Nutrition: Energy Bar Comparison Results
At the start of this year, I was lucky enough to have accumulated a wide variety of energy bars and gels from various competitions and trials. This blog post is a personal comparison of which I think are best: looking at taste, value, palatability (ease of consumption) and the quality of ingredients.
I will add to it over time, as I sample new brands, flavours and styles.
Home-made Flap-Jack
Flavour: My favourite is banana, fig and raisin
Description: The recipe I use can be found here: Recipe: High Energy Flapjacks. They are very tasty, cheap, healthy and easy to make. You can actually freeze them quite well, so doing a big batch and the storing them is not a problem. Well worth a try.
Maximuscle Viper Active Bar
Flavour: Apple and Cinnamon
Description: Not bad, it tastes a bit like Cinnamon Grahams (if you remember those). It's fairly dry and easily broken into bite-size chunks. Not too hard to chew down and swallow. There's nothing special about the ingredients to be honest, no home-made taste here; it could do with a bit of dried fruit or honey to help moisten it up.
Taste: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Performance Oatmeal Energy Bar - Cherry and Coconut
Flavour: Cherry and Coconut
Description: Cherry and Coconut might seem like an odd combination, but apart from being a bit crumbly, it works quite well; better than the banana bread flavour anyway. It could still do with a bit of moisture in there, but at least it is a big sized bar at 100g.
Taste: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Performance Oatmeal Energy Bar - Banana
Flavour: Banana Bread
Description: Definitely a bit average; it doesn't taste anything like banana bread that I have made at home! The flavour has a slightly odd synthetic after-taste and the oatmeal contents are quite chewy and hard to eat on the move. On the plus side, it did seem to provide quite a bit of sustenance for a long time, and it is a decent size 100g bar.
Taste: 2/5 Value: 3/5
Power Bar Berry Blast Energy Bar
Flavour: Berry Blast (Summer Fruits)
Description: After eating Mule Bars, Honey Stinger and Home-made Flapjack, all of which are made with natural ingredients and fresh produce, this bar from PowerBar was rather disappointing. It tastes rather like a Refresher bar for those that have had them. It is chewy, slightly synthetic and has a bit of an after taste. For me, it really wasn't great, and I certainly wouldn't buy one again any time soon. Perhaps one for those that prefer sweets rather than cereal bars.
Taste: 3/5 Value: 2/5
I will add to it over time, as I sample new brands, flavours and styles.
Home-made Flap-Jack
Flavour: My favourite is banana, fig and raisin
Description: The recipe I use can be found here: Recipe: High Energy Flapjacks. They are very tasty, cheap, healthy and easy to make. You can actually freeze them quite well, so doing a big batch and the storing them is not a problem. Well worth a try.
Taste: 5/5 Value: 5/5
Ingredients: 5/5 Palatability: 4/5
Overall: 19/20 (OK I might be a bit biased!)
Mule Bar Apple Strudel Energy Bar
Flavour: Apple Strudel
Description: So good!! My sister lived in Austria for a year and I know a proper Austrian Apfelstrudel is difficult to replicate in an energy bar! But this goes a long way to being successful. Very moist due to the chunks of Apple, and spicy because of the cinnamon. These are well worth a try!
Taste: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Mule Bar Liquorice All-Sports Energy Bar
Flavour: Liquorice (Fennel Seeds)
Description: Mule Bar have seriously hit the nail on the head for me with these. For those that have read my blog on Alternative Energy Foods, you will know that I am a sucker for Liquorice (probably something to do with being part-Dutch). This bar was moist, tasty and easy to eat. The only slight problem was that the Fennel seeds were a bit chewy, but they leave a nice taste in your mouth. Definitely on the recommendation list!
Taste: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Flavour: Apple Strudel
Description: So good!! My sister lived in Austria for a year and I know a proper Austrian Apfelstrudel is difficult to replicate in an energy bar! But this goes a long way to being successful. Very moist due to the chunks of Apple, and spicy because of the cinnamon. These are well worth a try!
Taste: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Ingredients: 5/5 Palatability: 5/5
Overall: 19/20
Mule Bar Liquorice All-Sports Energy Bar
Flavour: Liquorice (Fennel Seeds)
Description: Mule Bar have seriously hit the nail on the head for me with these. For those that have read my blog on Alternative Energy Foods, you will know that I am a sucker for Liquorice (probably something to do with being part-Dutch). This bar was moist, tasty and easy to eat. The only slight problem was that the Fennel seeds were a bit chewy, but they leave a nice taste in your mouth. Definitely on the recommendation list!
Taste: 5/5 Value: 4/5
Ingredients: 5/5 Palatability: 5/5
Overall: 19/20
Honey Stinger Rocket Chocolate
Flavour: Rocket Chocolate
Description: Very tasty, definitely one for the chocolate lovers. This bar is moist, sweet and has a good texture. You can tell that the Honey Stinger products are made from natural ingredients, as the bar does not taste synthetic, or feel overly sticky and hard to eat. Highly Recommended.
