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Reviews > Food > Energy Bars and Drinks > Probar > Russell Curry > Initial ReportINITIAL REPORT
PROBAR HIGH PERFORMANCE ENERGY BAR April 26, 2005 Updated September 8, 2005 Tester Biography:
Backpacking
Background:
Product Description: Probar is an all natural, blended energy bar comprised of 17 whole foods and is 100% vegan. The ingredients are blended, not baked, per the information provided with the snacks. There is some discrepancy between the number of ingredients listed on the website (17) and the number listed on the foil wrappers (15). Below are the ingredients as they appear on the foil wrapper. INGREDIENTS: Tropical Mix - (Raisins, Sunflower Seeds, Unsulphured Papaya & Pineapple, Dates, Raw Cashews, Raw Coconut, Raw Pumpkin Seeds, Raw Brazil Nuts) Brown Rice Syrup Barley Malt Syrup Orange Almond Granola (Rolled Oats, Grape Juice, Canola Oil, Almonds, Oat Bran, Orange Oil, Vitamin E) Hemp Granola (Organic Rolled Oats, Evaporated Cane Juice, Canola Oil, Crisp Rice, Flax Seed, Oat Syrup Solids, Hemp Seeds) Mueseli (Organic Rolled Oats, Raisins, Cornflakes, Rolled Rye, Crisp Brown Rice, Apples, Almonds) Chopped Dates with Oat Flour Raisins Natural Peanut Butter Grain Sweetened Vegan Carob Chips (Whole Grain Malted Barley and Corn, Palm Kernel Oil, Carob Powder and Soy Lecithin) Raw Sunflower Seeds Raw Almonds Unsweetened Raw Coconut Raw Organic Flax Seeds Raw Organic Sesame Seeds The nutrition facts on the foil wrapper indicate 175 calories per serving, with 2 servings in each foil wrapper. Total fat is 8g, saturated fat is 2g, Cholesterol is 0mg, Sodium is 19mg, Total Carbohydrate is 25mg, Dietary Fiber is 3.25g, Sugar is 7g and Protein is 4g. Features are described on the website
as follows:
INITIAL
OBSERVATIONS
The Probars arrived in a box of 12 in individually wrapped foil wrappers. Also included was a full page flyer on Probar and the benefits thereof. There were also copies of the information that is available on the Probar website, the FAQ's, endorsements and Probar reviews. They were what I expected from a snack bar, although they were a little heavier than I expected. Even though the weight is indicated on the Probar website and on each pack, 3 oz (85 g) feels substantial for a cookie when handled. The foil packets are well sealed and I could not smell the bar inside the sealed wrapper. The cookies have a pleasant odor, texture and appearance, I could easily discern most of the whole grains, the carob chips, which are rather large pieces, the almonds, raisins, pieces of dates, sunflower seeds, etc. The cookies are a little sticky to the fingers, and I did have to lick my fingers clean of carob smears a couple of times. Unless I bit into a large carob chip piece, date or other ingredient, I could not discern any one flavor more than another. The bars taste "rich" to me, which means a little goes a long way. A small bite has to be chewed more than normal before swallowing, but not to what I consider excessive. I consumed only a fourth of a bar on my first meal and that was enough. I can handle the bars without them breaking apart, but as noted, they do leave my fingers feeling "sticky". I found it best not to handle them with my biking gloves on since they tend to attract loose fibers. I have not noticed a craving for any liquid after eating a portion of these snack bars. I usually drink fluids with my snacks, but I did experiment by not drinking fluids with these bars and I did not get a "dry throat" or experience any other effect from not ingesting fluids with the bars. I also found that I could drink any of my normal drinks, (milk, hot chocolate, soda, water, Gatorade, coffee, tea, fruit juice, etc.) and not have these conflict with the snack bars. I have been using the Probars for snacks each day when I ride my bike or jog. So far, I have not noticed any ill effects, no cramps, loose bowels, or other unpleasant effects. I find the bars very tasty and appealing. Even my wife, who is a self-proclaimed food connoisseur and avoids my other hiking foods like the plague, fancies the taste of the snacks. The uneaten part of the bar can be wrapped in the foil pack, which by design is about 1/3 again as large as the snack bar. The problem is that the foil does not re-wrap well and tears easily, so for my longer treks and rides, I will be carrying a small ziplock bag to use to store the uneaten part of the bars. I would have to be almost famished in order to eat one of these bars at one sitting. My normal snack is a packet of a fruited pop tart or 3 to 4 fruited cakes (Fig Newtons or similar). I find even a small portion of the snack bars to be filling, and it definitely stops my food cravings. When I was young, we made "popcorn balls" which was just popcorn and white syrup as a binder. After eating one of these, we would be picking popcorn fragments from our teeth for a week. I am glad to say that I have not experienced this after eating these snack bars, even though the grains and other ingredients are small and use a syrup for a binder, the food does not stick to my teeth, or to the roof of my mouth.
