By Rob Neal
The Christmas season seems an appropriate time to be considering healthier food choices. After gorging on all those chocolates your thoughts may be turning to a more savoury alternative. I have been fortunate to have been sent a sample of a new savoury protein bar that has just been released. These bars are pitched as a genuinely healthy alternative to the normal highly processed and sugary sports nutrition products that are available on the market. They are made with organic, grass-fed British beef mixed with dried fruit, vegetables, seeds, herbs and spices. That sounds great on paper and certainly ticks the boxes of what I am looking for in a food product, but more importantly what are they like to eat?
They are currently available in two different flavours: Apricot and Carrot and Chilli and Red Pepper. I took the former flavour on my long run last weekend and I was really impressed. As it is made from beef I was expecting it to be dry and chewy like jerky but actually it is quite moist and soft and easy to eat even when a bit dehydrated while running. The flavour is not too strong but pleasantly savoury to make a break from my normal chews and flapjacks. The Chilli flavour has quite a spicy kick to it, as you would expect, so for me that is better suited to after a run rather than during. When I returned from my run as my ultimate taste test even my 10 month old daughter seemed to enjoy a nibble of the Apricot and Carrot flavour, although I haven’t tried her on the Chilli yet!
For most people who like to run longer distances there is a time for sugary snacks when you need a burst of energy but certainly for me there comes a time in a race or long run when I just crave something savoury and these Prime bars provide a good, healthy solution. For those who don’t fancy eating these on the run then they would also make a good option for a recovery snack, containing 12g of protein per bar.
Top Fell and Ultra runner Ricky Lightfoot is a fan of Prime Bars: "As an athlete, it’s important for me to know exactly what I’m putting in my body so it’s great to have Prime protein bars as I know all the ingredients are naturally sourced"
If you fancy giving them a go then more info is available at
primebar.co.uk.
