NOW Bars leave a disappointing taste in my mouth

Product: NOW (No Opportunity Wasted) Honeycomb with Chia and Raisins Energy Bar – $2.99+

You know what’s hard about being a gluten-free athlete?  Gluten-free protein bars.  Especially for long runs and the like.  They are good to have around.

So, imagine my elation when I attended the big Gluten-Free Expo in Birmingham, Alabama and got a couple samples of some energy bars.  Yeah…I was pretty psyched.  The product is Phil Koeghan’s NOW (No Opportunity Wasted) Energy Bars.  And I was given the Honeycomb with Chia and Raisins variety.

These sat with my other energy/protein bars (Think Thin and Lärabars) for the longest time until this weekend.  I was running in the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini Marathon (the largest half marathon in the country), so I figured I pack one in case I needed a little boost on the run.  This was supplemental to my vegan/gluten-free fruit snacks, which are what I ended up grabbing on the run around Mile 10.

That being said, after hitting the finish line and getting through Runner’s Services, I was in need of refueling.  The NOW Bar was tucked away in my running skirt, so I removed it, unwrapped it, and took a bite.

And spit it out.  It was way too sweet and just didn’t taste good at all.  Not one bit.

I admit, chia doesn’t impress me at all.  I love raisins.  And honey and I have a love/hate relationship.  So, maybe it was just the unlucky draw that I was given a Honeycomb with Chia and Raisins version of these bars.  But I was totally unimpressed.  I normally don’t spit something out.  Especially when I am completely famished after running 13.1 miles.  But…this happened.  Good thing the race people handed out bananas, one of my favorite fruits, which I devoured in record time.

So, what wasn’t good?  Well…the texture was fine.  It was the mess of flavors going on.  There was nothing really to counterbalance the sweetness of the honey and the raisins.  And that, I believe, is where it went wrong for me.  I was really hoping I’d like these…but it just tasted foul.  Bad enough that I literally couldn’t even swallow it.  When I got home, the other sample (same flavor) went into the garbage can.  I never waste gluten-free products, but the thought of even taking a bite of another one of these turned my stomach.

These bars were promising because they have the ideal 4:1 carb to protein ration that helps to fuel and maintain energy levels during an endurance activity.  Unfortunately, this endurance athlete couldn’t handle it.  So, I guess I’ll stick with the ones I’ve come to know and trust, despite not having that carb/protein ratio until I find something else to try.