Sunday, December 4, 2011

My Energy Bar of Choice: Steve's Ebars

As a competitive triathlete, I rely on proper nutrition to adequately prepare me for a workout, keep my energy levels up during a workout and for muscle recovery. Nutrition could be called the fourth sport in triathlon. Whether or not you fuel yourself correctly can make or break your performance, even if you are properly trained. However, because adequate digestion relies on increased blood flow to your stomach and digestive organs and exercise relies on blood flow to your working muscles, eating and activity are in constant opposition. The sports nutrition industry has capitalized on this and now there are a ton of products available that are easily digestible and can be used just before and during exercise. Sports nutrition products contain energy-boosting ingredients and a lot of vitamins and minerals, so they can even be used by the non-athlete who leads a busy lifestyle and needs a quick meal on the go. The energy bar that I rely is Steve’s Ebar. 

Steve’s Ebar is an an all natural energy bar that contains no added flavour or preservatives and includes ingredients that are nutrient dense (high vitamin & mineral content per calorie), high in antioxidants and are easy to digest. The high nutrient density is optimal for providing enough fuel for your muscles and the high antioxidant content is great for sustained energy. When you exercise you produce free-radicals which damage the muscle cells and cause you to tire during a workout. Antioxidants “soak-up” the free radicals and allow you to exercise longer and harder. The fact that all these great benefits come in a easy to digest form means that you can get all the benefits from a full meal, without depriving your muscles of blood flow that would otherwise be needed for digestion.

Compared to other bars I have tried, Steve’s Ebar is not only nutritious, but delicious too! The Chocolate Peanut Butter flavour has been described by many as tasting like a chocolate peanut butter cup. Other bars I have tried have horrible aftertastes, but Steve’s Ebar doesn’t just taste great, but there is no chemical aftertaste that you find with some of the other bars. I would say that overall it tastes like a cross between a granola bar and a whole-grain muffin and, if you are just eating one as an energy boosting snack on a busy day, tastes great with coffee.

Another great feature of Steve’s Ebar is that can be easily consumed during exercise. There is nothing worse than being on a long ride, trying to eat some of those other bars and finding that you are chewing for about 10 minutes before you can actually swallow. The Ebar is fresh and very easy to chew, making it ideal to eat anytime, even when you are on the bike or during a long run. 

For these reasons, Steve’s Ebar is my energy bar of choice. Steve Forst makes these bars in small batches in Toronto. For more information or to order a batch for yourself, contact Steve at trainwithsteve@gmail.com.

~ Miranda Tomenson-Bhardwaj, MSc