While there are plenty of health food bars on store shelves around the country, there are also harder-to-find bars that are even more interesting. Take the Doctor Will Bar for example.

The bar is made in Portland, Oregon, and Will Bar carefully selected local vendors, bakers, and printers to supply the company with everything from the bar itself to the packaging and box they are shipped in. You’re not looking at some huge corporation here.

But let’s look at the bar itself, because that’s what you’re putting into your body…

At first glance, the Dr Will Bar is tiny! You don’t fully understand the term ‘nutrient dense’ until you see one of these bars! You get 230 calories in this tiny bar!

Also at first glance, you get to see the bar itself. Most bars are contained in some foil wrapper, but the Dr Will Bar uses a clear plastic wrapper to show off the bar.

Unwrapping the bar was a little tough, though. The plastic doesn’t tear as cleanly as most foil wrappers I’ve opened. One of my Dr Will bars opened easily, but on the other ones, the wrappers stretched and pulled before ripping open slightly and requiring even more prying.

To make matters worse, the struggle got my hands a bit oily. (It’s kind of like the Raw Revolution bar with the oily feel to the bar.)

But that was when I was pulling apart the center seam. Once I tried the method of ripping right around the corner of the wrapper, the bar opened easily! And the bar is nice and compact, so you can rip the plastic down the length of the wrapper and just bite into the bar from the long side.

(Too bad they didn’t print a “Tear Here” arrow on the wrapper for morons like me.)

Ingredients and Nutrition Facts

The Dr Will Bar is best summed up as a melding of nuts and fruits in a small bar that is packed with lasting energy.

Here is the ingredients list:

Ingredients: Peanut Butter, Flax Seed, Oats, Corn Syrup, Pumpkin Seed, Brown Sugar, Cranberries, Cherries, Sunflower Seeds, Almonds, Puffed Rice, Whey Protein, Coconut.

My favorite thing about this list is how normal it sounds. It’s just basic stuff – no weird artificial ingredients, and nothing so fancy you don’t understand what it really is.

I’m also a big fan of the majority of the ingredients. I absolutely love peanut butter, flax seed, oats, pumpkin seeds, cherries, and coconut.

As you could guess, I’m not a huge fan of the corn syrup and brown sugar. It’s not such a bad thing (it is an energy bar after all,) but it seems odd.

I mean, this looks like a bar where the top priority is being completely natural and nutritious. So it’s odd they don’t at least use something that sounds healthier (organic cane sugar, agave nectar, etc.) If it was just another energy bar for cyclists, I’d expect the plain brown sugar and corn syrup, but not so much from a bar like this.

That said, I wouldn’t hesitate to use this as an energy bar. It’s still much healthier than the average energy bar.

Taste Test

Apparently there is just one flavor to the Doctor Will Bar. I don’t think it has a name, but you could consider it “Fruit & Nut” and I think that would make sense.

Taste

The bar certainly has a good taste. The experience started out with the smell and taste of homemade peanut butter rice krispie squares like my Grandma used to make. Then I could taste the cranberry and sunflower seeds I got in the same bite.

Overall it would be hard to pinpoint the flavor with a name. The peanut butter is prominent, but you still taste the fruit, nuts, and seeds a little bit. And even then, it’s hard to pinpoint the individual flavors. It’s just a good flavor that’s hard to describe!

Texture

The bar is nice and soft and pretty chewy. It has some texture and crunch from the seeds and whatnot, but it’s not grainy. And it’s not like a hard granola bar at all.

Again, it’s a bit hard to describe, but the texture is good!

Testing the Energy Bar

As well as tasting good, the bar is easy to chew. It only takes maybe five small bites to finish it. And the soft, oily texture helps it go down smooth. I never had a problem finishing one.

But due to the small size, I think it satisfied my stomach but left my mouth wanting more. That made it a little disappointing for a breakfast replacement or mid-afternoon snack (when I wanted to experience the texture and flavor for a longer period of time,) but also makes it nice for use during exercise, such as a long bike ride (when you want to be focused on riding, not eating.)

Personally I think the best use for the Dr Will Bar would be for long hiking trips. It seems like a great food to eat while hiking, and the small, dense bar saves space in your pack!

