OTE Energy bars v Rice Krispie Squares

teebs_123

For a while now, i've used the OTE energy bars as a go to snack for riding, tasted pretty good, seemed to give good energy and not harsh on the digestive system..

A few weeks back, i had run out and grabbed what was in the cupboard for the Child, in this instance the Kelloggs Rice Krispie Squares. Despite the fact that the products look and feel very similar, I checked the nutritional info... Almost identical apart from more sat fats in the Kelloggs product.

Rice Krispie Squares = 69p/100g (when on promo)
OTE Bars = £5.00/100g

Am i missing something apart from OTE's marketing speak.

Appreciate the vast difference in the companies etc and I think OTE do a really good job (apart from their gels which are rank)..

thistle_

Density?
How many g of Rice Krispies can you fit in a jersey pocket compared to an energy bar?
Suspect the energy bars are easier to open while riding than a sticky square.

joeyhalloran

Yeah, sports nutrition is ludicrously expensive. It's just because that is what people will pay for the perceived "x% faster".

ugo.santalucia

There is also a lot of unknown... what is the quality of the ingredients... no doubt Kellogg's use the worst crap imaginable in their products and who knows what the "flavourings" are or where they source the vitamin Bs they use... what level of contamination is in them.

It could be the energy bars are just as bad, but you tend to get what you pay for... a £ 3 chicken is not the same thing as a £ 10 chicken.

sungod

as far as rapidly available energy goes, once you've chewed and swallowed, it is really down to amount and proportion of which types of sugars

for road cycling, fats are future energy, by the time they're digested it's probably too late to help,so minimise intake on a ride, best case they won't help much, worst case they'll slow digestion, or cause indigestion

afaik maltodextrins are the fastest hit, mix 2:1 with fructose, otherwise 2:1 glucose:fructose, you need enough water with it, otherwise digestion slows

typical carb digestion is 60-90g/hour, you'll get c. 4 kcal per gram,

typically humans have c. 2000 kcal easily accessible glycogen reserves, plus way more in fats (slower access), so unless you're burning enough energy to need topping up, you may as well just eat good food before/after

fwiw if i'm pushing i'll burn over 1000 kcal/hour, but if i know i can replenish at the end of an hour i'll wait, but if i'm going for a few hours and expecting to burn 3000-4000kcal overall then i eat right fro, the start at around the digestion rate otherwise i'll run low later

i've tried many energy bars and find most of them vile/inedible, the sis chocolate ones are the only ones i can stand, they work out around 3 quid/100g for a box

savoury things, like the garmin rice cakes, are good alternative, as are cafe stops

cold cans of coke are great when it's really hot, after a few hours i find it the easiest to get down

on metabolism...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6019055/pdf/nuy001.pdf

ugo.santalucia

I have settled for Naked bars, chiefly because they only have 2-3 ingredients... dates and peanuts... as opposed to the long list of weird stuff of other products. They are nice and relatively easy to open on the go, also moist enough to eat without drinking.

navrig2

ugo.santalucia said:

I have settled for Naked bars, chiefly because they only have 2-3 ingredients... dates and peanuts... as opposed to the long list of weird stuff of other products. They are nice and relatively easy to open on the go, also moist enough to eat without drinking.

Agreed and most of the flavours are pretty good. The blueberry in particular is good.

I've seen them on offer is Asda in the past making them cheaper than most sugary snacks.

Ben6899

Nakd bars are the 6899 household snack of choice. I have a tote bag full of Clif bars, which I raid if I'm having a day in the saddle.

webboo

Last time I had a bite of a Clif bar I wanted to throw it over one rather than eat it.

Ben6899

webboo said:

Last time I had a bite of a Clif bar I wanted to throw it over one rather than eat it.

Not a fan?

joe_totale-2

ugo.santalucia said:

I have settled for Naked bars, chiefly because they only have 2-3 ingredients... dates and peanuts... as opposed to the long list of weird stuff of other products. They are nice and relatively easy to open on the go, also moist enough to eat without drinking.

Same here. Totally agree about being nice and moist, some of those nutrition bars like Clif bars are so dry you need to drink about half your bottle after having one.

A bit like Soreen they don't mind being squashed about either, I usually like to carry a mini Soreen bar or two on a ride as well.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Personally, I find jelly babies so much easier to chew on the go and they have loads of sugar that is quickly absorbed, having tried food such as Cliff blocks; Soreen; hot cross buns; peanut butter and jam sandwiches cut into quarters etc.

joe_totale-2

N0bodyOfTheGoat said:

Personally, I find jelly babies so much easier to chew on the go and they have loads of sugar that is quickly absorbed, having tried food such as Cliff blocks; Soreen; hot cross buns; peanut butter and jam sandwiches cut into quarters etc.

