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ALL THE BEST EQUIPMENT FOR A BETTER SWIM TIME TO
We all need energy to help us perform at our best. Sports nutritionist Joel Enoch reviews the best carb-rich treats on the market…
TRIED AND TESTED
We rate the leading recovery bar brands on the energy market…
MAXIMUSCLE VIPER ACTIVE BAR At the forefront of nutritional companies, Maximuscle is serious about applying science to its products and the Viper Active Bar is no exception. Most other bars are engineered so that carbs are utilised for energy more quickly than fats but Maximuscle has chosen to blend slower-releasing carbs
(from oats) with more rapidly utilised fats found in coconut oil. There’s no scrimping on taste either; this is one of the nicest bars you will fi nd on any shelf. Flavours: Apple & Cinnamon, Banana Carbohydrates: 37g per 55g bar Calories from fat: 17% Cost: £15.99 for 12 from
maximuscle.com/viperactivebars Rating:
88% MULEBAR
Most of the energy we need comes from three healthy meals a day, but us athletes oſt en need more to get us through
hard training sessions and warm downs. We can be a demanding bunch: sometimes we need fast or slow-release energy, and use a range of energy sources, including varying quantities of fructose (energy found in fruit sugars) or glucose (fast-release, sweet energy). Sometimes we just want a healthy snack to tide us over till our next training session, or a bar with a few vitamins for nutritional goodness, or perhaps one that is natural, low fat, organic or fairtrade. Whether eaten before, during or aſt er sport, the energy bar tries to meet as many of these demands as possible, while still tasting good enough that we will splash out our hard-earned cash on it rather than on a Mars Bar.
With so many possibilities, energy bars vary signifi cantly from one to another, and it’s very diffi cult to fi nd one that covers every eventuality. Some will be suitable for workouts, others for helping recovery, some just as a snack. As an athlete, and as a nutritionist, I understand that fi nding the right energy bar for you is vital, but also that personal taste varies from person to person. Here, I try to cut through some of the jargon and list the pros, cons
and my thoughts on some of the top energy bar ranges… ultimately though, how good they taste is down to you.
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Like others on test, MuleBar makes much of its natural ingredients, but unfortunately they don’t fortify their bars with vitamins and minerals or anything that might improve endurance. There is limited nutritional information available as to the benefi ts of these bars, and – for me – the taste across the whole range falls a long way short of the mark. MuleBar is a good choice for a healthy snack, if you like the taste, but there are bet er sports bars.
Flavours: Strudel, Liquorice Allsports, Summer Pudding, Mango Tango, Hunza Nut, Pinacolada and Chocolate Fig Fiesta Carbohydrates: Range
Calories from fat: percentage varies Cost: £36 for 24 from
mulebar.com Rating:
67% HIGH5 ENERGY BAR
You can’t argue with a bar that off ers one of the lowest fat and highest carb contents of any bar on test while also including 58 percent fruit and 22 percent grains. While it doesn’t have that lovely homemade quality of some of the others, and the packaging is beyond retro, this is one of the best all-rounders and would work well before, during or aſt er sport. Flavours: Banana, Citrus, Berry Carbohydrates: 42g per 65g bar Calories from fat: 11%
Cost: £29.75 for 25 from highfi
veonline.co.uk Rating:
84%
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