Taste: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Honey Stinger Rocket Chocolate
Flavour: Rocket Chocolate
Description: Very tasty, definitely one for the chocolate lovers. This bar is moist, sweet and has a good texture. You can tell that the Honey Stinger products are made from natural ingredients, as the bar does not taste synthetic, or feel overly sticky and hard to eat. Highly Recommended.
Taste: 5/5 Value: 3/5
Ingredients: 5/5 Palatability: 4/5
Overall: 17/20
Mule Bar Summer Pudding Energy Bar
Flavour: Summer Fruits
Description: Perhaps it's just that the image of summer pudding conjures up thoughts of moist fruit and sogginess, but I found this bar a bit dry. It was tasty enough, and certainly you could tell it was natural and organic, but it was a bit too much like a standard Granola or Frusili bar for me to put it down as anything special.
Taste: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Mule Bar Summer Pudding Energy Bar
Flavour: Summer Fruits
Description: Perhaps it's just that the image of summer pudding conjures up thoughts of moist fruit and sogginess, but I found this bar a bit dry. It was tasty enough, and certainly you could tell it was natural and organic, but it was a bit too much like a standard Granola or Frusili bar for me to put it down as anything special.
Taste: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Ingredients: 4/5 Palatability: 4/5
Overall: 16/20
Nature Valley Crunchy Rolled Oat Bar
Flavour: Canadian Maple Syrup, Ginger, Oats and Honey
Description: A tasty and easy to eat bar, that can be bought in most supermarkets. Each packet has two "bars" in it, which is useful, as you don't have to try and wolf down a whole bar in one "sitting". Size-wise it is a little small at only 42grams, but it is a fair bit cheaper than many out-and-out energy bars, yet still provides the benefits of oat-driven energy.
Taste: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Nature Valley Crunchy Rolled Oat Bar
Flavour: Canadian Maple Syrup, Ginger, Oats and Honey
Description: A tasty and easy to eat bar, that can be bought in most supermarkets. Each packet has two "bars" in it, which is useful, as you don't have to try and wolf down a whole bar in one "sitting". Size-wise it is a little small at only 42grams, but it is a fair bit cheaper than many out-and-out energy bars, yet still provides the benefits of oat-driven energy.
Taste: 4/5 Value: 4/5
Ingredients: 4/5 Palatability: 4/5
Overall: 16/20
Maximuscle Viper Active Bar
Flavour: Apple and Cinnamon
Description: Not bad, it tastes a bit like Cinnamon Grahams (if you remember those). It's fairly dry and easily broken into bite-size chunks. Not too hard to chew down and swallow. There's nothing special about the ingredients to be honest, no home-made taste here; it could do with a bit of dried fruit or honey to help moisten it up.
Taste: 4/5 Value: 3/5
Ingredients: 3/5 Palatability: 4/5
Overall: 14/20
Performance Oatmeal Energy Bar - Cherry and Coconut
Flavour: Cherry and Coconut
Description: Cherry and Coconut might seem like an odd combination, but apart from being a bit crumbly, it works quite well; better than the banana bread flavour anyway. It could still do with a bit of moisture in there, but at least it is a big sized bar at 100g.
Taste: 3/5 Value: 3/5
Ingredients: 3/5 Palatability: 4/5
Overall: 13/20
Performance Oatmeal Energy Bar - Banana
Flavour: Banana Bread
Description: Definitely a bit average; it doesn't taste anything like banana bread that I have made at home! The flavour has a slightly odd synthetic after-taste and the oatmeal contents are quite chewy and hard to eat on the move. On the plus side, it did seem to provide quite a bit of sustenance for a long time, and it is a decent size 100g bar.
Taste: 2/5 Value: 3/5
Ingredients: 3/5 Palatability: 3/5
Overall: 11/20
Power Bar Berry Blast Energy Bar
Flavour: Berry Blast (Summer Fruits)
Description: After eating Mule Bars, Honey Stinger and Home-made Flapjack, all of which are made with natural ingredients and fresh produce, this bar from PowerBar was rather disappointing. It tastes rather like a Refresher bar for those that have had them. It is chewy, slightly synthetic and has a bit of an after taste. For me, it really wasn't great, and I certainly wouldn't buy one again any time soon. Perhaps one for those that prefer sweets rather than cereal bars.
Taste: 3/5 Value: 2/5
Ingredients: 3/5 Palatability: 3/5
Overall: 11/20
Ah can't beat Tesco Value Chocolate and Apricot Cereal Bars
ReplyDeleteThe SIS bars are quite tasty, banana fudge, chocolate or berry flavour.
ReplyDelete