Do you want an energy bar that’s tasty, nutritious, and quickly gives you a lot of energy? If the answer is yes, then the best way to make it is at home using pure ingredients only. There’s no need for preservatives, artificial flavours, or any other chemicals, all you need are nuts and fruits. Check out the recipe at the end of this article.
What makes an energy bar good for endurance sports?
It needs to be easy to digest, contain plenty of quick energy, and some electrolytes too. If you’re about to ride longer than one hour, it’s a good idea to carry some portable energy. It’s best to choose easily digestible carbs as your fuel if you want to eat on the bike. Your body can utilize them easily without any gut discomfort as long as you don’t exceed 90 g of carbs per hour.
Endurance bars also shouldn’t contain much protein or fat because those macronutrients are harder to digest and may have a negative effect on performance. Fruits are the ideal food in this regard, that’s why the following recipe relies on them as the major source of energy.
Recipe: Homemade Endurance Raw Bar
This recipe yields 4 bars, each carrying about 49 g of carbs and 415 total kcal. If you take 2 of them with you on a ride, you can easily fuel over 4 hours of cycling. The included nuts will also provide you with valuable minerals you’ll be sweating out. You can make this bar using various types of nuts to keep it interesting.
Ingredients
1½ cup dates
½ cup cashews (or a mix of nuts)
½ cup coconut flakes
1 tbsp. coconut oil
Instructions
1. Chop dates and nuts. Put into a blender and mix.
2. Add coconut oil and flakes and create a more or less homogenous dough.
3. Shape the dough into a brick, cover in foil, and freeze for 30 minutes.
4. Take out of the freezer, cut into bars of your preferred size and cover in foil again.
5. Store in a cold place. Transport in sealed containers.