Anyway, I had to have one during a ride. The ride was about 1:30, so it didn’t require food per say, except that the ride also functioned as my lunch break! I had a Dr Will Bar halfway through and it tasted great. I think it only took me three bites to get it down.

It went down really easily – didn’t even require a gulp of water. And despite having a hilly ride, the bar seemed to digest without any issues. Also, it left a little oily residue on my lips, which wasn’t bad at all – it was kind of like having applied some more lip balm. All in all, a good experience, and I wouldn’t hesitate to grab one for a ride.

My final verdict is…

The Dr Will Bar tastes great, and it’s pretty healthy for an energy bar.

As with most energy bars, I suggest you try a couple and see how they work for you. This is a good one, so if it works for you, stock up.

Official website: www.DrWillBar.com

The trend toward organic and raw foods is fast underway, with many snack bars and health drinks offering these more natural versions. One bar that has gone all the way is the Raw Revolution Organic Live Food Bar, which is made of raw, living foods, rather than cooked and processed ingredients.

Raw Indulgence was created by a Registered Nurse and Natural Foods Chef who developed a passion for preparing and eating raw foods.

Why raw foods? In general, raw foods contain more nutrients and enzymes than cooked foods, which usually lose a certain amount of nutrients during the preparation process. Also, a raw food is almost always the healthiest choice. Think about it – you can eat a raw apple but you can’t get a raw Snickers bar!

I am not on a strict raw food diet, but like to eat as naturally as possible, so therefore I do include many raw foods in my diet. I highly suggest replacing any processed foods with raw foods. (If you are interested in a raw food diet, just Google for “raw foods” and you’ll find tons of info.)

Ingredients and Nutrition Facts

Here are the ingredients from the Spirulina & Cashew Raw Revolution bar:

INGREDIENTS: CASHEWS, DATES, AGAVE NECTAR, ALMONDS, SPIRULINA POWDER, SPROUTED FLAX SEED.

And the nutrition facts:

Calories 280
Total Fat 18g
Sat. Fat 3g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholest. 0mg
Sodium 20mg
Total carb. 29g
Fiber 3g
Sugars 17g
Protein 7g

The bar isn’t that big, so 280 calories seems high, but that’s mainly due to the healthy fat content of the cashews and almonds. Some people may feel that 17g sugar is a little high, but I bet most of that comes from the dates, rather than the added sugar (in the form of agave nectar.)

With a product like this I don’t worry too much about the label (since the ingredients are natural,) but regardless, I’d say that’s a good mix of carbs, fat, and protein for a snack. It’s also low in sodium, which is a big plus for anything that comes individually wrapped!

The one thing I do like about the Lara Bar compared to this is that Lara Bars have no added sugar. These Raw Revolution bars contain some agave nectar, which isn’t terrible, but it’s not something you need in your diet.

*Note that the ingredients and nutrition facts are very similar amongst all the Raw Revolution bars.

Raw Revolution Taste Test

Here are my thoughts on a few of the flavors:

Chocolate & Coconut – At first I really tasted the cocoa powder (kind of a bitter chocolate taste,) but then bits of coconut came in to sweeten things up.

There was certainly not as much coconut as in a Mounds bar, just some finely chopped pieces. The bar was mainly a cocoa flavor. I would have liked more coconut flavor!

Overall, the Chocolate & Coconut is not bad, but not a flavor I’d buy again.

Raspberry & Chocolate – With this bar, you still get a little bit of that bitter cocoa flavor, but not much. The raspberry seems blended in very well and adds flavor and sweetness to each bite. So it’s a good mix of chocolate and raspberry flavors, without being too sweet or bitter.

If you like dark chocolate (especially flavored dark chocolate,) I recommend this bar.

Cashew & Agave Nectar – This bar is so soft and sweet. It really, really does have a cashew taste! Smells great too. And none of the ingredients are even close to being bitter!

If you like cashews, you’ll love this bar! It’s like a bar of robust cashew butter!

Spirulina & Cashew – I got really excited about this bar, especially when I saw it was completely green! (Spirulina is basically seaweed!)

