. NUTRITION.

ny product that promises toboost physical performance isgoing to grab the attention ofathletes, and energy snacksare no exception. Energy barsand drinks are some of the lat-est "performance foods" to hitthe consumer market. Energy

bars and drinks may not be able toreplace real meals, but many of themprovide effective, vitamin-fortifiedsnacks for athletes. This article definesthe basic types of energy bars anddrinks, the ingredients that many con-tain, and the best way to use them.

ENERGYBARS

MC?stenergy bars tip the scale in the60-gram range, which is about twicethe weight of a typical granola, cereal,or candy bar. They usually contain atleast 25 grams of carbohydrate, 15grams of protein, and five grams of fatfor about 200 total calories. The main

difference between energy bars andcandy or granola bars is the presence ofprotein, added vitamins and minerals,and occasionally, herbal supplements.

Energy bars offer the athlete con-venience and portability. They don'thave to be refrigerated, and they can bestuffed into a gym bag. But energy barshave their downsides. Many are moreexpensive by weight than the ingredi-ents of a normal meal or even a candybar. Also, some of these products con-tain saturated fat in the form of coconutoil or palm oil, or partially hydrogenat-ed vegetable oils, all of which are notgood for cardiovascular health. Otherscontain herbs such as ephedra thatmany athletes might want to avoid.You may also want to steer clear ofenergy bars that contain sugar alcoholssuch as mannitiol, xylitol, and sorbitol,which can cause gas, bloating and diar-rhea, none of which would be desiredduring a workout or competition.

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WHATTO LOOKFOR

When choosing one of these products,check out the list of ingredients, payingparticular attention to the additives. Ifthe product states that it is a dietarysupplement and it has a supplementfacts panel instead of a nutrition factspanel, there may be herbal supple-ments or other ingredients you weren'texpecting, such as ephedra or gingkobiloba. Moreover, products that arebilled as "energy" products may con-tain some form of caffeine.

Another area to consider is thevitamin and mineral content of yourbar. If you use these products daily and

Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, is Director of theSports Medicine Nutrition Program at theUniversity of Pittsburgh Medical CenterHealth System, and a consultant to theUniversity of Pittsburgh Department ofAthletics, the Pittsburgh Steelers,Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, and severalPittsburgh-area high schools.

also take vitamin or mineral supple-ments, you may be overdoing it withmicronutrients.

Weight-conscious athletes need toconsider calories as well. Some ath-letes need to consume extra calories

during a distance run or other highlydemanding exercise, and energy barscome in handy for that. But others mayneed to keep the calories down, such asa wrestler trying to make weight.Therefore, when reading the ingredi-ents label, don't forget to check for theserving size and caloric content. A sin-gle, sealed package may contain morethan one serving. Also, be aware thatsome low-carbohydrate bars that areadvertised to help one get lean can stillpack a pretty powerful calorie punch.

TYPES OF BARS

There are many different brands ofenergy bars, but they can be dividedinto four basic types: high carbohy-drate, high protein, "zone" bars, andbars for women.

High-carbohydrate energy bars(see Table One, page 28) are composedof at least 60 percent carbohydrate,with the primary ingredients beingcorn syrup or brown-rice syrup, grains,dried fruit, or fruit-juice concentrate.These bars may be advantageous as asnack an hour before exercise, duringan extended race or workout, orbetween events. Energy bars should beconsumed with eight to 10 ounces offluid, beca,:!se they are often dry orchewy.

High-protein energy bars (seeTable Two, page 28) are targetedtoward bodybuilders and people whoare trying to decrease body fat. As youwould expect, these products contain ahigh amount of protein, very little car-bohydrate, and a moderate amount offat. Since protein is not an efficientfuel source for exercise, consumingthese products before a competition orworkout will not provide availablefuel. Howeyer, they may be useful forathletes who are consistently deficientin protein intake, such as the calorie-conscious gymnast or wrestler, or thevegetarian runner.

( - siDE EFFECT:S~Some energy drinks containingredients that create a

I "triple negative" by causingundesirable side effects that

Cqn impair performance, driveup the price of the product,aQd be totally useless as anenergy or performance boost-er. These ingredients include:

, . Caffeine(includingherbal forms such as guarana,

, niate, or kola nut). Ephedra (also called

nia huang). Pyruvate (the amount

in a drink is much less thanthe clinicaldose)

. Gingko biloba (noimpact on performance andthe amount added to drinks isnot regulated)

. Oxygen (this justdrives up the price of thebeverage. Breathe deeplyinstead.)

. Medium-chain triglyc-erides (not necessary in anenergy drink)

. Carnitine (does notpromote fat loss as manufac.turers claim)

. Glutamine (will notboost immune system orephance performance)

. Bee pollen (athleteswho are allergic to bees are infor a rude awakening withthis one)

. Taurine(noeffect onathleticperformance)

Another useful application ofhigh-protein bars is for athletes who donot like to eat large amounts of con-ventional protein-rich foods. Forexample, a 90-pound gymnast wouldprobably need to eat at least 45 gramsof protein a day during training.However, she may be unwilling to con-sume two glasses of milk, a three-ounce piece of chicken, and four orfive servings of grains to meet daily

. NUTRITION.

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protein needs. Yet a single high-proteinbar could easily satisfy 50 percent ofthat athlete's daily protein needs.

While all of these bars containhigh amounts of protein, you shouldchoose only bars with easily utilizedforms of protein. Specifically, the pro-tein in your bar should come from egg,soy, or milk (casein or whey). Somelabels list hydrolyzed protein, which isof poor quality and does not contain allof the essential amino acids needed formuscle growth and repair.

