Back in the Middle Ages, Crusaders tucked a confection made of flour, honey, shortening, nuts, and dried fruit into their tunics to give a lift during long marches. Fast forward to today and there are over 30 different energy bars available.

Energy bars work because they contain a mix of simple and complex carbohydrate, as well as relatively small amounts of fat and protein. Some brands boost fat and/or protein content based on different opinions about what works best during exercise. Many brands also add vitamins and minerals. Some include herbs, antioxidants, or stimulants such as caffeine. And some are little more than glorified candy bars.

Cyclists, marathoners, and triathletes rely heavily on endurance. They need energy and lots of it. Eating a big plate of spaghetti for dinner only goes so far. All the energy that is burned off needs replacing, and eating an energy bar is a good way to do just that. Originally marketed to these extreme and serious athletes, the category has morphed into a confusing array of varieties. But which bar is best?
.
The answer depends on a lot of factors. Do you want more calories or less, high or low fiber, more fat or less fat, added vitamins or no? Are you looking for a bar to nibble on when hiking or running or do you want a performance-enhancing bar. Unless you have a degree in nutritional and sports science, it’s tough to figure out what to buy.

Ingredients vary widely so pay attention. Here are some tips to explain the nutritional mumbo jumbo.

Getting Energy
An important point to consider: “Energy” is a synonym for calories. So, in the general sense, all bars provide you with energy. By themselves, bars won’t give you an extra boost in brain power or physical pep, unless you’ve been skipping meals and snacks (not a good idea).

The body gets energy from carbohydrates, fats and proteins, but carbohydrates are the most important fuel. Energy bars contain between 70 percent and 85 percent carbohydrates, up to 12 percent fat and between 8 percent and 26 percent protein. They weigh in at about 60 grams and contain approximately 25 grams of carbohydrates (half from sugar, half from starch), up to 15 grams of protein, and about five grams of fat. To provide energy to the runners, bikers, hikers, and other athletes who typically eat these bars, most contain a mix of simple carbohydrates (such as high-fructose corn syrup or brown rice sugar), which provide quick energy, and complex carbohydrates (such as maltodextrin), which provide more sustained energy.

Proteins (amino acids) are important in small quantities because they help the body process the sugar and help to prevent hunger-an essential item if the bar is being used in place of a vital snack. Fat also helps to prevent insulin spiking and, in addition to adding texture to a bar, minimizes a feeling of hunger.

Vitamins, Minerals & Other Additives
The more minerals and vitamins a bar has, the better, especially if it is being used as a food supplement source when a regular diet is being compromised–such as on the trail. Everyone loses minerals (potassium and sodium) when they perspire so a good bar will replace these. If you take vitamin supplements to begin with, you want to be careful, however, that you are not taking in too much of a dose of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) because they can become toxic in high concentrations.

Fluid Intake
Because of their highly concentrated nature, you must drink plenty of water with energy bars. Combining the consumption of energy bars with some kind of drink supplement, such as Gatorade, Gookinaid, Cytomax, etc., is fine as long as you are also ingesting quantities of pure water too.

Variety
The main point of difference between different types of nutrition bars is their carbohydrate/protein/fat ratio. Typical bars are around 70% carbohydrates, 20% protein, and 10% or less of fat by calories. Some bars follow Dr. Sears “Zone” diet and have 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat. Many endurance athletes find high carb bars easier to digest during rides.

What tastes good to one person, however, might make another person want to puke, especially on a really tough ride on a hot, humid day. Hence the variety of flavors ranging from peanut butter and mint chocolate cookie to blueberry cheesecake or lemon zest.Ideally, Meal Replacement Bars provide 100 percent of the U.S. RDI for at least 12 essential vitamins and minerals, including the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E. They should also provide at least 10 grams of protein per serving (50 grams/day is the recommended standard for a 2,000-calorie diet) and some fiber. Unfortunately, meal replacement bars may not be filling which at least partially defeats their purpose.

Performance Bars are generally high carb bars, such as PowerBar’s original performance bar and the Clif Bar, and High Protein bars, such as PowerBar’s Protein Plus and Met Rx Protein Plus).

Low carbohydrate, low fat, and high protein define the typical profile for a diet or Weight-Loss Bar. Many 40-30-30 combination bars are marketed in this category. Typically, these bars contain small amounts of sugar; however, some contain glycerin. Manufacturers may not count glycerin as a carbohydrate, defying the FDA’s position that glycerin qualifies as such. This difference can mislead dieting consumers into thinking they are eating a low-carb bar when in fact they are not.

Functional/Nutritional Value
Since most bars can be considered nutritional, it’s the additives that determine whether a bar is functional. Functional bars usually contain added essential vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, and recipes often include an herb or synergistic combination of herbs as well. “Brain bars,” marketed for mental clarity, typically tout Ginkgo biloba and phosphatidylserine. “Heart-healthy bars” should have 25 grams or more of soy protein to meet the FDA’s guideline for the health claim. Most typical nutritional bars contain less than 10 mg of cholesterol and about 150 mg of sodium.