This is another sweet flavor. You can taste the cashew but with some “green” flavor to it as well. It’s hard to describe if you’ve never tried spirulina or something like Barlean’s Greens, so I’ll just say, I think it tastes awesome!

Overall, the texture of these Raw Revolution bars may be a bit softer than Larabar, but it is similar. However, it is more oily than any other bar I’ve had! As in, don’t touch it directly, because your hands will become coated in oil!

And don’t expect the chocolate ones to be sweet like candy bars, or you’ll be disappointed.

My final verdict is…

The Raw Revolution food bar tastes good, if you get the right flavor for your taste buds. If you like the idea of raw, natural bars, and you can afford them, this is a pretty good choice. Just remember that these should be a supplement to your normal diet full of raw foods; don’t base your whole diet on these snack bars.

I will definitely buy the cashew-based flavors again when I’m in need of a healthy snack bar.

Official website: www.RawIndulgence.com

Buy online: www.Amazon.com

The good ole Powerbar Performance bar has been around since before I considered myself an endurance athlete.

But they made a recent update, adding a new variation to the Powerbar line – the Powerbar Energize bar.

It still looks exactly like the Powerbars of old, except it comes in fruity flavors now. It uses Powerbar’s new “C2 Max carbohydrate blend” and combines that with real fruit.

I really like this bar because it retains everything I liked about the standard Powerbar – very easy to chew and swallow while riding, packaging is easy to open and bar slips out without hassle, it’s packed with carbs for energy with a little protein and very little fat which could slow digestion – but improves one quality…

That quality is the taste. Rather than the typical energy bar taste, the Powerbar Energize bar reminds me of Starburst and Airheads candies. If you crossed the Powerbar Performance bar and a bag of Starburst candy, you’d get the Powerbar Energize bar.

The only downside is that the price has gone up – it’s nearly impossible to find these for under $18 per 12ct box. $1.59 isn’t absurd, but I liked finding Powerbar Performance bars for $12 a dozen.

Keep reading for more details on this cool new energy bar…

Ingredients and Nutrition Facts

Here are a couple selling points from Powerbar:

• Made with real fruit + 17 vitamins & minerals.
• No artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.
• 42g of carbs and 6g of protein with 210 calories per bar.

And here is the ingredients list for the Creamy Citrus bar:

FRUIT POWERBAR C2 MAX CARBOHYDRATE BLEND (ORGANIC EVAPORATED CANE JUICE SYRUP, DRIED CITRUS BLEND [ORANGE PEEL, LEMON PEEL, SUGAR, CITRIC ACID], FRUIT PASTE [SUGAR, MIXED FRUIT JUICE CONCENTRATE FROM PEAR, PINEAPPLE, APPLE AND PEACH, APPLE JUICE CONCENTRATE, APPLE POWDER, GLYCERIN, WATER, PECTIN, LOCUST BEAN GUM], MALTODEXTRIN, DEXTROSE, FRUCTOSE), MILK PROTEIN ISOLATE, OATS, CANOLA OIL, NATURAL FLAVOR, CITRIC ACID, ANNATTO COLOR, SOY LECITHIN, SALT, ALMOND BUTTER, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, PEANUT FLOUR, MINERALS: CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, MAGNESIUM CARBONATE, ZINC GLUCONATE, FERROUS FUMARATE (IRON), COPPER GLUCONATE, CHROMIUM ASPARTATE, VITAMINS: ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), VITAMIN E ACETATE, NIACINAMIDE (VITAMIN B3), CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE (PANTOTHENIC ACID), VITAMIN B6, VITAMIN B2, THIAMINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), FOLIC ACID, BIOTIN, VITAMIN B12, ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS: LEUCINE, VALINE, ISOLEUCINE.

You’ve got your cane juice syrup, maltodextrin, and oats for calories (as carbohydrates,) fruit paste for flavor, some almond butter (a healthy source of fat,) soy protein, and then all the vitamins and minerals.

The ingredients list appears surprisingly healthy for a bar that looks anything but natural! I still would never choose one of these as a daily snack, but it’s one of my top choices for fueling during bike rides and races.

