FitSugar

Food Review: Forze GPS Shakes and Bars

FitSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:00:46 -0800

I'm typically wary of fitness drinks with gold packaging; they remind me of the weird muscle-building brands I see at the gym. But when I read the label on Forze GPS shakes and bars, I was intrigued.

This line of snacks, including chocolate and vanilla shakes and four flavors of energy bar, is described as a "weight management tool designed specifically for athletes." They promise to activate your appetite control signals, so they can be used as a between-meal or pre- or post-workout snack. Hear what I thought about their taste and the results.

Sports Energy Products Explained: Bars

FitSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:30:25 -0700

If you're a fan of longer workouts, or are in training for a big race, you can't exercise without refueling your energy. Sport drinks offer energy plus hydration, and gels and chews offer bite-sized energy in convenient packages. There are also energy bars. You can eat them before, during, or after your lengthy workouts, and they're better than sport drinks or gels because not only do they contain carbs for energy, but they satisfy your hunger too.

Many companies make energy bars these days including Clif, PowerBar, and Balance. If you're confused about how to choose one keep reading

Element Bars: Build Your Own Energy Bar

FitSugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 04:30:22 -0700

Many FitSugar readers often enjoy an energy bar since they're great pre- or post-workout snacks. They tend to be under 200 calories, full of fiber and protein, and can satisfy that craving you have to eat something chewy. If you're getting tired of the ones you usually eat, why not make your own? Element Bars allows you to customize all the ingredients so you get the taste and consistency you want.

Build a bar by choosing:

Core (base): chewy, oaty, crispy, or datey
Fruits: apricots, blueberries cherries, cranberries, prunes, or raisins
Nuts: almonds, cashews, flaxseeds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, soynuts, walnuts
Sweets: agave syrup, brown rice syrup, honey, maple syrup, chocolate chips, M&Ms, pumpkin spice
Boosts: whey protein, soy protein, immunity, omega-3, fiber

A box of 12 bars costs $36. Not only would it be fun to make your own to eat, but you can also get a friend a gift certificate, or get a bunch of boxes made for party favors.

Food Review: Dr. Melina Protein Bars

FitSugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 06:00:00 -0700

When it comes to pre-workout snacks, I like to mix things up, so when I spotted a new-to-me brand, Dr. Melina Protein Bars, at my corner store the other day, I snapped one up.

I was excited to learn that the brand was created by a female doctor who resides in Sugar's fair city of San Francisco, an internist and nutritionist named Dr. Melina Jampolis. To find out how they taste, read more.

These protein-packed bars come in four flavors: chocolate peanut, double chocolate acai, lemon raspberry, and cinnamon almond, which I tried. Fans of Luna Bars will love Dr. Melina bars too; they're pretty comparable in terms of flavor, sweetness (note the hint of icing), texture, and nutrition.

The bar I tried had a bit more crunch than Luna, sort of like a Rice Krispie treat, which was a nice touch. The cinnamon and almond flavors tasted very natural and not overly sugary, and with 14 grams of protein, the bar left me feeling very satisfied. Check out the chart below to see how it compares with a similarly flavored Chai Tea Luna Bar.

	Dr. Melina Cinnamon Almond	Luna Bar Chai Tea
Serving Size	One bar (45g)	One bar (48g)
Calories	180	190
Total Fat	6 g	5 g
Saturated Fat	2 g	2.5 g
Cholesterol	5 mg	0 mg
Sodium	80 mg	95 mg
Carbs	21 g	26 g
Fiber	5 g	3 g
Sugars	11 g	12 g
Protein	14 g	9 g

Aside from a few key differences, these bars are pretty comparable. Interested? You can buy Dr. Melina bars by the box here. If you've tried this or any other flavors, let me know what you think.

Food Review: Gnu Flavor & Fiber Bars

FitSugar — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Perusing the well-stocked snack bar section at Trader Joe's the other day, I was hoping to find something a little lighter than the typical energy bar. Gnu Flavor & Fiber Bars ($1.69 at TJ's, $1.99 online) seemed just right: with fewer calories than most bars, 50 percent of my daily value of fiber, and sweetened with 100 percent fruit juice, the colorfully wrapped bars seemed too good to be true.

I scooped up three of the five flavors, each of which was deliciously moist and chewy. Because Gnu is entirely natural, I didn't miss the strange aftertaste other bars often have. I tried the Orange Cranberry, Peanut Butter (don't worry, they weren't recalled), and Chocolate Brownie and plan on picking up the Banana Walnut and Cinnamon Raisin on my next grocery run. To see what the Orange Cranberry bar looks like and the nutritional information, read more.

Each bar has 130 to 140 calories and 3 to 5 grams of fat depending on flavor, plus 12 grams of fiber and 3 to 4 grams of protein. The ingredient list on these bars is reassuringly short and recognizable - love that. Are you a Gnu fan?

Food Review: Yotta Bar

FitSugar — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 11:00:00 -0700

When I need a quick snack, granola and energy bars are the best because I can slip them into my purse, desk drawer, or gym bag, and they'll stay fresh until I need a pick-me-up. I just came across a new kind of bar made by the Undercover Vegetable Company. Incredible name, huh? The bars are called Yotta Bars, and they come in three flavors: Cherry, Orange, and Apple Cinnamon.

The package says, "One serving of veggies and fruits per chewy granola bar," and website says they're made without refined sugars and contain only ingredients everyone can pronounce. Sounds healthy, but how do these bars taste? To see what I thought, read more.

