Thursday, July 7, 2011

Fiber One Oats & Peanut Butter


Most of us by now have heard of the popular brand Fiber One by General Mills. I myself heard of it three years ago from Hungry Girl. Now their products are all over the shelves trying to fill Americans with the proper amount of fiber. Most Americans do not get enough fiber from the foods they eat. Many of our diets have become filled with processed food and fast food that it primarily junk. The only fruits and vegetables many Americans get are the ones found it their fast food hamburgers and ice creams.

Fiber is indigestible by your body. It comes in two types: soluble, and insoluble. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water and stays as clumps in your system. These clumps promote digestive health by moving the bulk in your stool and keeping you regular. This is the kind of fiber you want to cure constipation, a illness many Americans have.

Soluble fiber does dissolve in water and turns it into a thick gel-like substance in your body. This slows down the digestive process keeping you full longer. It also lowers your glucose levels, providing slow steady energy. It's also know to lower your blood pressure.

Fiber One's Chewy granola bar line comes in many flavors. No matter which flavor you purchase you are going to get 9 grams of fiber per bar which is an estimate of what should be 35% of your daily intake of fiber. This is about the same amount of fiber that you would get from eating two medium sized apples. Sounds like some healthy stuff right?

The one I bought today was the Oats and Peanut Butter variety. These bars tasted pretty great. Taking a look at them from the top they have a nice peanut butter syrup drizzled on as decoration. On the backside they you see their peanut butter flavored chips spread out all over the bars. I picked off one of these to try alone and they were fantastic. I have to say they would be great in brownies.

These bars smelled fantastic too, exactly like baked peanut butter cookies. Their flavor was just as good. They were nice and chewy. They were heavy on the grains but that's what makes them fantastic. The chips sort of melt in your mouth and add moisture to the bar. It was nice and sweet.

Another great thing about this product is the packaging. It's wrapped in heavy foil so in humid conditions it won't sweat, deform, and get overly sticky.

This is an all around great product. It's not all that natural, but it's a good and handy way to get fiber on the go. They are kind of like a healthier candy bar. I wouldn't rely on these for my daily fiber intake, but I they are an excellent and low calorie treat.