious. It tastes more like a candy bar than a health bar.

After all, especially this time of year with Halloween in the air and the candy companies proffering bags of just about every variety of candy bar in small sizes for trick-or-treaters (not counting the candy that never makes it out door of your house) having a healthy yet great tasting little snack very handy could be a real treat.

Snack Bars, healthy or not so?

When you want a snack to take with you when you know you’re going to have a busy day, you want to put something in your purse or briefcase that isn’t going to get crushed and get crumbs everywhere. But you still want a little something that will placate the hunger or the urge to stuff something you’ll regret later in your mouth—like almost anything from a food cart inside or outside—and vending machines? Those wheat crackers only look healthy because they are lined between cookies and candy bars. (Why are the mints and chewing gum always on the bottom tier, anyway?)
There are a lot of choices for portable noshing out there. Some are tastier than others. Some are healthier than others. Do all the unhealthy snack bars all taste better than the good-for-you kinds? Or is it possible to find healthier snack bars that taste pretty much like they couldn’t be good for you. But they are.
We’ll be taking a look at several brands, including:
Nature Valley Granola Bars, Kashi bars, Kudos, SoyJoy, and others.
Until then, be careful what kind of pick-me-up you pack. A pick-me-up shouldn’t plump you up.

Soy—a (very) brief overview

Let's not even mention the website that proclaims “Soy is making kids gay….” Here are a few sentences about the influence of soy:

According to The Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/soy/NS_patient-soy “Soy was introduced to Europe in the 1700s and to the United States in the 1800s. Large-scale soybean cultivation began in the United States during World War II. Currently, Midwestern U.S. farmers produce about half of the world's supply of soybeans.”

And the Mayo Clinic goes on to state:

“Soy and components of soy called "isoflavones" have been studied for many health conditions. Isoflavones (such as genistein) are believed to have estrogen-like effects in the body, and as a result, they are sometimes called "phytoestrogens." In laboratory studies, it is not clear if isoflavones stimulate or block the effects of estrogen or both (acting as "mixed receptor agonists/antagonists"). "

The Mayo Clinic also proclaims that, based on scientific evidence, "Soy products, such as tofu, are high in protein and are an acceptable source of dietary protein. "

AND

High cholesterol--

"Numerous human studies report that adding soy protein to the diet can moderately decrease blood levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein ("bad" cholesterol). Small reductions in triglycerides may also occur, while high-density lipoprotein ("good" cholesterol) does not seem to be significantly altered. Some scientists have proposed that specific components of soybean, such as the isoflavones genistein and daidzein, may be responsible for the cholesterol-lowering properties of soy. However, this has not been clearly demonstrated in research and remains controversial. It is not known if products containing isolated soy isoflavones have the same effects as regular dietary intake of soy protein. Dietary soy protein has not been proven to affect long-term cardiovascular outcomes, such as heart attack or stroke. "

Since soy is good for many of us, why not enjoy it in a variety of forms?

SoyJoy-- portable protein

With all the snack bars calling themselves healthy, it is often hard to pick one that will live up to its promises. SoyJoy delivers what it promises.

So it's not a candy bar hiding out as a heathly treat, like some other chocolate covered bars that come to mind. No mistaking that this is healthy--and good for you. The taste is understated and might take some time to appreciate but a few of the flavors are easy on the palate --Mango Coconut and Chocolate Peanut Butter--for example. But the others will do just fine if you are hungry and have packed them in your bag as a portable, heathy and non-messy snack-- Raisin Almond, Apple, Strawberry and also Berry.

There may be many healthy snack bars out there but these are just the right size, have a sturdy yet easy-to-open wrapper, won't fall apart in your bag or briefcase, pack a respectable dose of nutrition and go great with a hot or cool beverage. If you have grown-up snack expectations, give SoyJoy a try.

http://www.soyjoy.com/