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Energy bars first became available nearly two decades ago. The choice of hard-core endurance
athletes, they were tough to chew and left a metallic aftertaste.
That was then. Today, there are more than 25 manufacturers of sports bars. Many taste as
good as candy bars, and they’re popular among non-athletes as a diet aid, after-school snack, and boardroom break.
Sports bars are best used before, during, and after endurance exercise when the body is most
likely to run out of stored glycogen (the storage form of carbohydrate). A bite of a bar every 15
minutes with a sports drink can supply the muscles with carbohydrates to burn, making you able to
go faster, longer.
At about a buck-fifty for most on the market, sports bars aren’t cheap. So do they deliver? We took a look at the most popular bars and here’s what we found.
The winners...
Sports bars vary greatly. Some, like PowerBar and Clif Bar, provide at least 60% of calories from
carbohydrate and little fat, but more and more bars, like Met-Rx, Zone Perfect, Balance, and PR
Bars adhere to the 40–30–30 (40% of calories from carbohydrate; 30% from protein; 30% from fat) diet. The manufacturers of these bars claim that the 40–30–30 diet burns fat more efficiently than a high-carb, low-fat diet. However, most nutritionists argue that there is no sound data supporting a 40–30–30 diet and that years of research shows that high-carbohydrate diets fuel athletes better. The Atkins bar is even more extreme, with 50% of total calories from fat. As carbohydrates are the most efficient fuel source for exercise, endurance athletes should choose bars high in carbs.
Choosing a better bar
Compare serving sizes. All bars list one bar as a serving size; the size of the bar,
however, ranges from just over an ounce to nearly 4 ounces. A good way to shop for value is to
calculate the price per ounce of the bar.
Buy a bar that tastes good. Nothing is worse than having pre-sports snack that turns your
stomach.
Temperature tolerance. Does the bar survive in the heat or in the extreme cold? Most with
chocolate coatings melt in the heat and many others become too hard when they are chilled.
Be aware
If you are watching your waist, avoid eating sports bars as snacks, and eat them only before,
during, or after exercise. Look for bars with fewer than 300 calories and eat them only when you
can afford the additional calories.
When taking a bar during exercise, be sure to drink at least 8 ounces of fluid. Water helps dilute
the concentration of carbohydrate, so you’ll be less likely to suffer GI distress.
Herbal supplements have not been shown to enhance performance, so don’t look for a bar with ginseng, gingko or any other herbal preparations.
Don’t care for sports bars at all? Fret not. Plenty of regular foods are also good energy sources, such as low-fat cereal bars, bagels, fig bars, bananas, and dried cereal or fruit.
Fiber helps fill you and is good for the heart, so bars with 3 grams or more of fiber per
serving can help you meet the recommended 25-gram a day minimum.
Paying for protein
Many high-pro bars claim to use designer protein, but contain either soy, milk or egg-based protein
sources. Some bars contain excessive amounts of protein such as the Met-Rx and the Twinlab Protein
Fuel Sports bar. Both contain nearly half of an adult male’s daily protein requirement. If you
want the nutrients that sports bars offer, a generic one-a-day multivitamin or fortified cereal
will provide all the nutrients you need—for a lot less money.
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