Fueling the Fire: The Quest for a Decent Energy Bar

As I gear up to run a half marathon in less than 3 weeks, I’ve been experimenting with ways to fuel my workouts.

As an almost full-time vegetarian (per-diem carnivore), I’ve been relying on staple items for meals lately that I know will get me through the day.

Breakfast: Usually is whole or steel cut oats (in a mason jar, for no particular reason) with a tablespoon of almond butter and a ½ cup blueberries or small peach, and coffee

Mid-morning snack: Sometimes an energy bar, sometimes a yogurt or piece of fruit

Lunch: Some combination of yogurt/granola/fruit with a Pyrex container of vegetables or leftovers

Dinner: Some combination of lentils/beans/CSA veggies/CSA fruit/bread

My conundrum is that I am ravenous when I get home from work, which is when I usually have time to exercise. I was aching for something easily and quickly digestible (within 30 minutes to one hour) so that I could eat it on my way home and be ready to hit the pavement when I threw on my Mizunos.

I settled on NRG bars. These bars, produced by Dan in Southboro, MA, were the perfect solution.

“NRG History: NRG BARs were created out of the need for a wheat free energy bar made from nothing but real foods that tastes delicious. Be true to your body; eat healthy; live healthy. It’s the NRG way."

I love Dan’s description of the NRG BAR way. And he’s right. The ingredients are real foods, and the bars taste pretty delicious. I’ve had the opportunity to try the Pumpkin Ginger, Cranberry Almond, and Chocolate Chip Coconut. These bars are great because they are light, can be eaten in a very short amount of time, and don't weigh you down. Good if you’re looking for a quick source of calorie-dense energy. Bad if you’re trying to lose weight or just in a hungry mood. I tend to shy away from bars, shakes, supplements, etc., but these real food bars have me convinced that I can use them on an occasional basis.

My surprisingly favorite bar? The pumpkin ginger. I was expecting a dense, thick, chewy, gingery bar that I would not enjoy, but the baked bar tastes just like a slice of light pumpkin bread. It contains brown rice syrup, oat flour, rolled oats, fig paste, date paste, pumpkin seeds, steel cut oats, hulled flaxseed, ginger powder, sodium bicarbonate, and cinnamon.

Been lost in Energy Bar Land? Me too. Besides the Clif Nectar bars (which tend to fall a bit short in the protein department), I have yet to find one that I enjoy eating as workout energy fuel.

NRG-BAR Giveaway: Visit nrg-bar.com to find a bar flavor you like, and leave a comment on this post (by Friday) and let me know which flavor you’d like to try (cranberry almond, pumpkin ginger, chocolate chip coconut). If you choose to follow me on Twitter (@eatittweetit), leave another comment and let me know you did! One randomly chosen winner will receive a sample from Dan @ nrg-bar.com!

Question of the day: What’s your go-to energy bar?