Luna bars as a protein bar are a great supplement to be consumed but only as a snack. Although having a Luna bar instantly fills you up with energy and fulfills most of your vitamins and minerals requirements, consuming it daily can result in an unhealthy increased weight due to added sugars. Trying to replace it with an actual healthy meal is not preferred. Try focusing more on a balanced diet instead.
Keeping down anything during pregnancy is a struggle in itself.
On top of that, you have to make sure you’re eating for two people, including your baby. So keeping up with your nutrition intake is both crucial and challenging at the same time.
You might not eat everything nutritious for you, and all you keep craving is tasty food, like Luna bars.
These tasty bars can take over your life and leave you having 2-3 of them daily. But are Luna bars actually good for pregnant moms?
Do they actually fulfill your nutrition intake for the day? Can having too much of them affect your pregnancy in some way? Let’s try to find answers to all of these questions!
Pregnancy and Luna bars
Stuck between cravings and food aversions, protein bars like Luna bars are the preferred choice for most expecting moms.
When the craving strikes or when you are in desperate need of getting instant energy, that’s when you choose to eat Luna bars. Plus, it also fulfills all your sweet cravings!
But first, we need to understand why you even crave Luna bars in the first place.
Pregnancy and nutrition
When talking about pregnancy and luna bars, the most important thing is how much nutrition or protein you can get from such bars.
During pregnancy, women definitely need more protein and nutrition. After the first trimester, the intake increases to 340 calories per day in the second and third trimesters.
During the last six months of pregnancy, most women start craving luna bars as they are easy to grab and consume rather than prepping a healthy meal.
It’s more difficult for working women or single moms to be if they don’t have a helping hand.
Luna bar ingredients
It’s vital to know what a luna bar is made up of before you jump on the wagon and buy a carton full of luna bars to munch on.
For starters, Luna bars are called nutrition bars that are specially designed and marketed for expecting mothers.
They contain protein, almost a third of your iron and calcium requirement, and folic and acid needs too.
They have around 5-6 grams of fat per bar and are about 200 calories. Other than this, they contain 10 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber.
While this is all just what a luna bar is made up of, let’s talk honestly here and get into the nitty-gritty of pros and cons of having luna bars during pregnancy.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Contains more protein than fat. 8 to 10 grams of protein cannot precisely be called protein-rich, but it can help cover some of your recommended daily intakes. | The biggest issue is the sugar content in these bars, as it can be as harmful as a candy bar. Excess intake of Luna bars can prove to be dangerous for your overall health. |
| They also provide some calcium which is also not that much that it can fulfill your daily need, but it can surely help. | High in calories is another concern of Luna Bar. As you increase your intake, you also increase your recommended calorie intake, putting on a lot of weight. |
| It helps provide a lot of nutrients to your body in need during pregnancy, such as protein, essential vitamins, minerals such as folic acid, calcium, and zinc. | Filling up on Luna bars for your daily protein intake will leave you eating less healthy food while relying heavily on these bars only. |
| It also consists of fiber, which helps prevent constipation that many pregnant women witness. | Eating too many protein bars can also cause problems in your body with an excess of too many nutrients. For example, too much vitamin A increases your baby’s risk of developing congenital disabilities. |
| Eating Luna bar definitely ups your energy levels and makes you feel energetic and up and about. |
Luna bars consideration
Getting to know both the pros and cons of Luna bars must have given you an insight into these delicious protein bars. However, you might still be wondering how many Luna bars should I actually consume?
The answer is quite simple, once in a while. As much as you might crave these delicious snacks, it is important to limit them or ask your family members to hide them from you and give them to you once in a while.
The reason being, a Luna bar can be an excellent snack to munch on when you haven’t been able to have a healthy and balanced meal. Still, it shouldn’t be used as a replacement for having proper meals.
If consumed daily, they might lead you to have increased weight and other body issues or even issues with your pregnancy.
Alternatives to a Luna bar
The only thing that can make you feel energized and is healthy at the same time is home-prepped healthy meals daily.
Fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are good for you and your growing baby.
Eating such food every day will keep you feeling fuller for longer and will not make you increase weight in any way.
FAQs
Do Luna bars have estrogen in them?
Luna bars contain no estrogen or other hormones that might cause men to grow mammary glands.
They are just advertised for pregnant women as nutritious bars and to fulfill their daily requirements by consuming them.
Do Luna bars help you lose weight?
As such, Luna bars do not help reduce weight. You need to exercise daily while having a calorie deficit diet to start losing weight.
With added sugar in them, they’re not a great choice to consume every day if you actually want to lose weight.
Do Luna bars give you gas?
Eating Luna bars before doing a workout can be a great way to get an energy boost. However, if it leaves you feeling gassy, you should avoid having such bars.
Luna bar contains inulin. Try and test it if it gives you gas, and then leave it for some time to see if it’s giving you gas.
Is it a Luna bar meal replacement?
For a snack, Luna bars are a great way to fill up your stomach quickly and gain some energy too, but they can’t be considered a meal replacement.
Having a balanced and healthy meal is vital to maintaining overall weight and having all the nutrients and vitamins. So, nothing can really replace a healthy meal, not even Luna bars.
Do Luna bars have soy?
Luna bars are vegan. They’re made with a protein grain blend containing soybeans, milled flaxseeds, and other ingredients for protein.
There’s rice syrup, dried cane syrup, vanilla extract, and other sweeteners to make them taste good.
To summarize
Luna bars can be considered a great snack to consume sometimes, but they can’t be replaced with an actual healthy and balanced meal.
The added sugar ingredient makes it more harmful for your body as you tend to put on a lot of unhealthy weight due to eating such protein bars.
A thorough look into the good and the bad of having Luna bars can make it easier for you to think about the good and bad aspects.
Then you can decide how many bars you actually need to have during your pregnancy. Instead, focus more on fruits, vegetables, and nuts to have a healthy body and a healthy child.