Oh yeah, i always have some jelly babies as well for when I need a bit of an energy boost.

Ben6899

If only Jelly Babies were vegetarian.

joeyhalloran

In the past I have made my own Veloforte/Panforte bars. Super easy, super tasty and adaptable to your taste buds. I even made a large batch of ~30 for my parents when they did a several-week-long mountaineering trip in the Andes. Mix of honey, dates, sugar and almonds so better for longer, endurance days than out and out racing stuff.

singleton

I find mini-soreen bars are a good backup to have on me, but if I'm planning a longer ride I usually invest 40p into a 200g pack of fig rolls and put the required amount in a small food bag in my back pocket.

ugo.santalucia

What's in jelly babies? I mean, is it a list of 50 E-Type chemicals normally found in a lab or it's just jelly, sugar and flavourings?
They seem hyper processed stuff and I've always avoided them... don't even like them to be honest

joeyhalloran

ugo.santalucia said:

What's in jelly babies? I mean, is it a list of 50 E-Type chemicals normally found in a lab or it's just jelly, sugar and flavourings?
They seem hyper processed stuff and I've always avoided them... don't even like them to be honest

Jelly is normally made with gelatin which is from cows I think?

ugo.santalucia

joeyhalloran said:

ugo.santalucia said:

What's in jelly babies? I mean, is it a list of 50 E-Type chemicals normally found in a lab or it's just jelly, sugar and flavourings?
They seem hyper processed stuff and I've always avoided them... don't even like them to be honest

Jelly is normally made with gelatin which is from cows I think?

Yes, it's like making a big stock, but then it needs to be purified and it's several steps involving chemicals

vincesummerskRoxcBTr

I take Aldi oat bars and their pressed fruit bars, which are tasty cheap and contain pretty much what fancy energy bars do.

david37

sungod said:

as far as rapidly available energy goes, once you've chewed and swallowed, it is really down to amount and proportion of which types of sugars

for road cycling, fats are future energy, by the time they're digested it's probably too late to help,so minimise intake on a ride, best case they won't help much, worst case they'll slow digestion, or cause indigestion

afaik maltodextrins are the fastest hit, mix 2:1 with fructose, otherwise 2:1 glucose:fructose, you need enough water with it, otherwise digestion slows

typical carb digestion is 60-90g/hour, you'll get c. 4 kcal per gram,

typically humans have c. 2000 kcal easily accessible glycogen reserves, plus way more in fats (slower access), so unless you're burning enough energy to need topping up, you may as well just eat good food before/after

fwiw if i'm pushing i'll burn over 1000 kcal/hour, but if i know i can replenish at the end of an hour i'll wait, but if i'm going for a few hours and expecting to burn 3000-4000kcal overall then i eat right fro, the start at around the digestion rate otherwise i'll run low later

i've tried many energy bars and find most of them vile/inedible, the sis chocolate ones are the only ones i can stand, they work out around 3 quid/100g for a box

savoury things, like the garmin rice cakes, are good alternative, as are cafe stops

cold cans of coke are great when it's really hot, after a few hours i find it the easiest to get down

on metabolism...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6019055/pdf/nuy001.pdf

on all dayer epics Ive worked out that meal deals are perfect, a large cold coke, ready salted crisps and bacon and egg on malted brown bread. Available most places and about £3.50. Stop, smash em in, go
plus I get a bottle of water to top up. good for a couple of hours

ugo.santalucia

david37 said:

sungod said:

as far as rapidly available energy goes, once you've chewed and swallowed, it is really down to amount and proportion of which types of sugars

for road cycling, fats are future energy, by the time they're digested it's probably too late to help,so minimise intake on a ride, best case they won't help much, worst case they'll slow digestion, or cause indigestion

afaik maltodextrins are the fastest hit, mix 2:1 with fructose, otherwise 2:1 glucose:fructose, you need enough water with it, otherwise digestion slows

typical carb digestion is 60-90g/hour, you'll get c. 4 kcal per gram,

typically humans have c. 2000 kcal easily accessible glycogen reserves, plus way more in fats (slower access), so unless you're burning enough energy to need topping up, you may as well just eat good food before/after

fwiw if i'm pushing i'll burn over 1000 kcal/hour, but if i know i can replenish at the end of an hour i'll wait, but if i'm going for a few hours and expecting to burn 3000-4000kcal overall then i eat right fro, the start at around the digestion rate otherwise i'll run low later

i've tried many energy bars and find most of them vile/inedible, the sis chocolate ones are the only ones i can stand, they work out around 3 quid/100g for a box

savoury things, like the garmin rice cakes, are good alternative, as are cafe stops

cold cans of coke are great when it's really hot, after a few hours i find it the easiest to get down

on metabolism...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6019055/pdf/nuy001.pdf

on all dayer epics Ive worked out that meal deals are perfect, a large cold coke, ready salted crisps and bacon and egg on malted brown bread. Available most places and about £3.50.
plus I get a bottle of water to top up. good for a couple of hours

