It can be hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle when you’re running from work to errands to workouts. However, health bars like protein bars and high fiber bars can help you meet your nutrient needs on the go. Furthermore, brands like KIND® snack bars provide all-natural ingredients which makes them a delicious, wholesome snack option. If you have a digestive condition like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) though, it’s important to read the label since even all-natural snacks like KIND® snack bars are not fit for everyone. Therefore, let’s look at the ingredients in KIND® snack bars to see if they are fit for a low FODMAP regimen.

What ingredients are KIND® snack bar products?

There are many kinds of KIND® snack bar products. When it comes to the KIND® snack bars themselves, all of them contain a combination of nuts and spices. Almonds, peanuts, cashews, and pecans make up most bar recipes. Also, powders and spices like cinnamon, carob powder, milk powder, and chicory root fiber are seen in many KIND® snack bar flavors.

Other KIND® products include KIND® kids snack bars, KIND® protein, KIND® healthy grains bars, KIND® healthy grains clusters, KIND® breakfast bars, pressed by KIND®, fruit bites, KIND® minis, and KIND® sweet & spicy.  The minis are basically the original KIND® snack bars in a smaller size, while the healthy grains clusters contain oats, brown rice, and other grains like amaranth and millet with nuts and spices. The pressed and fruit bites KIND® products contain fruit purees and concentrates, while the breakfast and healthy grains KIND® snack bars contain some of these fruits combined with grains and nuts.

Are KIND® snack bars low FODMAP?

After looking at the ingredient labels on every KIND® snack bar product, it is unfortunate to find that many of them are not considered low FODMAP. This is because many of the KIND® snack products contain honey and molasses for sweeteners. Honey and molasses are only considered low FODMAP in a teaspoon or less serving size due to their fructose content. Furthermore, many of the original KIND® snack bar flavors contain cashews, which is a high FODMAP nut.

The KIND® protein bars not only contain honey, but also contain nonfat milk powder, which is not low FODMAP. The healthy grains bars and breakfast bars contain honey and molasses as well as other high FODMAP ingredients like raisin paste, apple puree, plum puree, and apple juice concentrate.  Meanwhile, the pressed bars and fruit bites are all made from apple and mango fruit ingredients, which are high in FODMAPs.

The sweet and spicy bars don’t contain any fruit but contain honey as well as high FODMAP spices like garlic and onion powder. When it comes to the kids KIND® snack bars, they all contain honey as a sweetener, so are not low FODMAP. Finally, when it comes to the clusters, many of them are sweetened with high FODMAP honey and molasses as well as apple and plum concentrates.

The only KIND® snack products that may be safe on a low FODMAP regime are Dark chocolate whole grain clusters, Peanut Butter whole grain clusters, and the Peanut Butter Banana Dark Chocolate breakfast protein bar. These products do contain amaranth however, and only ¼ cup puffed amaranth is considered low FODMAP. Therefore, try a bite or two and see if you tolerate this grain before making these products an everyday choice.

Take home message

When it comes to portable nutrition bars, it can be hard to find a bar that is low FODMAP. Many products, even all-natural ones, contain high FODMAP ingredients, which can trigger digestive distress even in small amounts. Therefore, it is important to read the ingredient label before eating any new snack product.  There are though some safe nutrition bar choices like Casa de Sante’s Vegan Chocolate bar which is low FODMAP-certified as well as paleo, keto, and vegan-friendly with 12 grams of protein and 14 grams of fiber per bar. Use health bars like these to supplement your healthy eating lifestyle with portable nutrition wherever you go.