This weekend marks the annual New York City Marathon. The streets will be littered with, among other things, packaging from the supplements runners use during the race. Bars, gels, gummy snacks, and energy drinks rule the athletic supplement market. However, there is a growing number of conscious eaters who make efforts to make their own energy supplements at home.
One of the most popular energy boosts used in running comes in the form of a gel. I've run races using the various brands and flavors of energy gels and although I eventually came to like their strange gooey texture and fake taste (I know, call me crazy), I knew there had to be a better, more natural way, to boost my energy. The Chicago Tribune reports on the growing trend of cooking snacks to replace using packaged bars, gels, and drinks.
This really expands to the idea of cooking your own snacks and knowing how to fuel your body. So-called energy foods don't give magical athletic abilities; they rely on sugars and proteins that can be easily whipped up in your own kitchen. The article focuses on snacks to eat while cycling, where tucking, say, a peanut butter sandwich in a pouch on your bike is feasible. Try eating a banana or a homemade trail mix. Once your body adjusts to eating solid food while exercising, you can try small sandwiches or cookies For runners, I've seen recipes for making your own energy gels, usually with a honey base.
Do you make your own workout snacks?
Read More: Some athletes ditch processed foods for the real deal at the Chicago Tribune
Related: Workout Snacks: What do You Eat Before Exercising?
(Images: Emma Christensen)
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Thank you for bringing up this topic. While I'll always have a place in my heart for LARABARs I now make my own which work really well for fueling and energizing me before I surf or swim.
My wife almost always takes a piece of bread with peanut butter, folded in half in a ziplock bag, in her jersey pocket when she goes cycling. She usually takes a packaged bar too, but those almost always arrive home intact and get taken again the next week.
Thank you! I am so tired of seeing these from "outdoorsy" people who toss them or they may not even realize the package falls out onto the ground. I've seen these in beaver dams and duck ponds - not good. I have also seen plastic baggies. So don't forget, Chico makes those reuseable produce bags that can be washed easily, much better than plastic or paper.
A few times a week I work out after my workday ends for anwhere from 60-90 minutes. A couple of years ago I decided to ditch the pricey energy bars and just rely on a banana for my fuel. I eat it one hour before I'll be starting my exercise routine and its just the right amount of carbs to get me through my workout. I've never gone back.
Homemade nutrition/solid food is a good idea for most workouts, but solid food isn't feasible in some situations. There are times when it's best to get all of your nutrition from a mix you've put in your bottle, a Camelbak or a flask which is more difficult to make than a PB sandwich.
Two things I've found that work well are:
-90% honey and 10% molasses mixed in a flask with water to get it to your preferred consistency
-Maltodextrin - You can buy 50 lbs online from bread stores for a little over $50. It's a lot to have around the house (2.5 5-gallon buckets), but it is easy to mix in bottles and with recovery drinks. Maltodextrin is THE main ingredient in almost all energy gels and MUCH cheaper. You can add in electrolytes and soy protein to mimic Hammer Perpetuem or add fruit juice/honey/other flavors because on it's own it tastes bland.
Personally, I think that the litter problem is not solved by convincing people to make their own nutrition, but about changing people's mindsets. I will ride with a sticky jersey pocket to avoid littering and almost all my cycling friends are very careful not to litter. Also, I doubt that the litter problem would significantly decrease due to cessation of accidental littering by athletes.
Now, if someone could just tell me how to make Strawberry Stinger Waffles. :) Mmmmmmmm. Those are the best!
I generally stick to bananas, Larabars and Gu (in the event that I bonk) while racing, but my husband discovered and made Allen Lim's Sushi Rice Bars and they are freaking amazing. So delicious. I crave them on rest days.
I've tried making homemade PowerBars from online recipes for my randonneur boyfriend, and they're just nasty. I do make the Fruit and Nut Bars pictured above and we like those, but the current favorite is this: http://www.farmgirlfare.com/2010/06/recipe-quick-and-easy-raspberry-almond.html. I make them with whole wheat flour and my low-sugar freezer jam and they're great fuel for sports. We both love them. (BTW, the recipe makes a lot and there are just two of us, so I cut the amounts in half and bake it in a 9"x9" square pan.)
I always, always, always have a Clif bar or two somewhere nearby. They stay good forever, are chock full of fiber and vitamins, and even the mini ones fill me up like nothing else.
I once had a roommate with a Barefoot Contessa cookbook that contained a fantastic granola bar recipe, but I remember wondering whether they were actually nutritionally superior to Quaker Chewys.