Navigating the Sports
Nutrition Aisle
by Susan Stevens

Dozens of sports bars, drinks and gels offer today's athlete just about anything you could want: power, endurance, muscle repair and complete nutrition, all in a convenient package.

"Convenient" is the key word there. These products don't offer anything you couldn't get from regular food, but they're easier to tote - and eat - on the run than a tuna sandwich.

Not all these products are the same. Before you stock up, consider what your goal is and choose wisely. You want something different if you're substituting a bar for a meal versus recovering after a tough workout, says Liz Applegate, a nationally known expert on sports nutrition and author of "Eat Smart, Play Hard."

"The important thing on bars is to know what you're using it for," she said.

Here's Applegate's advice on navigating the selection.

Sport drinks:

First developed in the 1960s, these drinks are a mixture of water with 6 percent to 9 percent carbohydrate. That's less carbs than you get from fruit juice or soda, which are up to 15 percent carbohydrate by weight.

Sport drinks are good for before, during and after a workout. Look for drinks that list glucose or sucrose; avoid ones whose main ingredient is fructose, which lounges in the digestive track.

Recovery drinks:

These offer a carbohydrate-to-protein ratio of 3 to 1. The extra protein helps your muscles rebuild spent glycogen stores after a workout.

"I say it's an expense," Applegate says. "You can do pretty well with a sandwich."

Applegate also recommends a smoothie with protein powder after a workout. Avoid drinking protein drinks during a workout; they digest too slowly.

Energy drinks:

Made with high-fructose corn syrup, these aren't a good choice during exercise because they are too high in carbohydrates. They often contain supplements that won't necessarily boost your performance.

High-carbohydrate bars:

Designed as easily digested sources of carbohydrate, these bars are good to eat one to two hours before a workout.

Look for 8 to 10 grams of protein, less than 4 grams of fat and less than 5 grams of fiber. Most of these bars are high-glycemic foods.

High-protein bars:

Protein bars are a good post-workout snack to rebuild muscles or to boost protein levels for vegetarian athletes.

Look for bars with 15 to 25 grams of fiber and a high-quality protein source. If it says "hydrolyzed animal protein" on the label, stay away - that means the protein comes from animal connective tissue. A better source of protein is soy, whey, casein or egg.

Meal replacement bars:

If you're going to skip a meal entirely, pick up one of these. These can help with portion control for dieters, too. They are notoriously low in fiber, so you'll need to make that up elsewhere in your diet.

Look for a bar with 8 to 15 grams of protein and 4 or more grams of fiber.

Energy gels:

Carbohydrate gels offer a unique delivery system - they're easy to carry, easy to swallow and fast to digest, making them ideal for energy during an endurance event.

Most gels offer between 70 and 150 calories, about what you need every half hour. They have zero fat and protein, which is hard to digest during exercise. Many flavors are available, so try them out before race day to choose one you like.

Copyright 2005 Paddock Publications, Inc. Chicago Daily Herald October 3, 2005, Susan Stevens, Daily Herald Health Writer