Nature Valley Oats & Honey Ingredients

Nature Valley Oats & Honey Ingredients
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Nature Valley Oats 'N Honey granola bars promise to deliver 100 percent natural ingredients in a nutritious snack. While the bars live up to their promise in some ways, they also come with a few caveats. A two bar serving supplies 190 calories, with 60 calories, or around 33 percent, coming from fat. For those who eat a typical 2,000 calorie per day diet, a serving supplies slightly less than 10 percent of your daily calorie intake.

Protein

Granola bars aren't particularly high in protein. A two-bar serving contains 4 g of protein, or around 6 percent of the daily recommended dose of 60 g per day if you follow a 2,000 calorie per day diet, according to the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library. The protein content of this bar most likely comes mostly from the soy flour.

Carbohydrates

Most of the calories in the Oats 'N Honey bar come from carbohydrates. One serving supplies 29 g of carbohydrate, or 10 percent of the daily carbohydrate allowance for those consuming 2,000 calories per day. Of those, 12 g come from simple sugars. Simple sugars in this product include brown sugar syrup, sugar and honey. Simple sugars raise blood sugar rapidly, which can be harmful for diabetics; they can also raise cholesterol levels, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Complex carbohydrates include whole grain oats, yellow corn flour and soy flour. A serving also contains 2 g of fiber, 8 percent of the daily recommended intake. Both complex carbohydrates and fiber help control cholesterol level and blood glucose levels by slowing food absorption from the intestines.

Fats

Fats are a necessary part of the diet, but some types of fat are more beneficial than others. Saturated fats raise cholesterol levels, while unsaturated fats help to lower cholesterol. High cholesterol levels contribute to heart disease. Canola oil, an unsaturated fat, supplies most of the fat in this product. A serving contains 6 g of unsaturated fat, or 10 percent of a 2,000 calorie diet. Serving also contains a small amount, less than 1 g, of saturated fat, or 3 percent of your daily allotted allowance. The Oats 'N Honey bar contains no trans fats, the type of saturated fat most harmful to blood vessels and cholesterol levels. This product contains no cholesterol.

Sodium

The American Heart Association recommends reducing the current daily sodium requirement from 2,400 mg per day to 1,500 mg per day. The average American consumes far more sodium, 3,436 mg, the American Heart Association reports. Sodium can raise blood pressure in some people, which increases the risk of heart disease. This product contains 160 mg of sodium per serving, or 7 percent of the recommended daily intake.

References

Article reviewed by GlennK Last updated on: Jan 27, 2011

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