Snacking your way to better nutrition
Think snacking means being unhealthy? Think again. Research shows that more than 50% of our snack choices are nutritious foods like fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, and meats or other proteins. And since many people don’t get the nutrition they need at meals, healthy snacking can help provide the nutrients the body requires for good health.
Lets unpack some snack facts
Packing a healthy lunch is a matter of balance
It can be tricky packing a lunch that gives kids the balanced nutrition they need. But don’t worry – we’ll help you work out what foods to include and how much of each, so it’ll be easy to load their lunchboxes with healthy goodness.
Five tips for a balanced lunchbox
1. Remember the rules
Schools often have food restrictions like ‘no nuts’ policies, so Uncle Tobys Chewy Muesli Bars and Yoghurt Muesli Bars are a good snack option because they don’t have added nuts. Check what’s allowed before you pack a lunch.
2. Plan for three snacks a day
Kids today are more likely to eat on the go, so try to give them lots of easy-to-eat options.
3. Keep it colourful
The more colourful the lunch the more balanced it's likely to be, so give a variety of fruits, veggies and whole grains.
4. Be serving smart
Just because there’s an extra compartment in the lunchbox doesn’t mean you have to fill it.
5. Balance the sweet and savoury
Too much sweet stuff isn’t good, but just because a food is savoury doesn’t necessarily mean it’s healthier. Try to get a good mix of both and go for snacks with higher Health Star Ratings.
Reasons Uncle Tobys muesli bars are super for snacking
We don’t add nuts, or use equipment that has handled nuts when we make our Muesli Bars, making them perfect for the lunchbox. However, because we can’t guarantee all the ingredients haven’t come into contact with nuts before they reach us, our muesli bars aren’t suitable for those with nut allergies.
They're a source of whole grains, with almost every UNCLE TOBYS Muesli Bar made up of at least 33% whole grains.
They're made with no artificial colours or flavours – all our muesli bars are 100% free of artificial colours or flavours, guaranteed.
Why we add sugar to our muesli bars
Sugar helps hold muesli bars together so they don’t crumble in your hand. As well, it helps make the whole grains that are the main ingredient of the bar taste sweeter. Some sugar can also come from ingredients such as choc chips or chocolate drizzles.
How much sugar is in an Uncle Tobys muesli bar?
Choose bars with lower added sugars for a more wholesome option. The total average amount of sugar in the Uncle Tobys muesli bars ranges from 4.1g to 5.8g per bar – that’s between 1 and 1 ¾ teaspoons per serve. The Uncle Tobys Protein bars are similar, with between 4.4g and 6.0g per bar or 1.1 – 1½ teaspoons on average per serve*.
*1 teaspoon of sugar = 4g
Uncle Tobys muesli bars – made simply from wholesome ingredients
For such delicious and healthy snacks, the process of making our muesli bars is surprisingly simple, and it all happens right here in Australia. Take a look at how we turn our nutritious rolled oats into the muesli bars you know and love.
1. Heating
The first step involves combining all the liquid ingredients, including glucose syrup and honey to bind all the other ingredients together, and heating them up.
2. Mixing
Next, the dry ingredients like oats, seeds and fruit pieces are mixed in. Our 100% Australian oats are milled in our facility on the banks of the Murray River and combined with some of the finest ingredients from around the world.
3. Cooling
Once all the ingredients are combined, the mixture is rolled out flat to a couple of centimetres thick and left to cool. This ensures everything holds together so the bars don’t crumble in your hands when you eat them.
4. Shaping
Once the mixture has cooled down it’s cut up into the snack-sized portions, drizzled with a little yoghurt or sprinkled with choc chips before being packaged and sent to a supermarket near you.
References
1. Neilsen. (2014) Australia’s snacking habits revealed, Nielsen.Available at: http://www.ausfoodnews.com.au/2014/11/19/australias-snacking-habits-rev…
2. Fayet-Moore F. (2015) Adult Snacking in Australia. Nutrition Research Australia. Modern Eating. (2013) Cultural Roots, Daily Behaviours report, The Hartman group
3. Fayet-Moore F. (2013) Unlocking the facts on kids’ snack habits. The first in-depth exploration of national data on snacking behaviours in Australian Children. Nutrition Research Australia.
4. Ipsos. (2016) Food facts, fiction and fads-How Australia eats, thinks about and shops for food. Available at: http://ipsos.com.au/food-facts-fiction-and-fads-how-australia-eats-thin…
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