Balance Bar is hosting a Balance Bar Pantry Contest

Balance Bar Welcomes Spring With Tips For Cleaning Up Eating Habits

Nutritionist Sharon Richter Helps Americans Spring Clean Their Kitchen Pantries

RONKONKOMA, N.Y., March 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, on the first day of spring, Balance Bar®, maker of one of America's original nutrition energy bars, says it's an ideal time to freshen up eating, fitness and lifestyle habits. While 'spring cleaning' is traditionally thought of as a time to clean out closets and wash windows, it's also a great time to push the reset button on our nutrition routines.

­To help with that, Balance Bar is partnering with Sharon Richter, a nationally recognized Registered Dietitian, to help consumers make a fresh start this season as part of its Spring Into Balance campaign. Focusing on cleaning up our diets, Richter believes a food pantry clean-up should happen at least once a year to make sure our kitchens are stocked with the best food options.

"At least once a year, I highly recommend a thorough cleaning of your food storage areas. This is a great way to assess your eating habits and freshen up some of your go-to staples in the snacking and non-perishable categories," says Richter. "The first day of spring is the perfect opportunity to mark your calendars and spring clean your kitchen pantry and cupboards." Here are a few simple steps:

• Step 1: Empty everything out. It's okay to start with a mess and you'll be surprised what's hiding in there!
• Step 2: Throw away anything that has expired, has been open for more than a couple weeks or you know you're just not going to use.
• Step 3: Organize everything by category – snacks, meal starters, nuts and dried fruits, oils/dressings, cereal and carbs, etc.
• Step 4: Check the labels. Here are a couple ingredients you simply shouldn't have in any foods: hydrogenated oil, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), monosodium glutamate (MSG).
• Step 5: Make sure you have plenty of portion controlled snacks readily available and at the front of the pantry. You tend to eat more of what is eye-level or easily accessible. I always stock up on delicious Balance Bar® Dark Bars. They are the perfect snack in the afternoon to keep your energy levels high. 

Balance Bar, the perfect afternoon snack or meal replacement according to Richter, offers over 20 varieties of bars for every taste bud and with its 40-30-30 nutrition principle – a proven formula developed by scientists to help maintain your blood sugar levels already within a normal range – they help fill you up and give you energy that lasts to accomplish that long to-do list for spring cleaning.

"The coming of spring represents a period of renewal for people – we feel invigorated by the arrival of warmer days and more daylight," said Katia Facchetti, Chief Marketing Officer for Balance Bar. "It's a perfect time to renew healthy eating habits by filling our kitchen pantries and cupboards with satisfying foods that we find both energizing and nutritious, like Balance Bars." 

Balance Bar will also launch a Spring Cleaning Facebook sweepstakes asking fans to choose their ideal kitchen pantry. The sweepstakes will launch on March 24 and run through March 28 at Facebook.com/BalanceBar. A grand prize winner will receive 1 case of 120 Dark Balance Bars, a $100 gift card to The Container Store, J.R. Watkins natural cleaning products and a one hour consultation with nutritionist Sharon Richter via phone/video chat. The grand prize, totaling nearly $400, will help one lucky winner Spring Into Balance with all the tools for a Spring Cleaning makeover of their pantry. ( I LOVE B! All those can organizers would make our pantry functional now it is a big ol' mess)

About Balance BarFounded in 1992, Balance Bar®, one of America's original nutrition/energy bars, offers the right ratio of ingredients and nutrients that are scientifically proven to help keep you in balance, delivering the nutritional benefits to help you enjoy today while looking after tomorrow. Balance Bars are available in four unique product lines (Original, Gold, Dark and Bare) that offer more than 20 delicious flavors based on the 40/30/30 nutrition model – a proven formula developed by scientists to help maintain blood sugar levels already within a normal range and that represents the caloric ratio the body needs to enjoy lasting balanced energy and help satisfy hunger for longer; 40% of total calories from carbohydrates, 30% from protein and 30% from dietary fat. For more information, visit www.Balance.com. Follow Balance Bar® for tips and nutritional information on Facebook® (www.facebook.com/Balancebar), Twitter® (www.twitter.com/Balancebar) and Pinterest (Pinterest.com/BalanceBar).

SOURCE Balance Bar