I so wish I was loving this bar because the ingredients are so healthy. But I guess there's a reason no other energy bar company has added dehydrated peas, asparagus, broccoli, sweet potatoes, celery, green pepper, corn, spinach, and parsley to its granola bars. I'm sorry, but the dried bits of apple were not enough to cover up the fact that these bars are full of veggies. I did like the chewy consistency and the slightly crispy oats, but I'll be nice and say that I just didn't care for the flavor (I could say much worse). Peeking at the nutritional info, these bars aren't outstanding in anyway, so I'll stick to eating my veggies in a salad or with my meals, and if I'm feeling snacky, I'll take a Larabar instead.

Serving Size	1 Apple Cinnamon bar
Calories	120
Total Fat	1g
Saturated Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	40mg
Carbs	25g
Fiber	2g
Sugar	11g
Protein	2g

Real Food vs. Energy Bars and Sports Drinks

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:00:00 -0700

Here's a little food for thought: the biggest difference between eating engineered energy sports foods and real foods after your workout is convenience.

There are many "recovery products" on the market right now; scientifically researched products designed to deliver carbs and protein to muscles depleted after long training sessions. While it is true that muscles do need carbs and protein after exercise to repair themselves, many researchers believe the window of time to feed the muscles these macro nutrients is any where from two to four hours. This is ample time to find yourself a kitchen and make yourself some good old fashioned food.

To see how much protein and carbs you should eat during your recovery time, read more.

The amounts of both nutrients are rather small. Muscle repair only requires about 10 to 15 grams of protein, the equivalent of two eggs. In terms of carbs, the body needs about one gram of carbs per kilogram of body weight (for us metrically challenged Americans 2.2 pounds roughly equals 1 kilogram) – I need about 60 grams of carbs. I can easily find that amount of carbs in an apple (31 grams of carbs), two slices of whole wheat toast (24 grams of carbs), and 6 ounces of vanilla flavored Greek yogurt (14 grams). Scramble up two eggs to go with my carbs and basically, I have a healthy breakfast, which is perfect after a long run.

Sometimes after a workout though, you just don't have the time or resources to make real food. In those cases, a Power Bar can come in handy. My point being, don't fall for the gimmicks and think you have to drink an Accelerade. Choose real food when you can. It is cheaper and less processed and tastes way better.

Source

Food Review: Luna Sunrise Bars

FitSugar — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 03:30:00 -0700

We love Luna Bars on FitSugar; in fact, you guys voted them your favorite energy bar for '07. So have you tried Luna Sunrise Bars? Though you can eat them anytime of day, these bars are made for breakfast, and I definitely recommend them if you're looking for a snack before your morning workout.

Sunrise bars come in four flavors - Blueberry Crisp, Strawberry Crumble, Vanilla Almond, and the new Apple Cinnamon - all of which are very breakfast friendly, unlike some of the regular Luna Bars. (Not that I don't love the S'mores!) Also, like regular Luna Bars, all of the Sunrise bars contain fewer than 200 calories. For my opinions on them, read more.

Each Sunrise bar has 5 grams of fiber, versus 3 grams for a regular Luna bar, as well as 8 grams of protein (compared to 10 grams for the regular Luna). The added fiber and whole grains are designed to keep you full until lunch, and the vitamins, particularly vitamin D, help you start the day eating healthy.

The iced bars have a chewier texture than regular Luna bars, which I like, and the flavors are evocative of fruit, yogurt, and cereal. My favorites are the Vanilla Almond and Apple Cinnamon, because they taste more real and less sweet. The Blueberry Crisp is also good, with its creamy berry taste, but the Strawberry Crumble is probably my least favorite. It just tastes a little too artificial.

Have you tried these yet? If so, which flavor is your favorite?

Source

Food Review: Special K Bliss Bar Orange and Chocolate

FitSugar — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:45:00 -0800

The calorie count on snackables keeps going down. I guess 100 calories was 10 too many, since I keep seeing snack-pack packaging proclaiming a 90-calorie content. One such food is the Special K Orange-flavored Bliss Bar I was handed at the train station by a very chipper young woman. She didn't single me out; she was handing them out to all the hungry commuters. The first thing I noticed about this bar was that it weighed almost nothing, not even a full ounce. That's when I noticed the "90 calories per serving" seal.

To see what the bar really looks like and how it tastes, read more.

I must say for such a tiny bar it has a lot of ingredients. The first being multigrain, not whole grain, cereal, followed by sugar and corn syrup. Partially-hydrogenated vegetable oil is listed, but it must contain under .5 ounces per serving because the nutrition label says zero! The bar is also very small. Since I couldn't find my ruler, I photographed it next to a medium-size pear so you could get a sense of its size.

Calories	Fat	Protein	Cholesterol	Sodium	Fiber	Sugar
90	2g	1g	0g	70mg	1g	9g

The Orange Bliss Bar reminds me of a citrus-flavored Rice Krispie treat with a hint of chocolate. It is sweet, but certainly flavorful, which is really all it has going for it since it is super low in protein and fiber. This bar was designed to satisfy the sweet tooth without a lot of calories; it will not make you full or give you long-lasting energy.

When it comes down to it, I would rather eat a small orange (45 calories) and a Special Dark Hershey's Miniature (45 calories).

Source

How Well Do You Know: Snacks!!!!!

FitSugar — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 10:15:00 -0700

How well do you know your snacks? We often choose our snacks for different reason - calories, protein, fiber. So what snack is best for your needs? Test your snacking IQ and see.

Take the quiz