Powerbar Energize Taste Test

The Powerbar Energize bar comes in three flavors: Creamy Citrus, Berry Blast, and Tangy Tropical. Here are my thoughts…

Creamy Citrus Fruit Smoothie – This is an awesome flavor! It does taste like a real fruit smoothie – like orange sherbet or something similar. It looks the part, too – the orange bar looks like a solid chunk of orange sherbet.

It is extremely sweet, though, so that may turn some people away.

Berry Blast Fruit Smoothie – This bar turned out to be pretty good, but it was more like a standard Powerbar; i.e. it was much different than the Creamy Citrus flavor.

The look was standard, too – it was a brown bar with chunks of red and blue. I think those chunks were real fruit, because I tasted a real strawberry chunk when I ate this bar. I could taste strawberry and blueberry, and I think raspberry (although I didn’t see raspberry on the label.)

It’s also a little bit like the pomegranate blueberry FRS chews. The taste and texture are similar. It’s a good flavor that’s worth a try, but I prefer the Creamy Citrus.

Tangy Tropical Fruit Smoothie – This is a very strong, sweet flavor. It starts off with the aroma of pineapple, and when you bite into it, you’re greeted with pineapple, papaya, and mango flavors.

I like tropical stuff and really like this flavor, however, I would only eat one on occasion. It’s so strong and flavorful I just wouldn’t be able to handle it all the time! The citrus flavor is much more standard and more suited to regular consumption.

My final verdict is…

This is my #1, “go to” energy bar when it comes to performance training and racing situations. I love the taste, texture, packaging, and ingredients, so I highly recommend this bar if you need something to eat during intense events like road races and triathlons.

Go for the Berry if you want a standard, pleasant flavor, or choose the Creamy Citrus if you want a very sweet orange flavor. If you can handle the sweetness, opt for the Tangy Tropical.

Official website: www.PowerBar.com

Buy online: Amazon.com | REI.com

I think I was eating Clif Bars even before I got into endurance sports. They were one of the few energy bars that tasted good enough to eat for enjoyment, rather than pure caloric needs.

It was also cool to read the story about how Gary started the company out of his mom’s kitchen, after being fed up with crappy tasting energy bars. (And the company still seems pretty cool, as well as environmentally conscious, since they’re a “1% for the Planet” member and have been recognized as a good place to work.)

Over the years, I’ve tried most flavors of Clif Bar, and I’ll be writing about the ones I remember below…

 

Clif Bar Ingredients and Nutrition Facts

Let’s start by looking at the ingredients and nutrition facts…

Oatmeal Raisin Walnut ingredients list: Organic Brown Rice Syrup, ClifPro® (Soy Rice Crisps [Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Flour, Malt Extract], Organic Roasted Soybeans, Organic Soy Flour), Organic Rolled Oats, Raisins, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Walnuts, ClifCrunch® (Organic Oat Fiber, Inulin [Chicory Extract], Organic Milled Flaxseed, Organic Oat Bran, Psyllium), Organic Soy Butter, Molasses Powder, Natural Flavors, Ground Cinnamon, Sea Salt.

You’ll notice the first ingredient is brown rice syrup, rather than your typical sucrose or fructose. While all these sweeteners are highly processed, brown rice syrup ranks relatively low on the Glycemic Index, so it’s possible that this sweetener is every so slightly healthier than straight sugar.

And Clif was using brown rice syrup before sucrose substitutes garnered so much attention.

Other than that, the part that stands out is the quality of the ingredients. It’s not that they’re using space age ingredients, but they’re using more natural options. For example, most everything is organic. And they choose the more natural sea salt over regular salt.

As far as energy bars go, healthiness is pretty standard. It’s basically a bar of sugar, with some fat and protein thrown in. That means it is not a healthy snack to replace a piece of fruit, but it’s a good source of calories during endurance sports.

And the nutrition facts breakdown goes like this:

240 calories
5g fat
43g carbs (20g sugar)
10g protein

That is fairly typical.

Clif Bar Taste Test

My thoughts on some of the Clif bar flavors I have tried…

Carrot Cake

I first tried the carrot cake Clif bars around 2002, and I was so sure I’d love them that I started out with two 12-bar boxes. They turned out to be pretty good, but I got sick of them, and today is the first time I’ve had one since!

