Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Bars Decoded

We all eat them. But do we read the nutrition facts? I’d like this post to be a spreadsheet resource, so send me your bar favs and I’ll update. I chose to compare bars best suited for runners. You'll also find bars with a lot more protein, not necessary for post-workout recovery and likely to cause GI distress if eaten too close to or during a workout. What's your favorite?



Kcals
Fat/Sat fat
Carbs
Sugar
Fiber
Pro
Notes
Larabar
220
12/2
Healthy fats
23
18
4
7
gluten free, Kosher
Clif
230-260
3.5-7/1-2.5
41-45
High carb
21-23
5
9-10
Clif Mini also available, 70% organic ingredients
Luna
170-180
4.5-5/0.5-2.5
26-27
11-13
3
8-9
Luna protein and Luna fiber also available, 70% organic
Picky Bar
200
7
28


2-3
7
gluten and dairy free, all natural ingredients
Power Bar - Triple Threat
230
9/4.5
30
15
3
10
higher protein bars available
Power Bar - Harvest
240
4.5/1
42
18
5
9


Hammer Bar
220-230
9-11/1-5
25-27
15-19
4-5
4-10
gluten free, 100% organic, vegan options available
Honey Stinger Protein Bars
180-190
8-10/3-4
18-19
15-16
2
10
some products caffeinated
Honey Stinger waffles
160
7/3
21
14
1
0
Low protein
good option during workout
ProBar Bolt
90
0
Fat free
24
12
0
Low fiber


Fat free and low fiber  work great during workout,
ProBar Meal
370
High cal
18/3
High fat/low sat fat
47
6
23
9
Meal replacement, higher fat makes a poor recovery and pre-workout bar
KIND Healthy Grains
150
4-6/1.5
22-25
100% Whole grains
6-7
Low sugar


3


3
Great pre-workout snack, Fruit & Nut variety are higher in fat , best for snacks during the day, all natural, Gluten free
Balance
180
6/4
20
12
4
13
High pro
Lower carb/higher protein

  • Lower protein bar is better for pre- and during workout
  • Higher protein (~10 grams) is good for recovery
  • Trial different types - consider gluten free, fiber, and fat content for digestibility and GI tolerance. For longer, ultra-endurance events, have more than one type ready; you’ll get sick of the taste of one after 8+ hours of eating it.
  • Try different bars in different temperatures ie chocolate will melt and dried fruit is hard to bite when frozen.
  • Save higher fat options for in between meals or 2+ hours before working out. Most bars use nuts or nut butter as an ingredient, which is a great way to get some healthy fats in. Just consider that fat takes longer to digest than carbs and protein, respectively, and does not encourage recovery.
  • Post other bars that you eat so that I can add them to the spreadsheet.
Pros & Cons of bars:

+ portable
+ easy to stomach after/before a run
+ no thought, easy to plan
+ many have 4:1 carbs:protein ratio ideal for recovery
+ good way to pack in calories

- most have LOTS of ingredients
- highly processed *some exceptions which tend to be higher in fat from nuts
- most use soy protein isolate as protein source (processed soy is not great for us, a whole blog post on its own)
- easy to pack in calories, which may or may not be a good thing depending on your goals

Conclusion: Eat real food when you can. Plan ahead and bring real food snacks in mini cooler or lunch bag as much as possible. Think chocolate milk, fruit, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, low fat cheese and crackers, yogurt or smoothie. Eat a bar when you can’t get to real food.

PS Anyone know why it's cutting off my table?!

6 comments:

  1. Mel - it's cutting off the table because of the width of the page layout. Might need to do a wider one.

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  2. i'd be curious to see just how poorly regular granola bars compare - chewy bars and nature valley bars, cliff mojo bars, breakfast bars.

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  3. Cheese, Nature Valley bars won't have as much protein (4g from the 2 bars). This could definitely work for a pre-workout snack if it's close in time to the workout. Clif Crunch bars are very similar to the Nature Valley crunchy bars. The carbohydrates are similar to some of the bars (29g), but not as high as the Clif, Power Bar Harvest, or Pro Meal.

    Kellog's Nutrigrain bars only have 120 calories, 24g carbs, and 2g protein. That will last you about a mile. If you paired it with a yogurt or something else, it could work as a snack but not enough to carry you on it's own.

    Clif Mojo has 12g fat, 6g sat, 20g carbs (3g fiber, 10g sugar), and 8g protein. Probably best for snacks during the day instead of pre- or post-run because of the higher fat, lower carbs.

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  4. I frequently have a Cliff Bar as a mid-afternoon snack to carbo load the day before a race or hard workout. Is there a better alternative? Just curious, it seems to work well but I'm open to a better suggestion!

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  5. Hi Cory, Cliff bars are a good snack for most runners because they are high in carbs but still have a decent amount of protein. They are usually pretty easy to digest 1-2 hours before a workout or help with recover as well. They can help you carbo load, but keep in mind you don't need to carbo load for anything shorter than 2-3 hours. I'll have to make a separate post on carbo loading!

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