When you are low on stamina, energy bars can give you the lift you need. Some reasons you might consume them include to get through a morning workout, focus on an afternoon meeting at work or stave off hunger between meals. Energy bars should not replace meals, but they can be healthy if you choose the best ones for your needs.
Calorie Needs
Energy bars are healthy if you use them to meet your specific calorie goals. Energy bars can increase your calorie consumption and help you gain weight if you eat them in addition to meals or snack on them in addition to your regular foods. If you are trying to lose weight, eat an energy bar to replace a higher-calorie meal or snack. Energy bars can be unhealthy because they are so calorie-dense; it is easy to get too many calories from them without feeling full.
Energy for Exercise
An energy bar can be a healthy post-workout snack if it has about 4 g carbohydrates for each 1 g protein. This ratio speeds muscle recovery, according to Iowa State University. A post-workout snack should be high-glycemic so that it increases your blood sugar levels quickly; some of its carbohydrates may come from sugars. A low-glycemic energy bar is healthier if you are using it for a pre-workout snack because it provides sustained energy.
Macronutrients
Energy bars are healthy if their calories come from the best combination of fat, protein or carbohydrates. An energy bar with 45 to 65 percent of calories from carbohydrates, 25 to 35 percent from fat and 10 to 35 percent from protein meets recommendations for overall diet in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Check the label to make sure that the fat in your energy bar is mostly unsaturated and not from cholesterol-raising saturated fats. A high-protein bar may be healthy for you because protein is a filling nutrient.
Essential Nutrients
Energy bars are healthier when they help you meet your requirements for essential nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals or essential fatty acids. Choose a bar which is fortified with nutrients of particular concern to you, such as calcium for women, or vitamin B-12 for strict vegetarians. In some situations, energy bars can be unhealthy because they provide too much of certain nutrients. For example, most men are not at risk for iron deficiency, and too much iron from supplements, such as bars, can lead to iron overload, according to the Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center.
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