Fiber One Chewy Bars - Oats and Chocolate is the first product I am officially placing in the FitnessMantra Product Review category. Although I have spoken about other products earlier, this is the first one I am officially reviewing.

Disclosure: I was sent one (1) box of five (5) bars to try and then present a product review on FitnessMantra. You can be assured that my reviews will always be unbiased, irrespective of whether I purchase the product or receive it to review.

Product: Fiber One Chewy Bars - Oats and Chocolate
Manufacturer: General Mills
Presentation: Single-serving bars, individually wrapped and labeled with Nutrition Facts and Ingredients
Serving Size: 1 bar (40g)
Allergy information: Contains Soy, Milk, Almond, Peanut, Sunflower and Wheat ingredients
Nutrition Information: Here is the nutrition label information for Fiber One Chewy Bars - Oats and Chocolate scanned directly from the box (this is FitnessMantra; you had to know this was coming!):

Positives:

1. Visually, the bars are very appealing: they are cream in color with little chocolate pieces and make an appealing visual stimulation (even a wavy chocolate line across the bar for effect!)
2. Calorie-wise the bar is perfect for a snack (it has 140 calories with 35 calories (less than 1/3 of total - the ideal number) from fat)
3. As far as taste goes, you might not even realise it before the bar is gone (chocolate has that effect on people!). The bars are soft, chewy (yet not all that sticky although it is winter now and you might not want to leave these in your car during summer!) and great on the taste buds.
4. Although the primary source of fiber is chicory root extract (chicory is a plant more famous for the use of its leaves as a flavoring agent for coffee) and you might expect a bland taste, the other ingredients mask this taste and make it enjoyable to eat.
5. Of course the biggest selling point of the bar: fiber, fiber, fiber! Now a single bar has 9g of fiber which accounts for about 35% of your recommended daily allowance (RDA) of fiber of 25g. But you must realize that this comes at a cost of some pretty unhealthy ingredients which brings me to the …

Negatives:

1. You already know I am a stickler for the ethical labeling of products especially Products that are labeled “Natural” so when I saw “Naturally Flavored” in bold across the top of the packaging you know where my eyes traveled to next: the ingredients list. And sure enough there were all the usual suspects: “confectioner’s shellac” listed as the second ingredient (meaning it is the second largest component by weight) contains hydrogenated coconut oil (and if not specified, this usually indicates “partial hydrogenation” - fully hydrogenated oils are usually labeled as “fully hydrogenated”). As always do not be fooled by 0g trans fat: manufacturers need not list trans fat quantities that are less than 0.5g.
2. In the same vein as #1 above, note the two ingredients High Fructose Corn Syrup and its close cousin High Maltose Corn Syrup. These are about as natural as centrifuged, enzymatically-sweetened, genetically-modified corn can get! You know the truth: HFCS cannot truly be considered a natural product although some recent research suggests the body metabolizes High Fructose Corn Syrup similarly to sugar.
3. With 10g of sugar this is not the best source of fiber for those with diabetic conditions. They are probably better off with the cereal version of this bar or other varieties like All Bran.

Alternatives:

What could you have instead of “Fiber One Chewy Bars - Oats and Chocolate” and still get your fill of fiber? Why, a whole-grain sandwich would do just great! Infact dab a little peanut butter and throw in some blue-berries (my all-time favorite breakfast right there) and you have yourself a nice combination of whole grains, fiber, protein and antioxidants. Granted it’s not as easy to put in your purse as the chewy bars but at least you know it’s good for you without potentially harmful ingredients.

Conclusion:

While they satisfy the primary selling point of being high in fiber and in fact do so without subjecting one to the usual bland taste that fiber-rich products are famous for, Fiber One Chewy Bars - Oats and Chocolate cannot be unconditionally recommended unless General Mills makes a few changes to the ingredients (lopping off the hydrogenated oils and artificial sweeteners would be a good start - after which the “Naturally Flavored” label will actually be truthful). When McDonalds and Wendys can agree to be trans fat free, I wonder what’s taking a company like General Mills, which strives to be associated with healthy eating, so long.

Eat the bars as a rare treat but don’t you, for even one minute, believe you can justify having these everyday as a “fiber food” - probably “candy bar” is a better term for them. Instead try yogurt topped with flaxseed or the whole grain sandwich - they are both satisfying and give you the fiber you need - naturally!

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“Got Milk?” I asked in one of my previous posts, where I described the numerous health benefits of drinking at least 24 ounces of milk everyday.

As you already know after reading that post, milk is an excellent source of complete protein (containing all 9 essential amino acids which are required to meet our physiological needs), one of the primary sources of bone-building calcium for adults and also a treasure-trove of vitamins (especially D and K).

So if 24 ounces of milk are all you need in a a day, is there any specific reason to get 8 of those ounces just before going to bed at night? Read on:

1. Casein absorption: Almost 80% of the protein found in milk is in the phosphorus-containing form known as casein - a complete protein. Casein is hydrophobic (literally “scared of water”) and so it is not soluble in water but instead appears in milk as a suspension - and for this reason it is also called “Micellar Casein” (separated without the use of chemicals). The human body, however, processes casein a little uniquely. Unlike whey (another dairy protein) which the body can absorb very fast, Micellar Casein takes a while to be absorbed into the cells and so its processing is not a high priority task for th body. Milk consumed during the day will still slowly get you the protein, but when consumed at night it gives the body the best chance of maximum absorption. You can read a good description of Micellar Casein at N101.
2. Tryptophan: Remember those 9 essential amino acids I keep harping about? Well, turns out one of those is the sleep-inducing tryptophan. If you are wondering where you have heard that before, it is the same chemical found in turkey leading people to feel sleepy after a hearty Thanksgiving dinner. Of course scientists point out that tryptophan works best on an empty stomach and so it would be wise to give a gap of atleast 1-2 hours between dinner and your glass of milk!
3. Controlled snacking: With an 8 oz glass of milk reserved to be your final snack of the day, you are that much less likely to indulge in a heavier, diet-crashing, cake/cookie/pastry snack when hunger hits at bed-time. Your trusted elixir will keep you well satiated.
4. Get to 24 ounces: I don’t know about you but with a full-schedule day, I find getting 24 ounces of milk a pretty difficult goal to achieve. Even if you ensure 8oz in the morning and somehow manage another glass during the day, you are still likely to fall short of your target. Unless you make the bedtime glass of milk a regular habit.
5. Calcium: What better time to get some calcium into your system than when your body most needs it to build strong bones and damaged muscles caused by exercise? Remember you don’t build your body in the gym - you build it when you sleep/rest.

There you have it readers - 5 pertinent reasons to drink a nice, tall, warm glass of milk right before bedtime at night. Just make sure, though, that you are drinking either skim or 1-2% milk and not the whole-milk variety - leave whole milk for the babies!

Technorati Tags: health, fitness, nutrition, milk, got milk

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