Training & Nutrition - Fave Bars?

What's your fave bar? I like Balance myself... Powerbars are, well... heinous...

Originally posted by velocipedio
What's your fave bar? I like Balance myself... Powerbars are, well... heinous...

Well I aint votin' for powerbars :) Had a clif bar the other day. Wasn't half bad. Guess I'm gonna have to start experimenting...

Anyone tried a "Muscle Recovery Bar." What to you think of them and of their intended purpose. Is it just hype?

Why do most people like Balance bars or Clif bars? They taste like $h!t.
Some Powerbars are palatable. Some are just ok. And some taste awful.
Most other bars don't go down very well, with the exception of Gatoraid bars. They taste a little like Rice Crispy treats.

Just my 2¢.

My favorites are the Gatorade bars. I like the orange ones the best. And yes, they do remind me of rice krispie treats.

Hey, Powerbars aren't that bad. Some flavors are pretty decent. Vanilla is my favorite.

velo

I have a true Powerbar story... A few years ago a friend of mine was backcountry skiing. He took about an 800 foot tumble. He was lucky, he just broke his wrist. He still had to ski back to his car so he strapped a Powerbar that he was carrying to his wrist as a splint. It worked well enough to support his wrist all the way back home (about 6 hours counting ski out and car ride). I think anything that works that well as a splint shouldn't be taken internally.

I like the yogurt-honey-peanut Balance bars.

Originally posted by roadie gal
I think anything that works that well as a splint shouldn't be taken internally.

:D :thumbup:

I like Clif bars the best, next to that Gatorade bars. I ate a clif an hour before riding once and I had an awesome ride. Unfortunetly they are a little pricier than gatorade. I can get a Gatorade bar for 86 cents, Clifs are almost 2 bucks.

If you eat a lot of them it might be worth buying them by the box. Sometimes Performance or Nashbar will have decent sales. You can save a few dollars off the store prices.

Originally posted by fubar5
Clifs are almost 2 bucks.
I buy my Clifbars for 89 cents at the local Trader Joe's (California-only chain of stores?)

I have yet to see Gatorade Bars anywhere around, but I will try one just to see. So far my favorites are Balance Bars, especially the chocolate and Brownie- almond. I have also discovered that Luna bars are quite tasty- especially the lemon flavor. I like the rice crisp texture, but once I got a stale one and it nearly broke my jaw. Power bars are egregious- the chocolate one was like eating brown plasticene. Clif bars are palatable, but not as good as Balance.

Originally posted by bentrox!

I buy my Clifbars for 89 cents at the local Trader Joe's (California-only chain of stores?)

I'm getting ripped off!

Gatorade bars are the least offensive. The peanut butter flavor is great if you can find the ones without chocolate chips, yuck! My sweet wife, it took two months to convince her that YES they do make the peanut butter flavor without chocolate chips. She thought I was crazy because I could never find them to show her while we were together. Alas, I was smart enough to bring home an empty wrapper.

I like the Wild Berry flavored Gatorade bars, I thought the Peanut Butter was a little dry.

Promax!!!, chocolate flavors, by far. They WORK!!! and taste GREAT!!! I even use them for snacks and to satisfy my sweet tooth. I also like the protein content.
Ride Yummy
Pat

My favorite energy bars are Kashi bars. Besides being good tasting, they have the following points in their favor:
1. They don't have any of that ****ed corn syrup which some bars have. To me, any bar with corn syrup is not an energy bar. It's a de-energizing bar.
2. They have a very high fiber content, which makes them filling. (as well as healthy.)
3. They don't bombard you with massive vitamin/mineral supplements. These supplements can make eating multiple energy bars in one day the equivalent of taking multiple multi-vitamins in one day. (There are some vitamins/minerals that I don't want to get too much of in one day, since too much can be just as bad as too little.)

Of the "performance bars" listed, I've only tried Power Bars and Clif Bars . . . and they both taste like cardboard to me.:p I used to take Fig Newtons for my "quick fix," but I've switched to Nature Valley's Trail Mix Bars . . .oats and almonds and raisins and peanuts . . .yum!:thumbup: And for you nutrition-conscious riders . . . 24 grams of carbos, 12 grams of sugar, 3 grams of protein.

I'm a balance bar fan myself. They actually taste good. But they get a bitt ooey and gooey on a warm day. Not that it means anything other than I have slop all over my hands, mouth, face, and handlebars.

I like the ease of eating fig newtons. Tasty and convienent!

I have to try fig newtons. Does anyone know the calorie count of a fig newton? A single fig newton? I'm usually hard pressed to keep up with calorie consumption since I'm a big guy (220 lbs). PB gets so drab and I need better ways to keep the calories rolling when I'm on long rides.

FIG NEWTON's all the way.
Don't like the texture or flavor of any bar that I've tasted.

I'm a big fan of Clif Bar myself. I have tried lots of the other but not all of them and I tend to find that the Clif Bars sit well with me and seem to give me that boost I need in a nice even cycle.

I find I'm quite hit or miss with Clif bar. Some of them taste, like Tony the Tiger suggests, great, while others really don't do it for me. Normally, you'd think that this would simply be normal human behavior. But I generally like every form of food on the planet. So it's rather odd.

I must admit there are a few flavours that I don't like. I think my favourite has to be the Chocolate Almond Fudge but there are days that chocolate just isn't quite right either.

