Forums: September 2010 Kickstart Forum Archive: Protein bars??
Created on: 09/11/10 09:02 PM Views: 1925 Replies: 9
cch22 Joined: 09/08/10 Location: New York State Posts: 1000	Protein bars?? Posted Saturday, September 11, 2010 at 9:02 PM Today we took what i thought was going to be a short bike ride.. WE saw friends and it turned out to be a 4 hour ride, i got hungry in the middle.. i did ok.. i bought dried apricots a cukecumber at a supermarket and ate it. no real energy in it, but it satisfied my hunger for a while. so the question is .. Is there a protein bar like luna or cliff or Gu maybe that is vegan..? Or anything that i can throw in my small bike bag so if that happens again i am taken care of and have food that will give me energy? i just looked at the snack section..saw trail mix.. any particular one or any? any ingredients to avoid?
	Edited 09/11/10 9:06 PM Quote | Send PM | Link | Top | Bottom
mollyhorn Joined: 03/03/10 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 582	RE: Protein bars?? Posted Saturday, September 11, 2010 at 11:13 PM Yes, there are several that are vegan. Gnu Foods Fiber bars are all vegan, super healthy and really good. Low in fat, high in fiber, and made of real, natural ingredients. They're my #1 choice, hands down. Clif "Builder's Bars" are vegan, but very high in sugar, so watch out. They have a moderate amount of fat from fractionated palm kernel oil. Larabars are all-raw and mostly vegan, but do not contain much protein. They're mostly sugar and fat. They don't sustain my energy at all. Probars are a vegan meal-replacement bar, meaning they are much higher in calories. There are a few others on the market. If I can remember the names, I'll post more later. As I said, Gnu Bars are my hands-down favorite. They contain prebiotic fiber, which encourages the growth of healthy intestinal flora. They keep me full for longer than Larabars. The Clif bars contain a decent amount of protein, but are basically just sugar and soy-based extracted fake ingredients. I like the Gnu bars because they are REAL FOOD. You actually recognize what all the ingredients are. When I know I'm going to be out for a while and I'm not sure if I'll have food available, I pack with me a Gnu bar, a small apple, and a bottle of water. Sometimes I'll take 1/2 oz. of pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds. This usually tides me over until I can get a real sit-down meal. Plus, it's nutritious! Molly Horn
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cch22 Joined: 09/08/10 Location: New York State Posts: 1000	RE: Protein bars?? Posted Sunday, September 12, 2010 at 8:00 AM thanks for the reply molly. finally real food. I must be chosing the wrong things cause it seems this way of life is full of mush food. While it is good, i think i need to tweak the reciepes. for instance, i made the lentil soup last night. boil beans, celery, onions for one hour = mush with water... add crushed tomatoes & cousous= more mush. To tweak i think i would add more water product, either water, veg stock or crushed tomatoes.. then when i add the cousous load it up with vegs that will be firm when i eat them. carrots.. more celery.. mushrooms... whatever. i need to find recipes to get excited about.. so far i LIKE them, but nothing to write home about. Although i do like my own black bean bugers.. which brings me to a question.. is it ok to use whole wheat flour to thicken black bean burgers? i don't know if the burgers get "cooked" all the way thru.. they are hot and brown on the outside and at least a little more than warm on the inside.. i ask because i saw lots of reciepes for burgers but no one used whole wheat flour .. perhaps i was doing something not so great? thanks.
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mollyhorn Joined: 03/03/10 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 582	RE: Protein bars?? Posted Sunday, September 12, 2010 at 1:05 PM You make a good point about the mush foods. I felt the same way. Those foods don't fill me up or leave me feeling satisfied for very long. What I found worked for me was eating more raw vegetables. Some examples: Lunch -- a "main dish" of some type of protein – maybe a slice of tofu frittata, or some vegan moussaka -- salad of romaine lettuce and some chopped veggies, mostly lettuce, though -- small piece of fruit Snack (2.5-3 hrs later) -- another protein/grain item – whole wheat pita with oil-free hummus, or grain salad with beans – small serving -- sliced raw vegetables, about 1/2 to 1 cup – I use mainly lower calorie choices, like celery, zucchini, green bell pepper, radish, though sometimes I have some carrots, etc. Regarding the whole wheat flour: I think some would be okay – maybe 2-4 Tbsp. It sounds like you might be using too high heat, though, if they're cooked on the outside and not on the inside. Try lowering the heat and see what happens. In general, though, people love to add flour to recipes even when it isn't needed. I like to add cooked quinoa, rather than flour, since it is a complete protein and a whole grain. I hope this helps some. Molly Horn
