I’ve struggled to find a good, whole foods fueling product, particularly for the bike and easier long runs. I’m just plain tired of taking in calories from processed GUs and calorie-rich sports drinks (except on race day). Here are some key characteristics that are important to me when it comes to trying to find a product:
Tastes great and moist texture so it’s easy to get down without consistently wetting the mouthSmall enough to pack a few servings in a cycling jersey (need to be able to easily fit 400-600 calories or more)Gluten free and non-dairyWhole, unprocessed foods only4-to-1 carb to protein ratio (or at least close)Decent electrolyte profile (not critical due to the ease of carrying tablets)Affordable - I would say no more than $0.75 to $1.00 per 100 calories, which would put in the realm of gels and other fueling supplements.Fairly easy on the stomach (i.e. not a ridiculous amount of fiber)
So what’s important to you guys? Any bars or food on the go that you’re satisfied with?
Any bars or food on the go that you’re satisfied with?
Really?
you got some conflicting goals man.
maybe a salted sweet potato. i know a couple pro bike racers that do that.
but some of your constraints are unnecessary or vague. what counts a processed, for instance?
Picky Bars meet most of your requirements so they might be worth checking out. I have been using the on rides and runs for a month or so and have had good results. They also work well as a good snack or breakfast.
I think Picky Bars meet everything except the price: http://www.pickybars.com/
They have a club where they will send you bars every month. Not sure where you live, but they carry them at Sports Basement in SF.
Chocolate hazelnut butter = Comes in 100 calorie pouches for $1, 3:1 carb to Protein ratio, good fat content for long efforts, not highly processed, freakishly delicious!! - http://www.justins.com/products.php
Gotta try Picky Bars for sure. I wasn’t expecting anything to meet all the criteria, but they appear to come pretty close. Any flavor recommendations?
It’s funny that you consider $0.75-$1.00/100 calories to be affordable. A steak that sells for $9/pound is the same price per 100 calories, but also provides a ton of protein (protein is inherently expensive). My advice:
Mix honey, table sugar, and hot water in a small bottle. You can easily fit 400 calories in a fuel belt sized one. Cost: $0.20/100 calories.When you get home, eat 3 ounces of a nice steak. (250 calories, 20 grams protein). Cost: $2.Total intake 650 calories: 400 carbs, 80 protein, 170 fat. Cost: $2.80, or $0.45/100 calories.
I’d check out Larabars. They tick off most of your boxes and taste great, too.
They are all pretty tasty. I think the smooth caffeinator, runners high and meganuts are my favorites.
Make your own stuff using the recipes in:
http://www.amazon.com/Feed-Zone-Portables-On-Go/dp/1937715000
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They are processed food, you said you didn’t want that
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I love the Pure Bars in blueberry & cherry - just nuts & dried fruit. Very tasty!
I know a couple of age groupers who use sweet potatoes, salted and with a bit of olive oil drizzled on them (very little) wrapped in foil for *part * of their iron distance race nutrition. A few other around town have made their own stuff partly from recipes adapted from the Feed Zone Portables cookbook. The problem you’ll have though is carrying enough of them to fuel your race. That’s likely the least expensive and most nutritious way to go if you have the inclination but everything has a trade off.
Personally i switched to Infinit Nutrition for the next triathlon season. There is no ideal solution for me though.
I haven’t tried them yet but these new ‘Omnibars’ ( http://omnibars.com/ ) seem interesting, at least different from most other products.
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Checkout thunderbird energetica and epic bars. The epic bars are like beef jerkey bars. I think there’s a bison, bacon, cranberry one. Sounds strange but it’s really good.
My slowtwitch friends on a quest for a whole food bar that has purpose and some research efforts behind it based on free-range human action…
Check out - www.omnibars.com
We have assembled a whole foods bar that includes a grass fed Montana Angus beef as a foundation. We have incorporated other foods from American farms (oats, sweet potatoes, etc). We just opened our website for orders. This is the nutritional gear you have been asking for. This is truly the multi-tool of the food bar world.
Not too big on the protein, but small potatoes boiled in strong brine are easy to make, easy to cary, taste good and are cheap. Used to do that all the time when I was poor and needed to get 5hours riding on the cheap. You can go all day on those and a piece of boiled chicken and a Coke for the last hour. Trust me on that one, did it probably 50-100 times…
Our bars have the complete protein source because although it is not a viable fuel source during exercise, protein turnover is ever - present in the human endurance athlete. We are always rebuilding and repairing and the best way to ensure excellent recovery (from both a muscle glycogen and protein synthesis point of view) is to make good choices during the intense bout of exercise/training that will mandate smart recovery principles. This includes adequate carbohydrate and complete (representing all essential amino acids) protein sources.
These are not necessarily time trial foods. These are get you through the 6 hour ride bars. These are 24 hour racer bars. These are - I need a break from my saddle and go into the wilderness bars. These bars are built for when your training/recreational objectives require more than simply milk and cookies.