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Leave
'energy' foods on the store rack
July 13, 2006
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Sometimes
it makes sense to dress for the part you want to play.
A new workout top, for instance, perks me up and raises my
enthusiasm to hit the gym. A pedometer strapped to your leg
may spur you to take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Other sports products aren’t so helpful, though, and
may work to undermine your efforts to slim down and get fit.
I’m talking about new sports snacks showing up in supermarkets
and sporting goods stores. These include not only the usual
sports drinks, shakes, and energy bars but new sports gels
and chews, too.
Sports gels are usually sold as single-serving packets of
thick, flavored syrup meant to be a quick sugar shot and energy
boost before, during or after a workout. Examples include
Clif Shot, Accel Gel, Carb-BOOM!, Hammer Gel and others. Clif
Shot Blok chews have a nutritional profile similar to gels,
which resemble a concentrated sports drink. The primary ingredients:
rice syrup, mineral salts and flavoring.
Some sports snacks also contain caffeine, herbs and other
supplements.
That these products are so visible – on end aisle displays
or near the cash register – plants the suggestion that
you ought to be eating them.
But unless you’ve been swimming the English Channel
lately, it’s highly unlikely these foods are for you.
Who needs them?
Nobody, with the possible exception of a small number of elite
athletes who may burn several thousand calories during extended
periods of cycling, running, rowing or other endurance sports.
These athletes may find sports snacks more convenient, but
common foods would likely serve just as well.
For the rest of us, there’s really no reason to eat
these products.
Why?
* We don’t need the calories. For many of us, a bike
ride or brisk walk around the neighborhood can burn 200 to
300 calories. Maintain the routine daily and you could lose
a pound a month. But revive yourself afterwards with an energy
snack and you’ll gain back the calories you worked so
hard to burn. Every shot of energy gel costs you 100 calories.
An energy bar can set you back 160 to 180 calories. One cup
of Gatorade contains 50 calories.
* The nutrients aren’t necessary. Many energy snacks
contain extra vitamins, minerals, herbal extracts or caffeine.
Others have built-in gimmicks: They’re “formulated
for women” or are high-protein, low carb. Most are the
nutritional equivalent of a designer granola bar, candy bar
or water. You’d get more of what you really need –
fiber, fluid, beneficial phytochemicals – from an unprocessed
piece of fresh fruit. And for the relatively short duration
and intensity of most workouts, water is all you need in the
short run.
* They cost a lot. One gel pack runs more than a dollar. You’d
get as much of an energy boost from a scoop of grape jelly
at pennies a pop. Likewise, a half sandwich or a granola bar
would provide as much benefit as most energy bars at a fraction
of the cost.
* The convenience factor is overrated. How much trouble is
it to wash an apple or throw some trail mix into a sandwich
bag? For flavored drinks, add a little lemonade or limeade
to a sports bottle and fill it the remainder of the way with
seltzer water. In the rare instances when you need the food
or drink, you can make your own at much less expense.
Save money and calories. Keep it simple. Buy less.
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