Clif Z bar
Whole food · Baby Foods
Photo: Wikipedia
The Clif Z Bar is a small, chewy, granola-style snack bar designed for kids, with a soft, slightly crumbly texture and a sweet, malty flavor. It's a calorie-dense, carbohydrate-heavy bite, packing over 410 kcal and 75g of carbs per 100g, making it a quick source of energy. Its primary nutritional highlight is its role as a portable, kid-friendly energy boost rather than a balanced meal.
Calorie split: 5% protein · 73% carbs · 21% fat
↓ Full nutrition💚 Why it's loved
Parents and kids love it for its convenient, mess-free form and sweet, familiar taste that makes it an easy snack to pack and eat. It's often seen as a reliable energy booster for active children during sports or playdates.
⚠️ Watch-outs & how to enjoy it better
Its high sugar content (over 30g per 100g) and low protein can lead to a quick blood-sugar spike followed by a crash, making it less ideal for sustained energy. To counteract this, pair it with a source of protein or healthy fat like a glass of milk, a handful of nuts, or a cheese stick to slow sugar absorption.
Key benefits
- Provides quick, portable energy from carbohydrates
- Contains some dietary fiber (8.3g per 100g)
- Convenient for on-the-go snacking or lunchboxes
- Kid-friendly format and flavor profile
🍽️ Popular dishes
🌍 Where it's eaten
💡 Did you know?
The 'Z' in Z Bar is said to stand for 'zzzz' or sleep, as the bar was originally formulated to be a pre-nap or pre-bedtime snack for kids to help them wind down with carbs.
Full nutrition (USDA data · scales with serving)
| Water | 7.7 g |
| Energy | 416 kcal |
| Energy | 1739 kj |
| Protein | 5.5 g |
| Total lipid (fat) | 9.7 g |
| Ash | 2.3 g |
| Carbohydrate, by difference | 74.7 g |
| Fiber, total dietary | 8.3 g |
| Total Sugars | 30.6 g |
| Calcium, Ca | 444 mg |
| Iron, Fe | 2.7 mg |
| Magnesium, Mg | 82.0 mg |
| Phosphorus, P | 244 mg |
| Potassium, K | 333 mg |
| Sodium, Na | 375 mg |
| Zinc, Zn | 1.1 mg |
| Copper, Cu | 0.19 mg |
| Manganese, Mn | 1.7 mg |
| Selenium, Se | 14.8 ug |
| Fluoride, F | 0.00 ug |
| Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid | 39.1 mg |
| Thiamin | 0.41 mg |
| Riboflavin | 0.10 mg |
| Niacin | 0.48 mg |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.59 mg |
| Vitamin B-6 | 0.07 mg |
| Folate, total | 20.0 ug |
| Folic acid | 16.0 ug |
| Folate, food | 4.0 ug |
| Folate, DFE | 31.0 ug |
| Choline, total | 22.5 mg |
| Betaine | 6.1 mg |
| Vitamin B-12 | 0.00 ug |
| Vitamin B-12, added | 0.00 ug |
| Vitamin A, RAE | 0.00 ug |
| Retinol | 0.00 ug |
| Carotene, beta | 4.0 ug |
| Carotene, alpha | 0.00 ug |
| Cryptoxanthin, beta | 0.00 ug |
| Vitamin A, IU | 7.0 iu |
| Lycopene | 0.00 ug |
| Lutein + zeaxanthin | 61.0 ug |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.98 mg |
| Vitamin E, added | 0.53 mg |
| Tocopherol, beta | 0.04 mg |
| Tocopherol, gamma | 0.75 mg |
| Tocopherol, delta | 0.22 mg |
| Tocotrienol, alpha | 0.65 mg |
| Tocotrienol, beta | 0.02 mg |
| Tocotrienol, gamma | 0.00 mg |
| Tocotrienol, delta | 0.00 mg |
| Vitamin D (D2 + D3), International Units | 0.00 iu |
| Vitamin D (D2 + D3) | 0.00 ug |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) | 8.7 ug |
| Vitamin K (Dihydrophylloquinone) | 0.00 ug |
