Granola bars are becoming quite popular these days as a healthy, on-the-go snack. It is easy to purchase them in any supermarket. You can buy them in boxes of 6 to 12 bars. Nature Valley, which is the part of the General Mills family of products, offers a wide range of granola bars for you to choose from. The question many people ask is whether Nature Valley granola bars are healthy. To get the answer, you will have to know a bit more about the nutrition information of these granola bars. Keep reading to find out more.

Are Nature Valley Granola Bars Healthy?

Many people believe these granola bars are good for health, but do you think that’s exactly the case? Here are a few findings that will help you make a decision.

Not That Natural As They Claimed to Be

People believe that Nature Valley bars are healthy because they are made from natural ingredients, but that's not the complete picture. The original part is definitely clean and is made of real ingredients, but it also contains 6g of fat, and 12g of sugars. The presence of these ingredients makes it less healthy than you might think it is. Eating a serving of Nature Valley Oats 'n Honey granola bar is the same as eating a bowl of Fruit Loops. Similarly, the Sweet and Salty Nut bars are rich in fructose corn syrup and contain plenty of maltose corn syrup as well. They don't use hydrogenated oils, but they use palm kernel oil, which is a chemically processed saturated fat. By harvesting palm kernel oil, they are also causing irreversible environmental damage. They also use artificial colors, which are definitely unhealthy.

With these ingredients added, you cannot say the bars are all natural and thus not so healthy. It is also a harsh reality that 'natural' doesn't mean a lot on products, and you're never sure of what you're eating is actually healthy or not.

GMO Ingredients Included

The presence of GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) in any product means the product isn't all-natural. General Mills Inc. was sued in 2012 for deceptively marketing its Nature Valley snacks as all natural when they actually contained GMOs. Plaintiffs argued that the 100% natural description on the front of the product's packaging is misleading and deceptive.

It finally ended in 2014 when a settlement agreement prevented General Mills from making any claims that their Nature Valley Trail Mix Bars, and Crispy Squares are "100% Natural". The agreement applies to labeling of 30 Nature Valley products.

Several studies have confirmed that GMOs have links to issues related to allergies and cancer. About 80% of all GMOs in the world are created in a way to make them more tolerant to herbicides such as Monsanto's Roundup. It is for this reason only that the use of toxic herbicide has increased 15 times after the introduction of GMOs. What it means is that you cannot call a product healthy even if it uses traces of GMOs, and that's something going against of Nature Valley.

Nutrition Facts about Nature Valley Granola Bars

You may already have the answer to your question are Nature Valley granola bars healthy, here are some other nutrition facts about Nature Valley bars for your understanding.

• Calories: You may consider Nature Valley granola bars a good midday snack because it has calories ranging from 90 to 190 calories per bar. Try crunchy granola bars if you're a bit concerned about calories and avoid Roasted Nut Crunch bars because they have the highest calories.
• Carbohydrates: You can get anywhere between 13g and 26g of carbohydrates in Chewy with Yogurt, Chewy Trail Mix, and Sweet and Salty bars.
• Fats: It usually depends on the content used to make the granola bar. For most of these bars, fat content stays between 3g and 13g per bar. The Roasted Nut bars have the highest amount of fat, whereas the Crunchy Granola bar has the least amount of it.
• Other Nutrients: These bars will also have a small amount of protein, dietary fiber, and very little sodium. They have no cholesterol.

Healthy Alternative: Making Your Own Granola Bars

If you keep asking the same question are Nature Valley granola bars healthy, you will be better off making some on your own. Here are two recipes for you to make delicious bars with ease.

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Ingredients

• Half cup of whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 cups of medium-cooked rolled oats
• Half cup of natural crunchy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup of liquid honey
• 1/4 cup of organic canola oil
• Half cup of dry cranberries
• A tsp of pure vanilla extract
• A beaten egg
• Large pinch of salt and cinnamon

Preparation

• Start by preheating your oven to 325℉
• Take a 9x9x2 baking pan and line it with foil. Grease it and set aside.
• Now, mix pastry flour, rolled oats, cranberries, salt, and cinnamon together.
• Take another bowl and add honey, egg, vanilla extract, and peanut butter to it. Mix it well.
• Fold your liquid mixture into the rolled oats mixture and combine all ingredients properly.
• Cook for half an hour. Let it cool and cut into bars.

Protein-Packed Lemon Granola Bars

Ingredients

• A cup of whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp of wheat germ
• 2 cups of rolled oats
• 2 tbsp. of soy protein powder
• Pinch of salt
• 6 tbsp. of unsalted sunflower seeds
• 12 dry dates and dry apricots
• 2 beaten eggs
• Half cup of each maple syrup and organic canola oil
• Juice and zest of one lemon

Preparation

• Start by preheating your oven to 325℉
• Line a 9x9x92 baking pan with foil and grease it well.
• Take a bowl and add wheat germ, pastry flour, soy protein powder, rolled oats, dry fruit, salt, and sunflower seeds to it. Set it aside.
• Take another bowl and add lemon juice with zest, eggs, maple syrup, and canola oil to it. Mix properly.
• Now, fold your liquid mixture in the rolled oats mixture you have already prepared and press the preparation in the pan.
• Cook for half an hour. Let it cool and cut into bars.