Energy Bars?

[Iraq Ninja]

Traditional Powerbars are popular over here as a MRE replacement. You can fit a bunch in a mag pouch and eat them on the go. The candy bars don't hold up well in the heat, and the wrapper is not very resistant.

Powerbar wrappers can also be used for sucking chest wounds. The residue on the wrapper helps to hold it down..LOL.

Caffeine gum and red bull are also used a lot.

[RogerinTPA]

I used to do power bars a while ago, until reading an article in Outside Magazine. They did a comparison a few years ago, on various power bar types. The conclusion was that they offered no significant advantage over your normal Milky Way candy bar. Which they considered more cost effective and practical. It also stated that Milky Way is what the Nepal mountain guides and porters use during ascents on Mount Everest.

[Abraxas]

Also take a look at Clif bars. They're balanced nutritionally and actually taste really good.

I used to love these things. They worked great for me to stuff in various parts of my gear(ALICE or MOLLE, daypack, the pig, my camelbak,ect) when I was in the field or deployed. Though they were hard to come by in Iraq

[MarshallDodge]

I like the South Beach Living Peanut butter high protein bars. When my wife bought them I was kind of skeptical but they are pretty good and have 10 grams of protein. They do have Sucralose in them but I barely taste it and I can always taste aspertame....blachh!

My wife is also making her own from ground oat groats(oat flour) and will throw in a little peanut butter(fresh ground, not Skippy) along with some peanuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, cranberries, raisins, etc. I will get the recipe from her but it's kind of a work in progress. Sometimes they come out soft and sometimes they are hard, it depends on what you put in them.

[MarshallDodge]

Recipe as promised:

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1-1/2 cups oat flour
2 cups old fashioned oats

We are experimenting with adding applesauce and honey to make them a little sweeter and softer.

Things to add to suite your taste: cranberries, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, raisins, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds.

Cream the peanut butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, nutmeg, and baking soda. Slowly mix in the remaining ingredients.

Shape into a block and cut bars off of it.

Bake at 350 for 10-15 mins or until they are golden brown.

They have a long shelf life if you keep them in a ziploc bag, I have had some that I have eaten after they were a month old which were a little harder but tasted the same.

[LSK]

If you are just talking about getting hungry during your normal activity than anything will help. I like almonds and dates. But if you really need to move then any solid food will draw fluid to your stomach. This takes it away from your muscles and organs. If are seriously Oscar Mike than I like to use GU Gel.

[airdrop]

I like the balance bars. They taste good and are high in protein, only about 200 calories each. Worth a try!

[Erik 1]

So, are there any of these energy, or whatever, bars that make an effective, regular meal substitute? Most days, I eat a decent sized lunch and dinner, and that's pretty much it. I hate breakfast and don't get many snacks in. I'd like to try eating more frequent and smaller meals, as is typically recommended, but it's pretty unlikely that I'll manage to prepare a bunch of meals over the weekend to bring to the office, or mess around with cans of tuna and the like. If there was a decent, energy bar type product that works as a meal substitute, that would be the ticket for me. Thanks!

[8200rpm]

I'm no nutritionist but I've been told that sugar, high glycemic index, hyperinsulinism, and skipping meals are not good for your well being.

Apparently, we should all be spear-chucking wild elk, hand-catching wild sockeye, getting our women to pick nuts and berries, and eating 5 times a day. If it doesn't have a face, can't dig it out of a ground, or doesn't fall out of a tree, don't put it in your body.

[Erik 1]

I suppose if it has a face, it could walk into my office and hand itself to me too...I've never been a very healthy eater. I'm kind of, sort of trying to change that.