Zone-type energy bars (see TableThree, page 30) are often higher in fatthan either the high-carbohydrate orprotein bars, but they are lower in car-bohydrate content. Advertisements forsome of these products promote theirso-called fat-burning properties. Becareful: this claim is unsubstantiated.With that being said, these products arestill a better choice than pretzel orother snack foods because they containa mixof nutrients. .

Female-friendly is the newest cat-egory of energy bars (see Table Four,page 30). Marketed to women, theyoften are smaller in size and have

fewer calories than other energy bars.They also have additives such as soy,flax, and calcium that have health-enhancing effects for women. For thewoman who is protein and calciumdeficient, these bars may be a tasty,easy way to meet one's daily needswithout all the calories of some of the

other products on the market.

ENERGY DRINKS

Energy drinks capitalize on the ideathat hydration and energy together inone product can be very attractive tothe time-pressed athlete. Most energydrinks simply are a mixture of carbo-hydrate, water, and in some cases, caf-feine. Some of these products containelectrolytes, which can be valuablebefore and during exercise to promoteoptimal hydration and more efficientrecovery after exercise.

The energy in these drinks comesfrom carbohydrate, but the amount andform of the carbohydrate can make orbreak the product. Too much carbohy-

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. NUTRITION.

TABLE

TYPEPower Bar HarvestPower Bar EssentialClifClif IceMet-RxGatorade barOdwalla

Power Bar Performance

Tiger's MilkExtreme Ripped ForceProzone Cashew Almond Crunch

Nutra-FigYou are what you eatBoulder

Energy BarMountain Lift bar

All measurements are in grams except for calories;

TABLETYPEMet-Rx Source One

Met-Rx Natural KrunchBiochem Ultimate LoCarb

Atkins AdvantageEAS Myoplex HPEAS Myoplex DeluxeEAS Myoplex LiteEAS Simply ProteinProtein Revolution

SportPharma Extra ProTwinlab Protein FuelNature's Best Perfect

Worldwide Sport NutritionBiochem Ultimate Pro

American Body BuildingNature's Best PerfectPremier ProteinMLO Bio-ProteinPowerBar Protein Plus

Sport Pharma ProMaxPremier EightThink! ProteinMet-Rx Protein Plus Food BarMuscletech MesotechMuscletech-Nitrotech

Designer ProteinCarb Solutions

Labrada Lean BodyAll measurements are in grams except for calories.

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. NUTRITION.

TABLE

TYPE

BalanceBalance Outdoor

Ironman High EnergyPRZone PerfectTwinlab IronmanProzone

Champion Snac BarAll measurements are in grams

TABLE

TYPEEAS ResultsLunaPriaOasis

Twinlab Soy SensationsGenisoy Nature GrainsGenisoy Soy ProteinViactiv Energy CrispyAll measurements are in grams

TABLE

The following table refJectstheCarbohydrates are measuredingrarns.

PRODUCTEndurox R4

Super EnergyNexciteRed Bull

EclipseHansen's EnergyGatoradeEnergy DrinkJones Whoop AssHansen'sSlimdown

VitaCube System's E.ForceSobe Lizard Fuel

Sobe EnergyXTZX

Arizona RX EnergyArizona RX PowerSobe Adrenaline Rush

Sobe Power .

Mad River Energy HammerKMX

Calories27013010010980116206105012130120100120100135120110120

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drate can cause gastrointestinal dis-tress, whereas too little is useless.Glucose is the preferred carbohydratefonn, because it is quickly absorbedand easily utilized by the athlete'sbody. Conversely, products that con-tain primarily fructose or galactose fora carbohydrate source can upset thestomach, and will be much less effec-tive than those containing glucose.

If you are looking for an energyboost along with hydration, you shouldalso consider one of the standard sportsdrinks, which contain the carbohy-drates and electrolytes that an athleteneeds. In addition, sports drinks do notcontain additives such as caffeine or

ephedra.The number of energy drinks on

the market is increasing. However,they can be divided into three basiccategories: caffeine-containing prod-ucts, high-carbohydrate products, andhigh-protein products.

Caffeine-containing products haveanywhere from 50 to 150 milligrams ofcaffeine per eight-ounce serving. In

addition, they can contain less than onegram to 35 grams of carbohydrate, andfrom two to 135 calories per eight-ounce serving. The benefits of caf-feine-containing energy drinks arequestionable and vary widely from ath-lete to athlete, because caffeine can actas a diuretic.

High-carbohydrate products un-derstandably provide the majority oftheir calories from carbohydrate. Manyathletes use these energy drinks beforeevents to boost their carbohydrate lev-els. However, if your athletes are inter-ested in high-carbohydrate drinks,remember that large doses of carbohy-drate before or during exercise cantake longer to empty from the gut, thuspreventing adequate absorption ofintestinal fluid.

These products may be moreappropriate to consume after exerciseto replenish fluid and fuel. For exam-ple, an energy drink that supplies 50grams of carbohydrate and 200 calo-ries per eight-ounce serving wouldmake a useful post-exercise recovery

. NUTRITION.

fuel and fluid in one neat package.High-protein energy drinks typi-

cally have about 10 grams of protein inan eight-ounce serving. They alsorange from 17 to 24 grams of carbohy-drate, and 71 to 90 calories per eight-ounce serving. Like the high-proteinenergy bars, they are targeted towardbodybuilders. However, these energydrinks are also useful for athletes who

need to supplement their proteinintake, but who do not want to eat largeportions of eggs, yogurt, meat, andother high-protein foods.

BOTTOM LINE

Energy bars and drinks provide ath-letes with an effective and convenient

between-meal energy boost. However,they are not designed to replace realmeals and real food. If your athletesplan to replace regular meals withenergy bars and drinks, they would bewise to examine some of their other

health habits such as getting enoughrest, training well, eating regularly, andoptimally hydrating. .