Battle of the Bars/Habit adjustments

Before joining Weight Watchers, granola bars were my go-to before dinner and chocolate bars were the thing I collected everytime I was in line at Wal-Mart or put gas in the car. But, if you want to change a habit then one of the easiest ways to do so is to change your routine. I began paying at the pump to avoid the gas station convenience stores. Wal-Mart and quick trips to the grocery store remained a challenge, but I would often pick up yogurt or healthier choices that I could eat once in the car. Having a packed cooler with healthy snacks and plastic utensils also helped - yup, I'm the crazy woman who sucks back 2-3 yogurt cups while sitting in the parking lot of Wal-Mart. As for the granola bars, I've learned to choose other options while waiting for dinner and to only eat until satisfied. No more 8 point snacking while waiting for a 6 point dinner.

BUT - I still love both the granola bars and the chocolate goodness of a chocolate bar. Well, onto the contest then.

When WW profiled the Peanut Butter mini bars, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Two of my favourite things together again - and in a portion controlled wrapping. OK, the great thing about ALL of these things is they are portion-controlled. My opinion - the pb mini bars are awesome as a chocolate bar replacement. Do they have granola goodness? No, but their Fruit and Nutty 1-pt counterpart does.

The Fruit and Nutty WW mini bar is also very good, but it's small size and texture (I am sorry to say) to not compair to the other products featured here. It's winning points - it's 1 pt vs. the 2 pts for all the other items in this post.

A lot of my members were raving about the Curves bars. So I had to try them out. I liked them - I really did. They were softer than the Fruit and Nutty and (bonus) they had chocolate chips and peanut butter. I did not try the fruity version, but really enjoyed this 2-pt snack that I could toss in my bag with a bottle of water while running around. The kids enjoyed them too...until.

A similar product to the Curves bar is the fibre 1. And now I understand the huffalaboo about this bar. They are 2 pts of awesome goodness. No peanut butter, but great mini choc chips and a subtle syrup on the bottom. These are, for a sweet granola treat my favourite. In fact, my whole family loves them. These are a keeper and will NOT be purchased in little boxes, but rather the massive boxes you find on the bottom shelf.

Finally, I had to give these a try. I tried the cranberry ones and must say, Dempster's has done an amazing job. They are little squares and are awesome to relax with a cup of coffee or tea. They are not necessarily promoted to satisfy your sweet tooth, but are more like a very soft granola heath bar. I like these in a different way than the chocolate counterparts above.

So, I like them all. The WW minis are a great chocolate bar substitute - but be careful not to eat half the box in one sitting...ahem. The WW fruit and nutty (not pictured) provides a great 1-pt alternative for granola bars, which I have not found in the other brands. Curves is nice and if you have a pb craving you want satisfied in a g-bar, this has it; however, the fibre 1 is larger, softer and sweeter for similar Nutritional Facts. The Healthy Way bars - well, if you're not into chocolate or just want something more wholesome, these are the way to go, and they have 5g of fibre per serving. They make me feel yuppyish.

But the fibre 1 wins overall for me for a number of reasons. I love the texture, taste and size (because size does matter). The price point on the Curves and Fibre 1 bars are similar, but that is reduced when you identify what you love the most, then buying the BIG box. Then we have a whole new dilema - how to keep from eating 3-4 of these before eating a 6 pt supper...