INITIAL TRIAL
My initial test of these energy bars consisted of using them while doing training rides on my road bike. My training consists of 15 miles (24 km) twice per day, in the morning and again in the late evening. I normally will skip a day between the training rides to do cardio or some other training that is not as strenuous. I must say that I do feel a difference with the ProBars. First, my energy level lasts longer. Instead of my usual fare on the ProBar day, I ate 1/3 of a bar an hour before my ride began in the morning. I felt during my ride that I could push a little harder than I normally would with my energy level being maintained and not decreasing as the ride wore on. I am also not rushing to snack after the morning ride. At lunch, I ate another 1/3 of the bar, a glass of milk and an apple. Then in the late evening, an hour before my ride, I finished the remaining 1/3 of the snack bar. Again, I felt primed for my evening ride and actually ended up riding an additional 3 miles that I would not normally have done. It's a little hard to explain the difference in the way I feel after using the snack bars, my energy level is a step up from what it normally is and stays with me longer. I will be further evaluating this during more intensive rides of much longer duration on the field trial. LIKES Convenient size - I wondered about this when reviewing the ProBar website, but have found that the size and shape of these bars is just right for handling or storing in my shirt pocket, backpack or bike kit. Tasty Very filling Satisfies my food cravings Increases and maintains my energy level
None yet TEST PLAN I will be taking these bars with me on a 3-week hiking trip to Europe, in addition to two multi-day backpacking trips with my hiking clubs. Most of these hikes will be at some elevation and will be strenuous. The most intensive trial will come from doing multi-day bike rides averaging 50 miles (81 km) per day. I will be evaluating ProBar's claims that these snacks can be meal replacements, and further testing their claims of endurance and recovery when using these snack bars. My initial test of these snacks while frozen and refrigerated raises some concerns about them being viable in cold temperatures. I also have some concerns about how well the bars will hold together in much warmer temperatures. I need more time to evaluate this and will be working with these bars while frozen, while refrigerated, and in temperatures above 80 F (27 C). The field conditions that I will be using the snacks in will vary from a low temperature of approximately 40 F (4 C) to a high of approximately 95 F (35 C) and will include hikes at elevations to approximately 9000 ft (2750 m). UPDATE September 8, 2005 Probar upgraded their product and introduced a new flavor to their product line. Other improvements were made also, in part based on the reviews of this product by BackPackGearTest. New shipments of the Probar have been received and will now be evaluated. The new flavor is "Whole Berry Blast", and I can definitely taste the new flavors in the improved Probar. I find the new bars to be refreshing and tasty, although I believe I would enjoy more of the berries. Improvements have also been made to the foil wrapper. The material is now thicker and the packet size is smaller. I like the heavier foil much better, it is still easy to open but not near as fragile as the original wrapper. The smaller size works better also. The new foil wrapper is 6" x 3-1/4" (152 mm x 83 mm). The old wrapper measured 6" x 4" (152 x 102 mm). The weight of each bar remained the same on my scales, 3 oz (85 g). The ingredients appear to be about the same as the original bar, except for the addition of the berries. The ingredient list shows the addition of dried strawberries and dried blueberries. The berries do pump up the taste of the bars, however if they could be more moist I think it would add even more enjoyment to the bars. In my trial of the original Probar, I could definitely tell a difference in the energy it created for me when undertaking strenuous activities. I have no reason to think that this new bar will not perform as well.  Special thanks to ProBar and Backpackgeartest for
entrusting me with this test. Read more reviews of Probar gear Read more gear reviews by Russell Curry Reviews > Food > Energy Bars and Drinks > Probar > Russell Curry > Initial Report | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