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mollyhorn Joined: 03/03/10 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 582	RE: Protein bars?? Posted Sunday, September 12, 2010 at 1:29 PM A couple of recipes I like that actually leave me feeling full, as opposed to still hungry: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/7114 I make this without the rice and egg replacer, and I substitute wheat germ for the bread crumbs. I use Morningstar Farms Italian Sausage Crumbles for the meat. http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2010/07/israeli-couscous-summer-pilaf.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FatfreeVeganBlog+%28Fatfree+Vegan+Blog%29 Make this without the olive oil, and substitute a whole grain for the couscous. Something like quinoa, hulled barley, amaranth, kamut... etc. http://fatfreevegan.com/blog/2010/07/11/chickenless-chicken-salad/ http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2009/06/savory-swiss-chard-pie.html Leave out the cashews on this one. http://www.rawguru.com/recipe17.html Another one to leave out the olive oil. This is a phenomenal recipe! http://fatfreevegan.com/blog/2010/07/11/cucumber-mango-and-black-bean-salad/ http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2009/09/roasted-beet-tofu-burgers.html http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2010/08/basic-low-fat-coleslaw.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FatfreeVeganBlog+%28Fatfree+Vegan+Blog%29 I make this using the NutritionMD Tofu Mayo recipe, instead of regular mayo. It's much lower in fat. Okay, that was more than a couple of recipes. If you don't have it already, the Cancer Project cookbook is a really good one. http://www.pcrm.org/shop/cancerproject/survivors_guide.html They're part of PCRM also. Here's a link to their recipe of the week archive: http://cancerproject.org/recipes/index.php Molly Horn
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DrDons Joined: 01/11/10 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 17	RE: Protein bars?? Posted Monday, September 13, 2010 at 1:50 PM Your requirements for fuel on your bike rides are of course based on your condition, course(elevation gain/wind), how much you have eaten before the ride, and the length and intensity of your rides. While the science is improving there is a lot of misinformation plus we still have a lot to learn. So the best is what works for you. The basics are obvious "eat before you are hungry and drink before you are thirsty". As painful as the hunger bonk is... lack of adequate water consumption is more dangerous. You do need both food and fluid. That said... For convenience I have found for the shorter rides up to a metric century Clif Bars are a good option as they come in many flavors. For longer rides Organic Food Bar's have more calories and have worked for me. I haven't tried the Gnu Bars but will in the future as they sound like a good option. Here again it is what works for you. Taking along whole foods is another option... fruit is easy, with a little more effort other foods are useful. Scott Jurek, who is a vegan and world class ultra marathoner, uses bean and rice burritos among other foods. He has a website you might find useful. Be safe out there, Don Forrester MD Don www
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Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2069	RE: Protein bars?? Posted Monday, September 13, 2010 at 3:57 PM Why mush the lentils et al? Leave it all whole or barely broken up. Last night our dinner was soup - carrots, celery, bell peppers (diced fairly fine), onion, potato (cubed), black beans, brown rice, garlic, oregano, thyme (in a water base - the veg and seasonings went in first to create the stock, then the beans and rice were added at the end). Had guests over - they loved it, it was low fat, vegan, and hearty, not mushy. The only time we mush beans is when we wanted "refried" style for burritos (bell pepper, onion, tomato salsa, slightly mushed beans, avocado and shredded cheese for those who want it). We do use our own fresh ground whole wheat flour in black bean patties. --Deb
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tinabean Joined: 09/08/10 Location: Pasadena, TX Posts: 113	RE: Protein bars?? Posted Monday, September 13, 2010 at 4:49 PM On the mushy lentils subject, I find that the cheap brown lentils and the split peas/dal sold in most grocery stores turn to mush quite easily as they cook. That makes the brown ones good for lentil loaf and the dal good for saucy dishes. If you're looking for a lentil that holds its shape and firmness well, try the beluga and the french green lentils. I stock up on them whenever I'm at WF.
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Bugsmom Joined: 09/13/10 Posts: 2069	RE: Protein bars?? Posted Monday, September 13, 2010 at 4:54 PM Thanks for the tip on the lentils - we haven't yet gotten very far into lentils so the heads up beforehand is appreciated. We do lots of different beans already (black turtle beans are our 'staple' - we buy 25 lb sacks! we also have white navy beans, pintos, garbanzos currently in the pantry) along with brown rice, quinoa, and bulgur and a grain mill to make our own whole wheat, rye, buckwheat, and oat flours and corn meal. There is nothing like freshly ground corn meal - the corn bread is so sweet with little to no sweetener it's amazing! (PS we're still working on perfecting the recipe for the corn bread to remove the non-vegan parts) --Deb
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dollgirl Joined: 12/28/09 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 131	RE: Protein bars?? Posted Monday, September 13, 2010 at 11:59 PM Great thread. Thanks to everyone for awesome info. I am excited to try the Gnu bars. I found out early on about the only good thing I like a Lara Bar for is a dessert. They are good and sweet, but don't suffice as anything else, for me atleast. It was interesting to read about the mushy food and the responses. I sometimes feel that way and often throw in veggies/beans/potatoes etc., at the end of cooking so that I don't have total puree. Glad to know there are others who do it too! www
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