The only cliff bar i really like is the carrot cake ILL nibble on it all day while riding keeps me going . While in California this summer i was turned onto a bar called Friendly 7 it tasted good and seemed to keep me going Ive never seen this bar sold anyplace. If you know where i can get it pleaselet me know
catfish

Kashi Go Lean. A San Diego product of power bars, cereals. Don't know if sold outside of Southern California. The Vanilla Yogurt tastes great. That or Cliff Bar Carrot cake are favorites.

Any one yet tried Muscle Recovery bars. Think they help.? When commute to work, I eat one. Going on duty I want quick energy recovery and muscle relaxation.

Due to financial constraints I don't bother with expensive energy bars. I seem to be able to handle 200km+ rides without them.

Originally posted by cyclezealot
Kashi Go Lean. A San Diego product of power bars, cereals. Don't know if sold outside of Southern California.

It is.

Chris. I buy my power bars at speciality groceries stores. One locally is called "Trader Joe's." Check out their prices, why shop anywhere else, if you do not have to.
My favorite bars there usually sell for under $1 U.S. The power bars I find convenient to fit within a jersey pocket. Hope you have something like that in Australia.

I'm a big fan of the Luna bars. They don't have the same cardboard taste of consistency of the PowerBars or regular Clif Bars, and the Chai Tea and Lemon Zest flavors are just to die for. I'm not overly concerned about the "for women" part, since I've been eating them for over a year and I haven't grown breasts yet.

I have just discovered PowerBar Balance bars, and like what I see, so far. I think there needs to be some kind of a taste test in my future. I've also grown rather partial to the gels.

Though it's a bit less portable than prepackaged-fiber-goodness (in a jersey pocket, anyway), my ultimate energy bar-type food is now and always will be Hudson Bay bread. It's basically a big greasy granola bar made of ground oats, sliced almonds, honey, corn syrup, and butter. It's high in calories, it's probably high in fat, and it is positively sinful. It has sustained me on many a trek through the Boundary Waters, and the all out fist-fights over the last piece in camp are not to be missed.

I forgot the best thing about Hudson Bay bread: you can make a bar that's half an inch thick and the size of a cookie tray for the cost of 3-4 fancy pre-made bars. It is truly the Ramen of the energy bar world. Well, that and the fact that it tastes really, REALLY good.

Originally posted by LightBoy
I forgot the best thing about Hudson Bay bread: you can make a bar that's half an inch thick and the size of a cookie tray for the cost of 3-4 fancy pre-made bars. It is truly the Ramen of the energy bar world. Well, that and the fact that it tastes really, REALLY good.

LightBoy,

That Hudson Bay bread sounds good, got a recipe you could share?

Thanks

I tried a Grabber enery bar at REI a while back. I just checked their website (http://www.grabberwarmers.com/energy.htm) and it sounds like they are not making them any more. Bummer!! They were tasty. :thumbup:

Originally posted by pat5319
Promax!!!, chocolate flavors, by far. They WORK!!! and taste GREAT!!! I even use them for snacks and to satisfy my sweet tooth. I also like the protein content.
Ride Yummy
Pat

Promax are the best. 20 gr protein, 280 calories, electrolytes and just enough fat for all day rides. They're a little melty on hot days, but I can live with that!

I like Tiki Bars. There is one near the airport that's been around for as long as I can remember called the Bahi Hut. There is a two drink limit on their Mia-Ti's. Good place to go to get warmed up for a night of dancing and a must stop for any bachelor party!


The Bahi Hut, the Bahi Hut,... the intimate spot to meet, the Bahi Hut Da Thup Dah Thup...The Bahi Hut. (Little gingle in my head that just won't go away!):beer:

I love Luna bars. The flavor I'm addicted to now is Lemon. I like the AppleCranberry flavor in the Cliff Bar too. I tend to go towards the granola, sweet stuff. I tried the Promax bar, which I found to taste like chalk/cardboard. And the ingredients in the Gatorade bar are not the best for my athletic body, or anybody. The Cliff bars do not melt, or get gooey, they give one just the right balance of protein, carbs, vitamins and it's completely vegan.

J

Originally posted by HardBall
That Hudson Bay bread sounds good, got a recipe you could share?


There are about as many recipies for Hudson Bay Bread as there are lakes in Minnesota, but my personal favorite is the way Mom used to make it:


2 cups butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup (light Karo)
1/3 cup honey

Cream together the above ingredients. Gradually add:

9 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup sliced almonds

Press into greased cake pan or large sheet pan about 1/2 inch thick. Bake at 350 degrees until golden, or about 18-20 minutes. Do not overcook, as it will get crispy and brittle.

As soon as the bread has been taken from the oven, use a spatula to press it down. This presses the bread together to keep it from crumbling, and it tends to travel better this way (especially when crammed in a Duluth Pack at the bottom of a canoe!). If you want slightly gooier and chewier bars you can omit this step. Cut it while still warm.


This will make a pretty good sized batch, but not too big. It's about right for the home kitchen. Sommers Canoe Base in Ely, Minnesota gives out a recipie that will feed several adults for the better part of a week (when accompanied by healthy amounts of peanut butter, gorp, and 'bug-juice', of course)!

Other variations include maple or vanilla flavoring, or have different amounts of the ingredients, but they're all pretty much the same thing. Tinker a bit to see what you like. Also, if you run a search for "Hudson Bay Bread" on your favorite search engine, you should come up with a few other recipies.

Bon Appetit!

Thanks, LightBoy. Sounds even better after reading the recipe, I'll give it a try.