Snack bars are the new granola bars. This isn’t really a news flash, but I certainly never thought of them this way. They were, by and large, previously marketed as energy bars, designed to deliver an extra dose of calories to hard-working athletes or as meal replacements for busy people. Many people don’t use these as meal replacements, though, and eat two or three a day as snacks, hence the new "snack bar" designation. Though most of the bars have 200-250 calories and less than 6 grams of fat, some can have more than 10 grams of fat and over 300 calories. Eating two or three of these adds up – and quickly.

This month, EatingWell magazine rounded up some of the best snack bar options, based on the following criteria: 225 calories or less and less than 3 grams of saturated fat, as well as at least 5 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber. The goal was to find something worth eating nutritionally as a snack and was filling enough to hold you over until your next meal.

The winners included Balance Bar’s Trail Mix Chocolate Chip, Luna Bar’s Chai Tea, Kashi GoLean Crunchy! Chocolate Caramel Karma and Mojo Bar’s Mixed Nuts. The Balance Bar was perceived as the most filling, while the salty mix of pretzels and nuts in the Mojo Bar was a nice change from usually sweet snacks.

I happened upon a Kashi GoLean Crunchy! Chocolate Caramel Karma shortly after reading the review and picked one up. It has 140 calories, 3 grams of fat, along with 5 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein. It also has 20% of the recommended daily minimum of calcium! The EatingWell testers likened it to a non-marshmallow crispy rice snack, but I was still pleasantly surprised by the crispy texture and caramel-and-chocolate flavor combination, which was nothing like the dense, gummy snack bars I remember eating a few years ago. I also agreed that the popcorn pieces were not the best feature of the bar, but I would definately look for these again. If snack bars really are the new granola bars, this is a trend I just might not mind following.

[Photo by Nicole Weston]