Food Court — Bringing Down The Lean Hammer On Kashi Snack Bars

*In ‘Food Court’ we examine one popular food/drink product and bring down the hammer on whether or not it deserves a place in a lean, nutritious diet.

Whether it’s Nature Valley, Clif, Special K, LARABAR, or one of a million different protein bars, chances are you frequently scarf down some form of snack bar. That puts Kashi’s line of uberpopular granola bars firmly in the spotlight.

I know, I know, Kashi is a reputable company that prides itself on producing HQ, natural, nutritious products. BUT, given the facade put forth by faux-healthy Subway and Special K, I’m naturally skeptical of anything in a wrapper and/or with a brand name. You should be, too.

Here’s the full, loaded arsenal of Kashi bars:

• Chewy Granola Bars — Almond Flax, Peanut Peanut Butter, Cherry Dark Chocolate, Trail Mix, Berry Lemonade w. Chia, Chocolate Almond & Sea Salt w. Chia, Dark Mocha Almond
• Crunch Granola Bars — Honey Toasted 7-Grain, Roasted Almond Crunch, Pumpkin Spice Flax
• Layered Granola Bars — Dark Chocolate Coconut, Peanutty Dark Chocolate
• Soft n’ Chewy Bars — Berry Muffin, Apple Cobbler, Banana Chocolate Chip
• Cereal Bars — Blackberry Graham, Ripe Strawberry, Cherry Vanilla
• GOLEAN CRISP! Bars — Chocolate Almond, Chocolate Peanut, Chocolate Caramel, Cinnamon Coffee Cake, Chocolate Pretzel
• GOLEAN DIPPED! Bars — Peanut Butter & Chocolate, Chocolate Malted Crisp
• Soft-Baked Squares — Almond, Chocolate

We investigate.

Kashi Bars — The Facts

With 27 different bars in total — across 8 separate lines — it’s impossible to generalize the “leanness” for Kashi bars as a whole.

We spliced Kashi’s portfolio 8-ways by product line, took an average across all flavors, and came up with a nutritional baseline. Here’s how it maps out:¹

And if you want a breakdown of each individual flavor, we’ve got a current table for that, too (click to enlarge) —

Kashi Bars — What I Like

An unbelievably simple shortcut to benchmark different packaged foods — with the exception of fruit & veggies — is the ratio of protein & fiber-to-sugar. For example, if a bar has 4g of fiber, 4g of protein, and 8g of sugar that’s (4+4)/8 = 1.

Higher ratios are leaner, and if that number is under 1, I typically ALWAYS steer clear. Live by that rule — it’s a powerfully potent Jedi mind trick.

• KILLER RATIOS — for a whole grain product, the majority of Kashi bars shockingly fall on the better half of 1; the only egregious offenders fall under the cereal bar veil (.54 average).
• Fiber Rich — nearly every bar has 4+ grams of fiber, which helps reduce hunger, maintain digestive health, and slows the digestion of food; reducing the likelihood of fat storage.
• Low Cal — no bar tops 200 calories; most fall under 150.
• Protein — for a family of bars that isn’t designed purely as a protein delivery mechanism, most lines have a hearty 4-11g. That’s enough to curb hunger and slow digestion, boost metabolism, and support lean muscle growth/recovery.
• All Natural Ingredients — most processed foods are a breeding ground for artificial ingredients and sweeteners, added sugars, fake dyes and coloring, trans fats, low-quality carbs, and unnecessary filler ingredients. While some Kashi lines contain added sugar — to varying degrees — at the very least it’s natural, courtesy of agave nectar, evaporated cane juice, fruit and others.
• Vitamins & Minerals — most bars pack 10-30% DV for iron, calcium, zinc, the B vitamins, and vitamin E.
• Whole Grains — Kashi bars are predominantly constructed from natural oats, wheat, rye, brown rice, barley, buckwheat, and fruit — NOT corn, refined white flour, white rice, or other LQ carbs. This boosts the fiber and protein content, contributes nutrients, and keeps fat storage in check.
• Omega-3s — the chewy granola bar and soft-baked square lines sport up to 300mg of ALA omega-3 per serving; not massive by any stretch, but more omega-3’s and healthy fats are always a nice plus.

Kashi Bars — What I Don’t Like

• GOLEAN DIPPED! Bars — 37% — repeat 37%! — of calories come from sugar. 18g per bar is WAY too high when it comes from added sweeteners like brown rice syrup, glycerine, and evaporated cane juice. Void.
• Cereal Bars — It’s hard to crucify something that only has 130 calories, but the .54 protein & fiber-to-sugar ratio is terrible. Stay away.
• Long Ingredient List — most of the added ingredients are natural, healthy, and wonderful; but a handful — like canola oil, chicory root, added sugars, soy protein, and soy lecithin — are less than desirable to shove down your throat on a recurring basis.
• Chicory Root — chicory root, a natural plant-based fiber, is notorious for causing massive gas, bloating, and GI discomfort. If your stomach is in pain post-Kashi bar, check the ingredients; a few flavors, like the Layered Dark Chocolate Coconut and Chewy Peanut Peanut Butter bars, have it front-and-center.

Kashi Bars — The Verdict

Best Bar(s): Honey Almond Flax Chewy Granola Bar, Peanut Peanut Butter Granola Bar

Best Bar Line: Chewy Granola Bars

Worst Bar(s): Any of the cereal bars; Peanut Butter & Chocolate GOLEAN DIPPED! Bar

Worst Bar Line: GOLEAN DIPPED! Bars, Cereal Bars

With an ample balance of protein, whole grains, fiber, healthy fats, and nutrients, most Kashi bars are a stellar snack that stomp all over the likes of Special K, Nature Valley, and CLIF.

Chewy, Layered, Crunchy, and GOLEAN CRISP! Bars all get the lean seal of approval — Chewy Granola Bars, in particular, are far-and-away the #1 option.

Skip the Cereal and GOLEAN DIPPED! Bars, though — they’re oozing with added sugar.

Follow @LeanItUP 
 

References, Notes, Links

1. Kashi Bars — Nutrition [↩]

• About
• Latest Posts

61

Bryan DiSanto

Owner & Editor-in-Chief at Lean It UP

Bryan DiSanto is the Owner & Editor-in-Chief of Lean It UP, ACE-CPT & CSN, NYU graduate, ex-fat kid, and all-around fitness/nutrition nutjob.

When he’s not working on his (or somebody else’s) abs, whipping up Eggocados, or running a Tough Mudder, he’s probably off yelling at a Carolina Panthers game somewhere.

61

Latest posts by Bryan DiSanto (see all)

• The Lean It UP Clean Eating Manifesto — 17 Nutrition Tactics To Eat Cleaner, Live Leaner, And Build The Ultimate Body - March 31, 2015
• The 30 Most Powerful Arm Exercises For Titanic, Toned Arms - March 25, 2015
• Irish It UP — The Supercharged Shamrock Protein Shake [Recipes] - March 17, 2015