| Vitamin K (Menaquinone-4) | 0.00 ug |
| Alcohol, ethyl | 0.00 g |
| Caffeine | 1.0 mg |
| Theobromine | 9.0 mg |
Fat & fatty acid profile (per 100g)
| Fatty acids, total saturated | 2.7 g |
| SFA 4:0 | 0.00 g |
| SFA 6:0 | 0.00 g |
| SFA 8:0 | 0.00 g |
| SFA 10:0 | 0.00 g |
| SFA 12:0 | 0.01 g |
| SFA 13:0 | 0.00 g |
| SFA 14:0 | 0.01 g |
| SFA 15:0 | 0.00 g |
| SFA 16:0 | 1.5 g |
| SFA 17:0 | 0.00 g |
| SFA 18:0 | 1.2 g |
| SFA 20:0 | 0.01 g |
| SFA 22:0 | 0.01 g |
| SFA 24:0 | 0.00 g |
| Fatty acids, total monounsaturated | 2.4 g |
| MUFA 14:1 | 0.00 g |
| MUFA 15:1 | 0.00 g |
| MUFA 16:1 | 0.02 g |
| MUFA 17:1 | 0.00 g |
| MUFA 18:1 | 2.4 g |
| MUFA 20:1 | 0.00 g |
| MUFA 22:1 | 0.00 g |
| MUFA 24:1 c | 0.00 g |
| Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated | 3.3 g |
| PUFA 18:2 | 2.9 g |
| PUFA 18:3 | 0.46 g |
| PUFA 18:4 | 0.00 g |
| PUFA 20:2 n-6 c,c | 0.00 g |
| PUFA 20:3 | 0.00 g |
| PUFA 20:4 | 0.00 g |
| PUFA 20:5 n-3 (EPA) | 0.00 g |
| PUFA 22:5 n-3 (DPA) | 0.00 g |
| PUFA 22:6 n-3 (DHA) | 0.00 g |
| Fatty acids, total trans | 0.01 g |
| Cholesterol | 0.00 mg |
| Phytosterols | 7.0 mg |
| Stigmasterol | 1.0 mg |
| Campesterol | 1.0 mg |
| Beta-sitosterol | 2.0 mg |
Amino acid profile (per 100g)
| Tryptophan | 0.10 g |
| Threonine | 0.16 g |
| Isoleucine | 0.22 g |
| Leucine | 0.43 g |
| Lysine | 0.24 g |
| Methionine | 0.11 g |
| Cystine | 0.18 g |
| Phenylalanine | 0.29 g |
| Tyrosine | 0.21 g |
| Valine | 0.31 g |
| Arginine | 0.42 g |
| Histidine | 0.13 g |
| Alanine | 0.28 g |
| Aspartic acid | 0.52 g |
| Glutamic acid | 1.2 g |
| Glycine | 0.30 g |
| Proline | 0.31 g |
| Serine | 0.28 g |
| Hydroxyproline | 0.00 g |
FAQ
Is a Clif Z Bar a healthy snack for my child?
It can be part of a balanced diet as an occasional energy boost, but its high sugar and carb content means it's best not used as a daily snack. Pairing it with protein or fat makes it more nutritionally balanced.
How does it differ from a regular Clif Bar?
Z Bars are smaller, softer, and have a simpler ingredient list with less protein and more sugar, specifically formulated for children's taste preferences and smaller calorie needs.
Can adults eat Clif Z Bars?
Absolutely. While designed for kids, adults enjoy them as a small, sweet treat or a quick carbohydrate source, though they may find the portion size small and the sugar content high.
Nutrient density (calculated · NRF9.3)
Nutrient Rich Foods index: beneficial nutrients (protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals) minus saturated fat, added sugar & sodium, per 100 kcal.
NRF9.3 index — Fulgoni, Keast & Drewnowski, 2009. Computed from USDA nutrients.
Weight-loss friendliness (composite index)
Energy density 4.16 kcal/g · 5% calories from protein · 8.3 g fiber · 30.6 g sugar per 100 g.
Composite of energy density (Rolls et al., 1999), protein & fiber satiety, minus sugar. A calculated heuristic — ranks satiety-per-calorie, not a clinical measure.
Dietary load (calculated from USDA values)
Potential renal acid load. Positive = acid-forming, negative = alkaline-forming.
Sodium-to-potassium ratio: 1.13 (lower is better — aim for ≤ 1)
Sodium:potassium per WHO potassium guidance. Computed from USDA nutrients.