Picking Energy Bars And Sports Drinks
Most members of The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel aren’t exactly the sorts you would expect to see out running marathons or climbing mountains.
Then again, neither are most of the people who probably eat energy bars and guzzle sports drinks.
So we figured it was perfectly appropriate to have our panelists rate the products purely on the basis of taste. (We thought about trying to evaluate their effectiveness, too, but no one would take us up on the idea of a three-mile jog between the bar and drink courses.)
Energy bars, chewy, high-carbohydrate combinations of grains, sweeteners and flavorings, are increasingly being pitched as healthy snacks or even lunch replacements.
In our test of peanut butter bars, the panel’s rankings followed the sales figures. The market leader, Power Bar, bested the No. 2 brand, Clif Bar, with the more obscure BTU Stoker bringing up the rear.
Maybe it was the sugar content - 20 grams per Power Bar, compared to 15 for BTU and 10 for Clif (which was highest in fiber, at 8 grams to 3 grams for each of the others). Only the Power Bar contained the typical high-fructose corn syrup sweetener; the other two prominently advertised its absence, relying largely on brown rice syrup instead.
With the sports drinks, the deciding factor seemed to be salt - the more sodium, the higher the score. And the results again favored the traditional leader, with Gatorade edging Coca-Cola’s up-and-coming Powerade.
Then there was Resurge, from the Knudsen juice people, which bills itself as the first all-natural sports fluid replacement. It contains 49 percent actual juice, compared to none for the others (and has a higher price tag to match, although we found it on sale for more than half off).
Panelists were not impressed, deeming it watery and sour. Then again, after a few laps on an August afternoon, we bet they’d lap it right up.
Power Bar, Peanut Butter
Price: $1.39 for 2.3 ounces.
Nutrition: 230 calories (11 percent fat calories); 110 milligrams sodium.
Taste: ***
Value: **
Comments: “On the chewy side - don’t chomp on this with loose fillings. But the flavor is not altogether unpalatable.” - Helen Span
“This is my favorite type of Power Bar, sweet with little rice crunchies. Packed with energy and quick carbohydrates.” - Beth Kowal (our resident teen athlete).
Clif Bar, Crunchy Peanut Butter
Price: $1.39 for 2.4 ounces.
Nutrition: 250 calories (14 percent fat calories); 150 milligrams sodium.
Taste: **
Value: **
Comments: “Tastes the way you’d expect a health food bar to taste - grains and seeds (bird food in a bar).” - Beverly Smick
“This tastes like peanut butter that’s been left on a paper plate on the deck for the summer and allowed to collect things. Basically keck!” - Meagan Coffey
BTU Stoker Energy Bar, Peanut Butter Crunch
Price: $1.69 for 2.6 ounces.
Nutrition: 260 calories (12 percent fat calories); 70 milligrams sodium.
Taste: *
Value: **
Comments: “Like chewing on a chalkboard eraser with bran, but not as much flavor.” - Sandy Davidson
“Power Bar? More like a Power Doggie Biscuit.” - Jan Robison
Gatorade Thirst Quencher, Lemon-Lime
Price: $1.29 per quart.
Nutrition: 50 calories (no fat); 110 milligrams sodium per cup.
Taste: **
Value: **
Comments: “It does quench my thirst. Not my choice to spend money on though.” - Kathy Kelly
“Flavor OK, but smells better than it tastes. Might buy - but it would have to be on sale.” - Helen Span
Powerade Thirst Quencher, Lemon-Lime
Price: $1.15 per quart.
Nutrition: 70 calories (no fat); 55 milligrams sodium per cup.
Taste: **
Value: **
Comments: “Kind of a watered-down, salty, lemon-lime drink-like substance.” - Sandy Davidson
“The flavor lasts forever - not necessarily a good thing.” - Ken Peters
R.W. Knudsen, Recharge Lemon Thirst Quencher
Price: 99 cents per quart.
Nutrition: 70 calories (no fat); 25 milligrams sodium per cup.
Taste: *
Value: **
Comments: “Like water from an empty fruit can. Ghastly aftertaste.” - Karen Buck
“The color is dishwatery, the taste is acidic … not good! Instead of Recharge, it should be Regurge!” - Meagan Coffey
, DataTimes MEMO: Products sampled by The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel are prepared according to package directions. Panelists are not aware of a product’s brand name or price until after they have tasted it. Products are rated from one to five stars for taste and for value, based on quality compared to price.