When food is medicine, what makes a decent snack?

[nash2]

As a patient, I approach NAFLD and NASH with a food as medicine strategy. I believe in the idea that with a damaged organ making it work as little as possible is the only rational plan.

For now, let's assume that you are eating a liver friendly diet but what do you do for those in-between times. A snack when you need something convenient. We all know that vegetables, fruits and nuts make a great snack but are a challenge if you are not at home. We need something that is convenient, not messy, doesn't spoil, isn't bulky, doesn't require preparation, and most importantly is consistent with the food strategy

drive.google.com/a/fattyliv...

For many people that ends up being a snack or protein bar. Fresh products can be difficult to manage if you aren't at home and sometimes even there you want some kind of simple snack without a lot of prep. The question of what kind of snack bar fits into a liver friendly diet comes up fairly frequently so I took a look at some of the products.

If you click on the image you can look at the analysis but let's review the goals. We want to limit sugar, salt, saturated fats, and simple carbs as broad goals. We need some protein and we hope it doesn't taste like cardboard. Basic stuff.

Since there was only one manufacturer who claimed to be designed as a liver friendly snack, that is the Amsety bar, I decided to use that as a comparison. I took the bars that were advertised on Sam's Club and compared their nutrition labels. All of that is in the spreadsheet so you can see the detail for yourself if you click on the image.

A key ingredient is sodium. I was surprised by how much salt is in some bars and I was interested that Amsety is the only one without added salt.

Since the bars have different total calories, I was wondering how they compared so I calculate some comparisons. The reds and greens in the table show what products were higher and lower in a few of the important measures. For example what percent of the calories are from sugar? Lower is better. What is the ratio of unsaturated fat to saturated fat? Higher is better. What is the ratio of total calories to dietary fiber? Lower is better.

One of the challenges that patients face is how to interpret the nutrition information that is presented on the label and how it might fit with the goals of a particular eating strategy. For what it is worth, Amsety does come out as a decent choice as a snack in the kind of liver friendly lifestyle we recommend. If you would like to check them out, here is a link.

amsety.com/

[bazizi-Islam]

Hi,

Thank you for sharing. It is a good choice but I think sugar is a bit high and it is high on the side of additional ingredients. Still a solid choice, if I had to select one for me it would be the Oatmega bars, it is fortified with Omega 3 oil along with a good bit of protein but the source is good.

[nash2 Partner in reply to bazizi-Islam]

Good arguments and we all need to know why we are making the choices we are that fit our situation. My analysis is that the added sodium wouldn't be my choice but the omega 3 is a good reason to make the choice for yourself.

Wayne

[bazizi-Islam]

I did more research. And I think the price should be considered too and also how the company is making claims there claims appear as if to say this will heal you, but there isn't even medicine yet for this let alone a bar. It appears to be deceptive. I would recommend the perfect bar if sodium is a concern.

[nash2 Partner in reply to bazizi-Islam]

I don't think they claim any cure for liver disease, but it is fair to say that foods that follow the dietary advice for liver patients is healthier for the liver. The Perfect bar wasn't listed in the basket of bars I found on Sam's Club but I plugged it into the analysis. The peanut bar is a reasonable choice as well depending on your goals. For me it fails because of the added salt, 60mg vs 0, which is a consideration if salt drives ascites for you. It is a much larger bar at 330 calories vs 200. It can be hard not to eat the whole thing once you open it, I have a hard time only eating half so more difficult for me. It has a higher percentage of sugar at 5.5% vs 4.5% so for a liver patient less sugar is better. The ratio of calories to dietary fiber is also not to my liking at 82.5 vs 40. Compared to many of the other products the Perfect bar is quite good but for me as a liver patient it isn't ideal but everyone has to decide what elements of food are important to them. Thanks for bringing that one to my attention. Price is a valid measure but one consideration is that making a product for a mass market is different from making one with a smaller patient group in mind. The founder of the Amsety bar got into this because his mother died of liver disease so the company cares about liver patients not just selling snack bars. I like that as a patient myself. The strategy of the Perfect line is California chic, a fair marketing plan, but they don't even mention health and are pushing a new salted caramel which I'd suggest that liver patients avoid. I like to support people whose motives are consistent with my health.

[bazizi-Islam in reply to nash2]

Thanks for the through analysis. I see what you mean.

[utep99]

I tend to snack on blueberries or raspberries. It seems to be doing well with me.

[nash2 Partner in reply to utep99]

blueberries and mixed nuts are my personal favorites though my wife makes hummus which I like with celery sticks