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Copyright: Nancy Clark, MS, RD

Power Bars

Powerbars, PR Bars, Gatorbars, Cliff Bars. You can spend a fortune on these pre-wrapped bundles of energy. Are they worth it? Some athletes swear yes, others claim no. To help you decide on the role of sports in your diet, here are some facts to add to your knowledge about your personal taste preferences, food tolerances and budget.

In today's eat-and-run society where meals are a rare occurrence, a sports bar suits the needs for many hungry athletes who see a hassle-free, somewhat nutritious snack. You could also choose lowfat granola/breakfast bars from the supermarket as an acceptable alternative at a fraction of the price.

Sports bars promote pre-exercise eating- a great way to boost stamina and endurance. The energy boost associated with eating a sports bar is less attributed to magic ingredients and more likely due to eating 200-300 calories. Note that calories from Fig Newtons, graham crackers, bananas, and bagels are also effective pre-exercise energizers.

Most sports bars claim to be highly digestible. Whether they are any more so then regular foods is debatable. As with any food you have to learn by trial and error what works best for you, preferably during training! Do not try something new two hours before your game or event. Always drink plenty of water when you eat a sports bar to help it settle better.

Some sports bars tout they are fat-free or very low in fat, hence digest quickly and empty from the stomach without causing problems. But others boast about a higher fat content that supposedly promotes greater fat burning to help you exercise longer before "hitting the wall." To date no published research suggests this to be true. The bulk of evidence still supports the use of carbohydrates as the main fuel for athletes. One possible advantage to including a little fat in the pre-exercise snack may be for sustained energy. Because fat takes longer to digest than does carbohydrates, bars that contain fat might be a better energy source for long distance athletes who could be exercising for more then 90 minutes.

Sports bars are expensive. You’ll have to fork over at least one dollar, if not two , to buy, most sports bars. The best value is to buy low fat granola bars or breakfast bars from the supermarket, rather then sports bars from the specialty stores or health food centers. A handful of raisins can also do a great job at a very low price!

Nancy Clark, MS, RD specializes in nutrition for exercise. She offers private nutrition consultations at Sports Medicine Brookline. Her popular Sports Nutrition Guidebook, 2nd edition ($14.36) and The New York City Marathon Cookbook ($23) are available via Amazon.com