The bar starts out nice and spicy – spicier than any carrot cake I’ve had. I’d say it’s nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.

The texture is very soft and chewy, possibly the softest Clif bar I’ve had. But then you get the little pieces of carrot, which are hard and chewy, which is a nice change if you’re looking for variety.

Those little carrots do get stuck in your teeth though!

Overall the bar is soft and chewy, spicy, and has an interesting texture. It’s not my favorite flavor, but I’ll give it a “pretty good.”

(Want the carrot cake flavor without the carrot chunks? Try a Spiced Pumpkin Pie bar from the Clif Seasonal flavors.)

Lemon Poppy Seed

I really like lemon poppy seed muffins, and these bars are close to that. This is a really good flavor.

It’s actually like biting into the crunchy edge of a delicious muffin top! The texture is actually close to that, which is a great job on Clif Bar’s part! The lemon flavor is nearly identical, and to top things off, there are little poppy seeds in there!

Banana Nut Bread

This bar has some banana nut flavor, but not as much as I would like. It’s definitely not as strong or realistic as the lemon poppy seed flavor.

It’s kind of like a pre-packaged banana nut muffin from a factory, rather than fresh banana nut bread from a good bakery. It’s not bad, but it’s not as good as I was expecting.

I do like the latest update though, and that is how the newest Banana Nut Bread bars contain little chocolate chips. (I think that’s new for 2009.)

Blueberry Crisp

Blueberry Crips offers a soft, chewy texture like other Clif bars. It’s kind of like blueberry oatmeal as opposed to blueberry crisp, since there is lots of crisp, with just a few blueberries. But it still has a good blueberry flavor throughout.

I didn’t fall in love with this flavor, but it was definitely a good one. If you like blueberry, give it a shot.

Chocolate Almond Fudge

This one looks like big fudge brownie, with almond chunks. It has a very moist, soft texture, as well as a strong flavor – much like a good brownie.

Some brownies are certainly more delicious than this bar, but this bar is better than some brownies. Poorly made brownies, as well as cheaper snack cakes like Little Debbie, taste worse than this bar (if memory serves me well – I haven’t had anything like that for years.)

Chocolate Almond Fudge makes a treat for all chocolate lovers. No wonder it is such a popular Clif Bar choice.

Oatmeal Raisin Walnut

This bar was very soft and moist, even more so than other Clif bars I’ve had. It was kind of like an oatmeal cookie, but not as sugary. Still tasted good though. Actually, this bar was more decadent than the cheaper oatmeal raisin cookies!

The first two bites weren’t that powerful, but then the flavor built up in my mouth and I loved it! I must have finished the bar in 30 seconds. If I were buying a dozen Clif bars tomorrow, I’m pretty sure I’d go with this oatmeal raisin walnut flavor.

In the end, you can’t really go wrong with any Clif Bar flavors.

Clif Bars While Riding

Last but not least, let’s consider the practicality of eating these bars while out on a ride or run.

Good news – along with the good taste, these bars stay in bar form. They don’t melt and get nasty.

And I’ve never had a problem with eating or digesting a Clif bar during exercise. Powerbars are a bit easier to get down quickly, but for a casual ride, Clif bars have worked fine for me.

My final verdict is…

Clif bars are one of the best tasting energy bars out there. The texture is consistently soft and chewy, and I don’t think I’ve ever had a flavor that was anything less than “very good.”

I do limit the number of processed, sugary bars in my diet, but if you need an energy bar for use during hiking or biking, Clif bars work just fine.

Official website: www.ClifBar.com

Buy online: Blueberry Crisp at Amazon.com
Oatmeal Raisin Walnut at Amazon.com
Carrot Cake at Amazon.com

Just as important as eating before and after a ride is eating during a ride. You need to eat and drink during rides to make sure your body is hydrated and has a steady supply of energy. If not, you could bonk, and that’s no fun!

Here is what I would eat during a ride or race, depending on ride duration and intensity:

Short Rides

Here is what I eat during short rides of various intensities.

For a recovery ride:

My recovery rides are typically about 30 minutes. For these short rides, I don’t take food or water.

