“Organic Food Sales Grew 22% in 2006,” according to a May 2007 post of the same title, in Supermarket News. This is evidence of a growing trend towards seeking out a healthier lifestyle. We’re seeking out meal replacement bars to balance out our trips through the fast food drive-thru. There are many options out there, cereal bars, meal-on-the-go bars, protein bars, the marketplace is saturated with them.
In this article I, with a little help from my friends will evaluate two of the most popular brands on taste, texture, aesthetics, and I’ll throw in a bit of the hype from the makers. In the end, I hope to give you some insight and opinion to help you decide which to try for yourself.
The Bias:
Since I’m admittedly biased to Clif Bars, I enlisted the help of a 6 year old & his grandfather. I know I like them, but what about a generation older & younger than me?
Prior to today’s taste-test, I’ve only tried a PowerBar one other time. I was coming back from my gig of scaring the bajeebers out of folks in line for a haunted house and needed immediate calories. I didn’t want to just eat junk food (well, I did want to eat junk food, but chose to eat healthier.) I stopped at a gas station and selected a PowerBar. I couldn’t take more than three bites before my mouth refused to open. However, in the interest of this article, I opted to try it again.
My experience with Clif Bar goes back a few years, to a dance event, where a dancer friend of mine, Anna Labriola, offered me a Clif Bar. I had been dancing so much, that the cocktail of adrenaline and endorphins were eliminating hunger. The lack of caloric intake is not good on a body swing dancing 50 hours out of a 72 hour weekend. After wrinkling my nose, I took a bite and found it quite pleasant. They could stay in my dance bag, or in my car’s glove compartment and be there when I needed calories.
The Hype:
Websites for both PowerBar and Clif Bar suggest eating the bars about an hour before a big workout. PowerBar specifically cites being good for the days when “training starts very early in the morning and eating a pre-workout meal just isn’t realistic.” Hey, that’s great, but I think a lot of folks look to these kinds of things for long commutes, or to grab something to eat when running late to school.
What really is the energy in “energy bars?” Energy bars don’t necessarily make one feel more energized or more energetic after eating them, really. The energy referred to in these or any “energy” product are the calories. Calories equal energy.
The real differentiating factors come in with supplemental additives, quality of ingredients and taste.
The Facts:
Eat 240-250 calories in straight sugar, and your blood will get a rush of caloric energy, followed by a crash, when insulin reacts. Eat the same amount of calories in whole grains, or proteins, and that caloric energy enters the bloodstream more slowly, and so the rise and fall happen slower and with less of a shocking effect. The truth is, you could get even better nutrition from fresh produce, with a lasting effect. But who has the time to cook on the go, or desire to carry around a personal picnic, when you can slip one of these energy bars into your coat pocket, bag, or briefcase?
According to PowerBar’s FAQ, 75% of the “Power” in the Nestlė PowerBar comes from carbs. 40-45% of PowerBar’s carbs come from “glucose and fructose derived from corn, grapes & pears.” If you read the label, the first ingredients listed are “high fructose corn syrup with grape and pear juice concentrate.” If you are one of the many people who crash or get irritable after ingesting corn syrup, this product is not a good choice for you. Also, if you’re on the diabetes spectrum, glucose and fructose are sugars that you might want to consider before choosing an energy bar.
Clif Bar’s energy comes from 70% organic ingredients. What does that mean to you? Real food. Open the wrapper and you can see the organic oats, organic peanut butter, and organic chocolate chips. Clif Bars were invented in owner Gary’s Mom’s kitchen and named after his dad, Clifford. According to the FAQ section of the Clif Bar website, Clif Bars are kosher, and contain no dairy or animal products, but one of their suppliers does make other products using dairy. Also, anyone with an allergy to any nuts should not eat Clif Bars. And those sensitive to gluten may find they react to the gluten in the oats or bran, even though the bars are wheat-free.
Both bars provide a comparable amount of calories, carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and mineral supplements. See more specific nutrition information in the included graphics.
The Bonus Points:
Clif Bar practices what it preaches. The company supports organizations that address environmental, health and social issues. And the boxes of six bars are made from 100% recycled material. That gets cool points in my book.
The Opinion:
My PowerBar test was pleasant enough. I chose peanut butter flavor. It smelled like peanut butter, even kind of tasted like peanut butter. It had the shape of “Air Heads” taffy, looking like it was piped by machine. I was pleasantly surprised that I got more than three bites into the bar, without wincing. The PowerBar had a sticky texture, which may have come from the high fructose corn syrup that is the first ingredient listed. The downside came when I was done with the PowerBar. It left a weird aftertaste and I was really hungry only an hour later, when all I was doing was sitting and writing – no strenuous work or heavy workout.
“I carry around Power Bars because sometimes my hypoglycemia hits, and I’ve got to do something about it NOW.” Paul Nass, “Pops,” a web designer in the Midwest, goes on to say, “in the winter, when out walking [the dog] I have to keep it as close to my body as possible, because if it turns cold like the air temperature, there’s no way to bite through that thing. You could suck on it, but that wouldn’t deliver the quick calories.”
And the Clif Bar Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch? “… the smell is not appetizing. It tastes fine. Has a pleasing texture,” Paul says as he crinkles up the empty wrapper. It’s good,” says his 6 year old grandson, as he points out that he can see the chocolate chips and peanuts.
And as for me, Clif Bars are a keeper. Whether I’m taking a bite between dance competitions, bringing a healthy snack for when I have to eat on the go, or powering up with sustained energy for a night of scaring kids in line for a haunted house, Clif Bar will be with me. Plus, like a good-for-me candy bar – it tastes delicious!