High Protein/Body Building
Manufacturers typically have a special protein blend for their high-protein and body-building bars. Often, the first ingredient is a mix of whey (from dairy), casein (from dairy), soy protein, and other milk-isolate proteins. To qualify as a high-protein bar, it should have more than 20 grams of protein; many pure-protein or body-building bars have 30 grams or more. In addition, these bars tend to have less than 20 grams of carbohydrates. They can contain more calories (approximately 250 or more), and many protein bars come in larger sizes (around 3 ounces). People eating these bars typically want to build muscle.

As you can see, there are lots of bar categories to choose from, and the variety in each is endless. Before you take your next bite, take a look at the table below on what to look for in an energy bar:

Calories:
Energy bars range in calories from about 100 to 300. If you are not using them as a meal replacement, they can sabotage your best efforts at losing weight if you don’t read labels carefully. (Kashi Go Lean’s cereal slimming system bars, for example, contain 280 calories and 5 grams of fat; Met-Rx bars have 320 calories)
If you’re having these bars as a snack, choose one on the lower range of the calorie spectrum. PowerBar Pria is an example of one that tastes great, and at only 110 calories, it won’t make a big dent into your daily food budget.

Carbohydrates:
Carbohydrates are the main fuel source for the muscles and brain, and play an important role in the diet. Some bars have as little as 3 grams of carbohydrates, whereas others, like the Clif bar, have 41 grams. This is more carbohydrates than what you would get in 3 slices of bread. More than 30 grams is not necessary for a snack, unless you plan to engage in long periods of exercise. (Since carbs are the primary source of fuel for the muscles, they are very important during endurance events, such as marathons, or even long basketball games. The PowerBar performance bar has 45 grams of carbs and is very low in fat (only 2 grams).

Protein:
Some bars like Met-Rx Protein Plus, have over 30 grams of protein–more than a deck of cards worth of chicken or meat. This much protein is generally not necessary, but it can be helpful if you are doing muscle-building exercise, to help the wear and tear of the muscles. PowerBar’s Protein Plus has 4.6 grams of glutamine, which can help to rid the muscles of excess lactic acid (Lactic acid is formed during high intensity exercise, when the muscles lack oxygen, and it can interfere with the muscle’s ability to contract). Some bars, like Genisoy, offer soy protein as the main protein source. Soy has been shown to help lower cholesterol levels, and possibly protect against other diseases.

Vitamins:
While it’s true that you don’t have to get your vitamins from energy bars, they can offer nutrition that you would otherwise not get from foods. Most have 25-100% of the Daily Value of several vitamins and minerals. For example, if you don’t like dairy foods, you can get the amount of calcium in one serving of milk (300 mg) in one Pria bar. It also contains 20% of the Daily Value of Iron, and 60% of daily folate requirements, an important vitamin that can help protect against neural tube defects in a growing fetus, as well as heart disease.

Fiber:
Choosing a bar that’s high in fiber can be difficult. But if you’re watching your weight, fiber is a big bar bonus, since it keeps you full, without contributing excess calories. Kashi Go Lean, EAS Results for Women, and PowerBar Harvest all make the grade.

Energy Bar Guidelines
Watch calories and fat - up to 300 calories and 10 grams of fat is reasonable for a meal replacement, but cut that in half for a snack.

Choose a bar with at least 30 grams of carbs if you plan to engage in long periods of exercise. (Same for protein, if you’re working those muscles)

Look for vitamins and minerals that you wouldn’t get from foods (like calcium and iron)

Limit saturated fat to 3 grams or less per bar.

Go for bars with 3 grams of fiber, for weight control.

When & How to Use Energy Bars:

• Take an energy bar on any ride or event that is longer than two hours to avoid bonking.
• Pace yourself (e.g., eat half a bar an hour).
• Drink plenty of water or diluted sports drink with the bar.
• On cold days, warm the bar up in a jersey pocket.
• Taste test bars before a big event.

Of course energy bars aren’t necessary. There’s no reason why you couldn’t do just as well stuffing your jersey pockets with fig bars, bananas, raisins, dried apricots, or bagels. With the energy bar you’re pretty much just buying convenience and some extra variety. What Readers Say:
PowerBars provide a balanced source of protein, but won’t replentish the fat you consume. PowerBars also tout vitamin fortification, which is of questionable value over a multiple vitamin supplement, aside from replacing electrolytes.PowerBars are fairly expensive, and the while they doesn’t include information comparing simple and complex carbohydrates, it doesn’t look good given fructose syrup as the first ingredient. Powerbars tend to lose on taste, especially when eating large numbers of them. They are durable, but get quite hard at low temperatures.The Pria Power Bar I tested was a ‘mint chocolate cookie’ flavor’. It was covered in chocolate and crunchy, mint chocolatey and sweet. I had to check out the sugar content because no way was I going to eat the entire thing if it had more than 20 g sugar. Only 5 g! I’m not sure that this ‘power bar’ gave me any extra energy or power. Yet, I liked the taste, and with 110 calories and ‘23 vitamins and minerals’, I could probably use this as a snack.

Filed under: Health, Nutrition by admin

Related Posts

• April 24, 2008 -- Wrapper Brigade! (0)