In the ever-growing world of training nutrition, one would think that the last thing we need is another bar. To those naysayers I would offer up Picky Bars, something closer to real food and less like the over processed bars with ingredients you can’t pronounce. Then imagine they are all naturally gluten-free, they include vegan options, and they can be used before, during, or after your workout. They really might be on to something here, so let’s see what our review team thought.
Based in Bend, Oregon, the idea behind Picky Bars started with three athletes. Not just any normal athletes mind you, but three folks who were competing at the top of their game and were unhappy with the current state of the nutrition that was available to them. So they set out to fix it and through word of mouth and their friends they grew a business whose sole focus was to build something they would want to eat when training and competing.
The bars themselves read like a laundry list of things people always tell you that you should be eating including but probably aren’t. You know what I mean; things like dates, agave, raw honey, almonds, sunflower seeds, pepitas, hazlenuts, walnuts as well as fruits like apricots, blueberries, and cranberries. From a scientific perspective, each of these has a reason for being in the bar whether its to boost metabolism, replace glycogen stores, increase antioxidant levels, provide omega 3s, and to get your body other vital nutrients. That being said, more than anything where Picky has been really successful is on the taste side.
I mentioned “real food” before and you really notice this when it comes to taste more than anywhere else. Date and rice crisps play a huge part in every bar providing consistency and mouth feel and then on the back of that comes the flavors which are dramatically varied. If you have ever tried any recipes from Skratch Labs or tried to make your own bar, then you know how difficult it can be. You also know that when done properly how rewarding it can be so now you get that satisfaction, but you can let someone else do the work.
They have a wide variety of bars and I will say they knocked it out of the park with their naming and packaging. Bar names include The Need for Seed, All-In Almond, Blueberry Boomdizzle, Smooth Caffeinator (25mg of caffeine), Cookie Doughness, Lauren’s Mega Nuts, and the all new Ah, Fudge Nuts! Each has their own flavor profile, but features 200 calories with a 4 to 1 carb to protein ratio. Personal favorites include the Blueberry and the new Fudge Nuts, but all of them are pretty solid so its tough to choose just one.
For our Running Northwest readers, use runandeatNW at checkout and get 20% off your order at http://pickybars.com/shop/. Picky Bars can also be found at stores like REI, Fit Right NW, Fleet Feet, and more. They also have a subscription club so you never have to worry about running out! The coupon is good through June 5th, 2015.