About 80 ingredients, all combined

david37

ugo.santalucia said:

david37 said:

sungod said:

as far as rapidly available energy goes, once you've chewed and swallowed, it is really down to amount and proportion of which types of sugars

for road cycling, fats are future energy, by the time they're digested it's probably too late to help,so minimise intake on a ride, best case they won't help much, worst case they'll slow digestion, or cause indigestion

afaik maltodextrins are the fastest hit, mix 2:1 with fructose, otherwise 2:1 glucose:fructose, you need enough water with it, otherwise digestion slows

typical carb digestion is 60-90g/hour, you'll get c. 4 kcal per gram,

typically humans have c. 2000 kcal easily accessible glycogen reserves, plus way more in fats (slower access), so unless you're burning enough energy to need topping up, you may as well just eat good food before/after

fwiw if i'm pushing i'll burn over 1000 kcal/hour, but if i know i can replenish at the end of an hour i'll wait, but if i'm going for a few hours and expecting to burn 3000-4000kcal overall then i eat right fro, the start at around the digestion rate otherwise i'll run low later

i've tried many energy bars and find most of them vile/inedible, the sis chocolate ones are the only ones i can stand, they work out around 3 quid/100g for a box

savoury things, like the garmin rice cakes, are good alternative, as are cafe stops

cold cans of coke are great when it's really hot, after a few hours i find it the easiest to get down

on metabolism...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6019055/pdf/nuy001.pdf

on all dayer epics Ive worked out that meal deals are perfect, a large cold coke, ready salted crisps and bacon and egg on malted brown bread. Available most places and about £3.50.
plus I get a bottle of water to top up. good for a couple of hours

About 80 ingredients, all combined

seems to work really well for me. the gels are ok too but they're too expensive for me to use exclusively. sometimes I use the electrolyte tablets if its super hot.

ugo.santalucia

david37 said:

ugo.santalucia said:

david37 said:

sungod said:

as far as rapidly available energy goes, once you've chewed and swallowed, it is really down to amount and proportion of which types of sugars

for road cycling, fats are future energy, by the time they're digested it's probably too late to help,so minimise intake on a ride, best case they won't help much, worst case they'll slow digestion, or cause indigestion

afaik maltodextrins are the fastest hit, mix 2:1 with fructose, otherwise 2:1 glucose:fructose, you need enough water with it, otherwise digestion slows

typical carb digestion is 60-90g/hour, you'll get c. 4 kcal per gram,

typically humans have c. 2000 kcal easily accessible glycogen reserves, plus way more in fats (slower access), so unless you're burning enough energy to need topping up, you may as well just eat good food before/after

fwiw if i'm pushing i'll burn over 1000 kcal/hour, but if i know i can replenish at the end of an hour i'll wait, but if i'm going for a few hours and expecting to burn 3000-4000kcal overall then i eat right fro, the start at around the digestion rate otherwise i'll run low later

i've tried many energy bars and find most of them vile/inedible, the sis chocolate ones are the only ones i can stand, they work out around 3 quid/100g for a box

savoury things, like the garmin rice cakes, are good alternative, as are cafe stops

cold cans of coke are great when it's really hot, after a few hours i find it the easiest to get down

on metabolism...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6019055/pdf/nuy001.pdf

on all dayer epics Ive worked out that meal deals are perfect, a large cold coke, ready salted crisps and bacon and egg on malted brown bread. Available most places and about £3.50.
plus I get a bottle of water to top up. good for a couple of hours

About 80 ingredients, all combined

seems to work really well for me. the gels are ok too but they're too expensive for me to use exclusively. sometimes I use the electrolyte tablets if its super hot.

it does work, but packaged sandwiches are nutritionally horrible... about 50 ingredients in the average sandwich

pblakeney

This thread is starting to define the difference between food and sustenance.

joeyhalloran

Why is the number of ingredients being used as a mark of effectiveness for fueling?

There are many things that are only 1 ingredient that would be terrible for fuelling.
SIS gels have 12 ingredients. Is that the magic number?


