Power bar gel Blasts

FYI for anyone interested... I stick to Clif products because they don't contain gelatin or any other animal by-products. You don't have to necessarily be vegan like me to be grossed out by gelatin. Watermelon Luna Moons rock my world.

From Wikipedia:
"On a commercial scale, gelatin is made from by-products of the meat and leather industry, mainly pork skins, pork and cattle bones, or split cattle hides. ... The raw materials are prepared by different curing, acid, and alkali processes which are employed to extract the dried collagen hydrolysate. These processes may take up to several weeks..." Ewwwwww.

Some gelatin (kosher gelatin) is made from fish. Still not exactly the most appetizing thing in the world, but not quite as gross to me (or so I tell myself) when I really want a marshmallow in my cocoa :p. Who knows what Powerbar uses.

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Originally Posted by aicabsolut

Well, they say they're a "gel" replacement, and I think a lot of gels have electrolytes, so it's kind of deceptive.

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Ah. I use Hammer gels when I use gels and they don't have electrolyes. I guess Power bar ones may.

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Originally Posted by maillotpois

Ah. I use Hammer gels when I use gels and they don't have electrolyes. I guess Power bar ones may.

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Looking at the ingredients of PowerBars,
PowerBar
and all I see is various kinds of sugar (which they call "C2 Max Carbohydrate Blend"...sugar contains carbs), gelatin, a pinch of lemon concentrate, ascorbic acid/vit C (used as a preservative but not enough to put in the 'percent of daily requirements' table), natural acids for tartness, texturizers, color, and flavors. Hmm...why not just drink sugar water or fruit juice mixed with water?


Oakleaf- I would opt for using a waxed paper sandwich bag for one-time use for sticky foods like P&J sandwich quarters. Like you I rinse out plastic bags too, and reuse them several times. :)

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Originally Posted by maillotpois

Ah. I use Hammer gels when I use gels and they don't have electrolyes. I guess Power bar ones may.

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Hammer gels most certainly contain some electrolytes (no calcium or magnesium).

Example (Apple Cinnamon Hammer gel):

Long-chain Maltodextrin, Filtered Water, Apple Concentrate, Energy Smart® (Fruit Juice, Natural Grain Dextrins), Malic Acid, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Amino Acids (L-Leucine, L-Alanine, L-Valine, L-Isoleucine), Sodium Chloride, Potassium Sorbate (as a preservative), Potassium Chloride

Ah, well, you learn something new. I always assumed since their endurance drink didn;t have any and they heavily market the E caps that their gels did not. Guess I got a bonus... :D

The sodium in Hammer Gels is only 2% of your RDA - 40 mg. I never considered them a significant source of electrolytes.

BSG - people eat what suits them for the type of ride they are doing.

V.

Ah - that makes more sense, Veronica. It's not an amount of electrolyte you can rely on for rides. Just that, a bit of a bonus.

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Originally Posted by Veronica

BSG - people eat what suits them for the type of ride they are doing.

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Yes, I hear you. I do know however that sometimes people don't understand what is actually in the prepared foods and drinks they buy. When marketing such items, ingredients listed can often sound impressive and nutritious but actually be just a sugar, a texturizer, or a preservative, etc. It's always good to know what we are putting into our bodies and to think of all the various choices we have. I do understand that not everyone's stomach can handle eating for instance a p&j sandwich on hard rides. :)

Well I guess the masses are well-informed now.

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Originally Posted by jobob

Well I guess the masses are well-informed now.

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Or else everything (both pro and con) about Power Bar Gel Blasts has pretty much said at this point? :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by jobob

Well I guess the masses are well-informed now.

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I dunno, I think an in depth study with the help of a biochemist would help.......:p

I'm on the "I can't eat gummie bear/sharkie type stuff" team, so I guess I won't be trying these delicacies. Now, give me a Payday, or a Luna Nutz over Chocolate........:cool:

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Originally Posted by snapdragen

I'm on the "I can't eat gummie bear/sharkie type stuff" team, so I guess I won't be trying these delicacies. Now, give me a Payday, or a Luna Nutz over Chocolate........:cool:

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Is there a way to carry and ingest chocolate in some form on a 3 hour ride over 80 or 90 degrees?

There's a chocolate LaraBar. It seems pretty solid. And it's fair trade, even!

Power bar makes a good chocolate gel that is like frosting. One of my teammates is a big chocolate Gu fan.