Everyday Systems

So I'm sure you've seen the NUMEROUS different types of granola and cereal bars out there. I was wondering this morning when I saw a cereal bar I had that has chocolate over it, would this be allowed for N days? I also have Fiber one brownies that I am thinking are a no go because they are .. well.. brownies! I'm wondering if the granola bars with chocolate bottoms or drizzle would be ok or are they considered sweets? Thanks in advance! I'm a total newbie =P This is my day 2

They are sweets in my book, despite their desperate attempt to appear otherwise. Just because it has oats in it doesn't mean that it's a proper breakfast food.

If you want the health benefits of granola, eat granola. Essentially, granola is a variation on oatmeal. It's oats, nuts, fruit and some sugar (honey and/or brown sugar) and fat (oil or butter, I've seen both). Even the most organic granola is still very caloric.

I agree - I count granola bars as a sweet. My husband used to get the Fiber One Bars with the chocolate chips, and they tasted as sweet as a candy bar to me. He stopped buying them when he started NoSing.

My issue with bars is that they are just so dense and don't provide the satisfaction of a meal, which is a similar problem with sweets for me, so I can easily overeat them. I would have to be really carefully to chew them a lot to get the same bang for the buck in eating satisfaction for the amount of sugar they have in them as a fruit for sure. And personally, I know one would make me want more, whereas one apple does not make me want more. I think it's also because there is no water content. I just think all dry food is easy to overeat.

If I react to it like a sweet, it's a sweet.

Why not just have cereal in a bowl with milk and nuts? And eat it with a spoon? I find satisfaction from sitting and eating. I can't imagine sitting at the table to eat a cereal bar. I choose hi-fiber, low sugar cereals like Trader Joe's brand.

Unless you absolutely need the convenience.

They're faux-healthy cookies, as far as I'm concerned.

My 2¢: Granola or other bars are no more appropriate for N days than candy bars.

Thank you all for your opinion. I think I may switch to nuts and maybe some cereal to munch on with breakfast. I eat 2 meals on the go so convenience is important to me as well

May I ask why you eat "on the go?"

Who Me? wrote:May I ask why you eat "on the go?"

Sure thing I'm a student/student teacher so I eat breakfast 4 days a week on my way to teaching/class and then 2 days a week I eat my lunch in my car and the other 2 days in a computer lab... crazy crazy!

I eat the Nature Valley granola bars, plain regular ones not covered or dipped in chocolate etc..... for breakfast on the way to work *along with* a handful of nuts and few grapes or peice of fruit A LOT. It's very convenient and in my mind with no candy coating attached and eaten with fruit and nuts it's healthy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From what I can see, most bars are just rebranded cookies.

I prefer to enjoy actual cookies on S-days.

From the home page:

What about diet bars?

Any diet that sells a bar or a snack food is a total scam. I'd rather eat a snickers bar than a zone bar, because at least then I'd be psychologically budgeting for it. They should call it the self-deception bar. The diet bar is what separates the total scams from the mere fads.

Reinhard