Also, many pros, with all of their budget, support, dedication, coaching, and knowledge available to them... still eat sandwiches on the bike.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

joeyhalloran said:

Why is the number of ingredients being used as a mark of effectiveness for fueling?

There are many things that are only 1 ingredient that would be terrible for fuelling.
SIS gels have 12 ingredients. Is that the magic number?

No, it's 3.

ugo.santalucia

joeyhalloran said:

Why is the number of ingredients being used as a mark of effectiveness for fueling?

There are many things that are only 1 ingredient that would be terrible for fuelling.
SIS gels have 12 ingredients. Is that the magic number?


Also, many pros, with all of their budget, support, dedication, coaching, and knowledge available to them... still eat sandwiches on the bike.

I doubt they eat packaged sandwiches.
There is a difference between what you make in a kitchen and what you buy in a triangular box... the latter is frightening and if consumed regularly will no doubt wipe out your gut bacteria and cause you health issues in the long run.
The point is that I can make bread with only flour and water, literally, I don't even need to buy yeast, as I make a sourdough culture from water and flour... so what is that stuff you buy in a plastic package that has a long list of E-type chemicals?
As emergency rations, it is edible, as something you want to live off, I would strongly recommend you don't.
PRO-cyclists don't eat a lot of processed food, certainly not when they are racing... what they do at home is a different matter, but you won't have a long career by eating packaged sandwiches

elbowloh

ugo.santalucia said:

joeyhalloran said:

Why is the number of ingredients being used as a mark of effectiveness for fueling?

There are many things that are only 1 ingredient that would be terrible for fuelling.
SIS gels have 12 ingredients. Is that the magic number?


Also, many pros, with all of their budget, support, dedication, coaching, and knowledge available to them... still eat sandwiches on the bike.

I doubt they eat packaged sandwiches.
There is a difference between what you make in a kitchen and what you buy in a triangular box... the latter is frightening and if consumed regularly will no doubt wipe out your gut bacteria and cause you health issues in the long run.
The point is that I can make bread with only flour and water, literally, I don't even need to buy yeast, as I make a sourdough culture from water and flour... so what is that stuff you buy in a plastic package that has a long list of E-type chemicals?
As emergency rations, it is edible, as something you want to live off, I would strongly recommend you don't.
PRO-cyclists don't eat a lot of processed food, certainly not when they are racing... what they do at home is a different matter, but you won't have a long career by eating packaged sandwiches

Don't get mislead by the E numbers. Natural ingredients and vitamins also have E numbers. for example vitamin C is E300.

The reason you should be wary, obviously, is that "E" standards for Europe...

some of the worst things for you, fat, salt and sugar don't have E numbers.

ugo.santalucia

elbowloh said:

ugo.santalucia said:

joeyhalloran said:

Why is the number of ingredients being used as a mark of effectiveness for fueling?

There are many things that are only 1 ingredient that would be terrible for fuelling.
SIS gels have 12 ingredients. Is that the magic number?


Also, many pros, with all of their budget, support, dedication, coaching, and knowledge available to them... still eat sandwiches on the bike.

I doubt they eat packaged sandwiches.
There is a difference between what you make in a kitchen and what you buy in a triangular box... the latter is frightening and if consumed regularly will no doubt wipe out your gut bacteria and cause you health issues in the long run.
The point is that I can make bread with only flour and water, literally, I don't even need to buy yeast, as I make a sourdough culture from water and flour... so what is that stuff you buy in a plastic package that has a long list of E-type chemicals?
As emergency rations, it is edible, as something you want to live off, I would strongly recommend you don't.
PRO-cyclists don't eat a lot of processed food, certainly not when they are racing... what they do at home is a different matter, but you won't have a long career by eating packaged sandwiches

Don't get mislead by the E numbers. Natural ingredients and vitamins also have E numbers. for example vitamin C is E300.

The reason you should be wary, obviously, is that "E" standards for Europe...

some of the worst things for you, fat, salt and sugar don't have E numbers.

I am not getting fooled, I have a PhD in chemistry... there are a number of chemicals that have no nutritional value, things like emulsifiers and preservatives... they are known to cause damage to our gut bacteria and they are only there to modify food consistency or prevent bacterial growth.

Also, Vitamin-C or L-ascorbic acid is used in food as antioxidant, but as far as I can see, the racemic form ascorbic acid is used, which is a mix of L- and R- molecules, of which, the R- is not a molecule that exists in nature

photonic69

Peanut butter and jam (strawberry or apricot) sandwiches made with white bread. This is the only time I ever eat white as I always bake my own multi seed Wholemeal and Rye. White is easier to digest on the bike and releases energy more quickly when you need it.