Are Cereal Bars a Healthy Breakfast Substitute?

As with most things there are two sides to this story. Most health sources believe that breakfast bars are a gimmick: an unhealthy and poor substitute for a well-balanced breakfast that should probably be taken with a diet pill and a vitamin if you want them to do any good. Others (mainly the cereal bar manufacturers…) believe that a quick, compact cereal bar stands in quite nicely for a traditional breakfast.
A recent study showed that cereal bars in general contain more fat and more sugar than a basic breakfast of cereal and milk, and because the sugar in a cereal bar doesn’t get washed away with milk like the sugar in a bowl of sugary cereal, cereal bars are considered bad for your teeth.

Let’s compare a few popular cereal bars and see whether they truly are as healthy as their manufacturers claim.

Blueberry Pop Tarts (100 grams)
Calories: 408
Protein: 4.6 grams
Fat: 13.3 grams
Sugar: 30.9 grams
Fiber: 1.1 grams

Granola Bar (100 grams)
Calories: 464
Protein: 9.8 grams
Fat: 17.6 grams
Sugar: 27.52 grams
Fiber: 3.1 grams

Kellogg’s NutriGrain Fruit Bar
Calories: 368
Protein: 4.4 grams
Fat: 7.5 grams
Fiber: 2.1 grams

Are any of these a good substitute for a bowl of healthy cereal and a ½ cup of skim milk? What about for an egg and a slice of whole grain toast?
The answer to those is clearly “no.”
But are these a good substitute for skipping breakfast altogether or having bowl after bowl of Fruity Pebbles with whole milk?
For that, the answer may actually be “yes.”
Bottom line: If you have time for a healthy breakfast, you should absolutely have one. The meal will fill you up longer than any cereal bar and will provide essential vitamins and minerals that you need to sustain normal hunger and energy levels throughout the day.
No time for breakfast? Try and grab other healthy options: an apple, a pb&j sandwich, or some rice cakes.
Can’t resist those cereal bars? Have one, but try and limit to one a day, if not one a week.