For a short, easy ride:

For easy rides of 45-60 minutes, I’ll usually take a 16oz bottle of water. If it’s early in the morning before breakfast, I may use a sports drink instead of water to make sure that I’m getting some much-needed sugar to get my brain and body moving.

If I’m not in the mood for plain water but don’t want sugar either, I’ll put a Nuun tablet in my bottle. That gives me some flavor, a few electrolytes, and virtually no calories. (I’m just looking for flavor because sometimes plain water doesn’t go well with an empty stomach.)

Note: I probably wouldn’t even drink the whole bottle unless it’s a hot day.

For a short, intense ride:

If the ride will be fairly short, say 60-90 minutes, but intense, I will do things slightly differently.

I would want to carry at least a 24oz bottle of sports drink, if not one bottle sports drink in addition to one bottle of water. It’s not that I’d need a ton of extra calories, but I do like the refreshing taste, at least for a mental pick-me-up. (Nuun tablets would also be alright in this case.)

To go along with that, I’ll carry an energy gel in case I need a boost between sets of intervals or if the ride goes longer than planned.

For a short, intense race:

For a short, intense race, things change once again. For something like a Short Track XC race or Cyclo-Cross (CX) race, you probably won’t eat anything. You might not even carry water. That’s partly because the race is short, but also because it’s not easy to eat while keeping a fast pace and dealing with obstacles.

All you really need for these 30-60 minute efforts is a quick drink when passing through the feed zone. Just be sure you are properly hydrated before the race.

Longer Rides and Races

Here is what I eat during longer rides and races of various intensities.

For a moderate ride:

For a moderately paced ride around two hours long, I switch from water to sports drink. I will take two bottles of sports drink if the ride will be a little over two hours; one bottle water and one bottle sports drink for rides a little under two hours.

In this case, I also carry an energy bar or gel. I might not eat it, but for any ride over an hour, I like to have some food on hand just in case.

If the ride is pushing over two hours, I’ll definitely eat the food. I could finish the ride without it, but then I am so ravished that I binge afterward (in which case I eat too much and get sick.)

For a mountain bike race:

Mountain bike races vary in length, anywhere from 1 to 24 hours (a typical XC race will last 1-3 hours,) but they have one thing in common – rough trails and intensity.

So the key difference here is that you’ll need to focus on high-calorie sports drinks and energy gels, because you’ll need to keep your hands on the bars the majority of the time.

Whether you do it with a bottle of Hammer Perpetuem or you take quick shots of GU gel, you want to ingest your calories quickly and easily so you can concentrate on the trail.

(That’s how I get my calories during a mountain bike race. As for the number of calories I consume, that depends on the length of the race and follows the same set of guidelines listed in the rest of this article. )

For a long endurance ride:

For an easy to moderate pace ride that is 3-6 hours in length, I will be pounding down the sports drinks and energy bars.

At three hours, I usually stick with Powerbar Endurance or Hammer Heed. Any longer and I definitely consume a higher-calorie drink like Accelerade or Hammer Perpetuem. I’ll drink at least one bottle per hour (depending on the heat) to make sure I’m hydrated the entire ride.

I’ll also fill my jersey pockets with energy bars and snacks.

Overall you want to consume about 250-300 calories per hour. You could get that with an energy bar plus sports drink, two gels plus sports drink, or maybe three gels plus water.

The key is to start eating early. Even though you might not eat at all on a two hour ride, if you’re riding four hours, you should start eating 30 minutes into the ride!

(Whereas I might not eat at all on a two hour ride, I’ll have consumed 400-500 calories of solid food within the first two hours of a six hour ride! It’s very important to make sure you constantly replenish your glycogen stores, because this food will fuel you at hour six.)

Continue drinking every 15 minutes and eating every 30 minutes for the duration of the ride. That is either half an energy bar or one gel every 30 minutes.

Last tip: This list was what I would eat during a ride. As for what to carry during a ride, always carry more food than you think you need. The weight of a spare energy gel is minimal, but it could save your life. (You never know if you’ll get hungry, face an unexpected headwind, take a wrong turn, or something similar that will extend your ride time.)

Plus, you never know when you’ll have to boot a tire!

Happy riding, and happy eating!

Photo credit: ianmalcm