sketchfest Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 I want an energy bar that doesn't taste like sawdust during a long day out. I believe that I have tried most if not all that are currently on the market: Cliff bar, Power bar, Odwalla...etc. Some of the flavors are OK, but none of them are moist enough. When I am out on a day trip, whether it be climbing or biking, I can eat them fine, but when I'm doing a huge single day push or 100 mile ride I just can't choke those damn things down. My body is already dehydrated from the exertion and needs all the help it can get and no matter how much water I drink with the thing it just doesn't go down any easier. Anybody have any ideas that work (gels only work for so long before my body needs a solid source) Maybe I should just stick to & Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lummox Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 freeclimb9s go zaps shizzle. www.gozaps.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattp Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 I find some of the Balance Bars slightly more moist or easier to "choke down" than those you listed -- but only slightly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slothrop Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 Yeah, Balance Bars are the most edible and don't turn into jawbreakers in the cold. Halva is also a calorie-packed, lightweight food that's pretty damn tasty and has some fat as well as sugar (it's basically almond paste and sugar, I think). Twight mentions halva in one of his books, if I remember correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 halvah is sesame not almond. almond would be icky. those sesame snap bars are the same thing but tastier imho. "gels are for hair" - Will Gadd forget this energy bar shit and just eat the good old standbys - horsecock, chocolate, apples, apple turnovers, cold baked potatoes, bagels, bananas, nuts etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 squishbars are made in squamish and are yummy. and have a corporate logo of a woman wearing a squamish t-shirt pressing her breasts together to make "squamish" read "squish" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toast Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 Fuck the overpriced bars. I munch on dried fruit, fig newtons, dates... I also bring extra TP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slothrop Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 Snickers are tasty and cheap, but they are another one of those bars that will break your teeth in the cold. Dru, almond butter is the shizzle (AB&J!), but you're right about the halva being made of sesame. MREs come with squeeze packs of peanut butter. Convenient like Gu, but... it's peanut butter. Mmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hakioawa Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 Snickers + a vitamin + chalk = powerbar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forrest_m Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 i highly un-recommend halvah as an energy bar for during the middle of the day. The reason is that it has TOO MUCH ENERGY (the small bars are 800 calories IIRC, the large ones 1200 and it's basically 100% fat!!). My experience has been that it causes complete metabolic shutdown as your body diverts all available blood to your stomach to try to digest this fat bomb you just dropped down your gullet. You can basically kiss athletic performance goodbye for about 2 hours after you eat one. These same characteristics make it ideal as a recovery food, i.e. eat it as soon as you stop for the night, while you are melting water, etc, because it warms you up enormously, easy to eat when dehydrated, lots of calories fast. For a less dry energy bar, I like the balance bars and the tiger's milk bars. (Some people don't like the "protien powder" flavor, but since my granola mom would give us tiger's milk bars as a big treat when we were kids, the flavor just makes me happy...). Here's another idea: Pringles. Yup, Pringles. 1 can of pringles weighs 7 ounces and has over 1000 calories (depends on the flavor). They taste great, so you feel motivated to eat, and it's easy to eat a couple at a time (thus sparing yourself the fat bomb mentioned above) and the can keeps them from getting crushed. A friend of mine completed the grueling Alaska Wilderness Classic adventure race this year with 3 bags of Doritos and 3 cans of pringles as his ONLY food source! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 I can feel nauseous after eating halvah. Though that might be because I'm usually eating it late in a climb. It's flavor overload. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 halvah is not 100% fat - there is a lot of protein in sesame seeds. and the ones with honey have carbohydrate too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 Nutritional Information: The figures below are an estimate compiled from the online database maintained at www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/ and from Erasmus, Udo. Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill. Burnaby BC Canada, Alive Books, 1993. Serving Size: 1 tablespoon - approx. 14 grams (36 tbsp. per jar 18. oz jar, 7 tblsp. per 200 grams) Calories: 74.5 kcal Protein: 2.85 g Fiber: 0.31 g Carbohydrates: 7 g Total Fats: 5.93 g so much for "100% fat" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forrest_m Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 Nutritional Information: The figures below are an estimate compiled from the online database maintained at www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/ and from Erasmus, Udo. Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill. Burnaby BC Canada, Alive Books, 1993. Serving Size: 1 tablespoon - approx. 14 grams (36 tbsp. per jar 18. oz jar, 7 tblsp. per 200 grams) Calories: 74.5 kcal Protein: 2.85 g Fiber: 0.31 g Carbohydrates: 7 g Total Fats: 5.93 g so much for "100% fat" oh sure, refute my statement with FACTS, how unoriginal... anyway, 100% fat or no, my personal experience, valid only for me, is that even small amounts of halvah eaten during exercise make me feel like i just swallowed a brick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 I hate carrying around the flammable hazardous waste warning placards on my pack too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 (edited) sorry about that double post of pointless post Edited January 14, 2004 by iain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 i find these much more edible than halvah. the digestibility of halvah has never troubled me but the taste and "mouth-feel" are kinda weird, plus its sooo dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slothrop Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 If I ate an entire "bar" of halva, I'm pretty sure I'd puke. I usually only eat a small wad of the stuff at a time. I've got a half-pound block, about the size of two packs of playing cards, that contains 1,120 calories (480 from fat). $1.95 at Trader Joe's -- that's as much as two of your usual energy bars, if you get 'em on sale, and 3 times the calories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cj001f Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 Banana or bagel w/penaut butter & honey Actually palatable energy food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
girlclimber Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 those new Snickers Marathon bars are so tasty that i'm always tempted to eat them when i'm just bumming around Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADKMan Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 I second the Snickers Marathon bars. They taste more like a candy bar than an "energy" bar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genepires Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 I always liked those small "haloween" sized snickers candy bars. Just the right size and caloric content for while being on the go. Lots of packaging yes and rock hard when cold, but it is cheap and power packed. The highest calorie to price ratio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skykilo Posted January 14, 2004 Share Posted January 14, 2004 Cookies always go down easy. They're also very cheap. If you really feel like you need those vitamins on the spot, use some Emergen-C or something. This is only my personal opinion, but I think energy bars and gu are nothing but snake oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
girlclimber Posted January 15, 2004 Share Posted January 15, 2004 there's nothin that gets me going like some good old-fashioned snake oil! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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