Energy Bars Draw Everyday Exercisers, Too

Read the label on an energy bar--those healthy snacks designed to get you through grueling workouts--and you can feel almost invincible. Words such as performance, power and energy are plastered on the wrappings.

Long favored by endurance athletes (and touted by some big-name athletes), energy bars are also attracting everyday exercisers. That’s partly due to a glut of new brands and strategic ads suggesting what’s good for the elite might help the rest of us, too.

Energy bars can have a place in an exerciser’s diet but can also be overkill, dietitians say. And there’s nothing magical about them, the experts say. The same effect can be had with everyday foods, usually for less than the $1 to $2 charged for most energy bars.

Here’s some information to chew on before you face the smorgasbord of choices.

Solving the Taste Bud Problem: Palatability has been a sore point, even among dedicated energy-bar eaters--who describe the taste as somewhere between cardboard and taffy gone bad. But that’s passe, or so manufacturers claim, with a new emphasis on flavors.

The Formula: The common denominator for energy bars is a high-carbohydrate recipe that is low in fat to provide as much energy as possible. Fat intake should be kept to a minimum before exercise because it slows the transit time of food through the system, says Ellen Coleman, a Riverside dietitian and author of “Eating for Endurance.”

Many energy bars get only about 8% to 10% of calories from fat, with the majority of calories from carbohydrates, followed by protein. Each bar is fortified with vitamins and minerals. The shelf life is six months or more.

The Market: In the past few years, several brands have debuted. Some have already come and gone. A sampling of what’s still around:

* PowerBar, in four flavors. Apple-Cinnamon, for example, weighs 2.25 ounces, has 225 calories and two grams of fat.

* Deer Valley McHenergy Bar, sold only by phone from Deer Valley Resort ((800) 424-3337), weighs 2.5 ounces, has 260 calories and 1.4 grams of fat, pastry chef Letty Flatt says.

* The Clif (CQ) Bar, apricot variety, weighs 2.4 ounces, has 250 calories and no refined sugars, wheat or dairy products.

* FinHalsa weighs 1.7 ounces, has 170 calories and two grams of fat.

* Trail Hiker, sold at ski resorts and by phone ((800) 234-7669), weighs 1.5 ounces, has 110 calories and no fat.

Who Needs Them: Energy bars are ideal for exercisers involved in endurance activities, generally defined as an hour or more, Coleman says.

“The average Joe going out jogging four miles probably doesn’t need these,” adds Alicia Moag-Stahlberg, a Chicago dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Assn.

The bars can come in handy, though, Coleman says, as convenient meal replacements if you are short of time. They can beat a fatty burger if you are trying to eat something before a workout.

When To Eat Them: Don’t eat these bars too close to exercise time, or you may end up with less energy as your body works to digest them.

“It’s best to eat them 60 to 90 minutes before working out,” says Martin Yadrick, a Manhattan Beach dietitian specializing in sports nutrition. “The more solid the bars are, and the more fiber, the longer before exercising you should eat them,” he says. That will allow digestion to proceed so that once you begin exercising, blood flow can be diverted from your gut to your working muscles.

Coleman suggests one-hour eating intervals to replenish energy during an endurance activity. Suppose you are heading out for a three-hour bike ride? “At the end of the first hour, start eating a half-bar an hour.”

Drinking water or sports drinks with the bars is highly recommended and is even advised on some labels to aid digestion.

Label Reading: Look for bars low in fat. And don’t buy something that only looks like an energy bar. Some bars sold alongside energy bars are actually “nutrition bars,” meant as healthier alternatives to candy bars, not pre-workout munchies. The fat grams are the clue: Some nutrition bars have seven grams of fat, but most energy bars have half that or fewer.

“Don’t buy an (energy) bar that has more than three grams of fat,” Moag-Stahlberg says.

Alternatives: Other foods can help exercisers maintain energy through a workout and probably save money to boot, dietitians say. Good alternatives, Moag-Stahlberg says, are a banana, a bagel or both. Rice cakes, corn cakes or low-fat yogurt are other good choices, Coleman adds, along with “any food predominantly grain or fruit.”