[pct-l] Energy Bars or Candy Bars?

[cmkudija at earthlink.net (Christine Kudija)]

We ate Bear Valley Bars years ago (a mainstay on our first "distance" hike
on the JMT in '82) and switched to Powerbars & Clif bars when they became
available.  They're certainly better than Power Bars for staying power, but
I find that they don't provide the quick boost that Power Bars do.  I don't
like eating Power Bars much, but they work for my system.  Clif bars do as
well - it's surprising to me that they can be perceived as having a
"chemical" taste, seeing as the ingredients are reasonably un-refined.
(Notice that I didn't say totally unrefined - the soy protein crisp stuff
used certainly must be refined to some extent).  But a Clif bar got me to
camp the other night, when nibbles on trail mix didn't....

Also, I don't always need 400 calories all at once on a short trip of a week
or less.  The 220 provided by a Clif or Powerbar work fine for what I need
at the time.  YMMV - especially if you're not a 5'6" female ;-) !

My bottom line on the energy bar thing, whether they are pre-packaged and
available at retail, or homemade (Goforth's seed bars), is that you need to
find what works for you - what gives you quick and lasting energy, what
provides some nutrition, and what doesn't give you the trots ;-)  ...

Christine "Ceanothus" Kudija

"Never measure the height of a mountain, until you have reached the top.
Then you will see how low it was."  Dag Hammarskjold



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Setzer" <Steven.Setzer@Colorado.EDU>
To: <PCT-L@mailman.backcountry.net>
Sent: Wednesday, July 09, 2003 3:02 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Energy Bars or Candy Bars?


|
| Has anyone tried Bear Valley bars?  Chris Townsend recommends them in his
| Advanced Backpacking book.  I think they are much better than Power Bars
| and Clif Bars (which I can't stand).  I wouldn't call them good but they
| are much better than the alternatives.  Plus they contain all essential
| amino acids and they seem more like "real" food.  Perfect for people with
| high metabolisms (I think they contain over 400 calories).
|
| Steve
|
| -------------------------------------------------------------
|
| On Wed, 9 Jul 2003 wandering_bob@msn.com wrote:
|
| > In preparation for my trek, I decided to try the new Balance Gold (TM)
energy bars in place of my old standard, king size Payday (TM) candy bars. I
must admit, I saw the smaller, lighter, bars and fell for the 40/30/30% of
calories ad copy. Besides, the names are great - S'mores, Chocolate Mint,
etc. Gotta be better than even my older friend, Tiger's Milk (TM) bars,
right? WRONG!
| >
| > The Payday bar is twice the weight of a Balance Gold bar, so I've also
tabulated the nutritional content for 2 BG's for comparison (because nobody
can eat just half a Payday). These figures are taken or calculated from the
nutritional labeling panels on the respective bars.
| >
| > BalancePaydayBalance
| > GoldCandyGold x 2
| > Gross weight (oz)1.93.53.8
| > Bar weight (grams)5096100
| > Bar cost $$1.35$0.95$2.70
| >
| > Calories210480420
| > Calories from fat60120120
| > Total fat (grams)72614
| > Saturated fat (gm)448
| > Carbohydrate (gm)235046
| > Protein (gm)151230
| > Sodium (mg)160340320
| > Potassium (mg)100na200
| > % calories from carb434243
| > % calories from fat304930
| > % calories from protein281028
| >
| > By my reckoning, I get more go-power (and taste) out of a Payday, and
for a LOT less money. Since there is no chocolate coating on Paydays, they
"survive" better in my pack when it's hot. Rounding off accordingly, the
percents of calories by source are 40-30-30 for Balance Gold vs. 40-50-10
for Payday. I'll make up the protein difference in my regular meals.
| >
| > Wandering Bob
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