How I Learned to Leave Bars Behind and #LiveWilder
As a daydreaming office inhabitant who reveres bike rides after work, I find the acceptable energy snack options rather limiting. To be fair, it can be a tough time for the stomach to decide what it wants in the form of sustaining protein snacks.
While kitting up before I hop on the bike, I have the same internal nutrition struggle. Sure, it’s been hours since lunch, but dedicating time for a full meal will cut into my golden-hour gear grinding. Or maybe just another small cup of coffee to sharpen the senses after a day full of dull cursor chasing. No, scratch that, anyone active knows that one the pedals start to turn over, the bonking time bomb will quickly tick away. The last thing I want to do is to detonate into hypoglycemia a significant distance from civilization.
So typically, I surrender to yet another performance diet bar. Unwrapping the bar is about as uneventful as tucking into an airline meal. Sustenance somehow outseats satisfaction at the expense of efficiency. Tastebuds, underwhelmed, suffer the consequences so the body can raise its heart rate and verify exercise for health purposes. Starting a ride with a basic enjoyment evaporated from it, can instantly sap the appeal of a daily pedal.
But rather than pounding down the pavement with another mouthful of a sub-par bar, there are thankfully, tasty nuggets of freedom in the form of Frooze Balls. These plant-based, energy balls pack a much-needed protein punch without the recoil of flavor restriction.
For those seeking something on the sweeter, tangier side, Cranberry, Lemon Cheesecake, and newly Mango Madness (!) are obvious choices. On warmer days, I like to keep it tropical with the fruit options and wash them back with an ice-cold seltzer.
For a few more calories on the longer rides, I like the nut-filled protein ball options. As a self-diagnosed peanut butter addict, these energy snacks pair salted caramel, chocolate truffle and berry brownie packed with my PB pal. Frooze offers a nut-butter variety pack purchase option, so you can choose which is your favorite peanut butter-filled Frooze Ball. Most people will this over a week or so, but some of us (ok, yes me) may choose a - ahem - more direct route to discovery.
Another good thing to know about these plant-powered snacks, is that they easily meet some common diet restrictions. They are made solely from raw fruit and nuts, so they’re preservative-free, dairy-free, GMO-free and contain no refined sugar. This way they’re gluten-free, and keto-friendly, too.
Each pack also contains 6 balls. This is a recommended serving size, but is also really convenient for mid-activity snacking. It’s like the perfect union between handfuls of trail mix and saving a half-eaten bar in a sweaty pocket. I like to toss back a ball or two every time I stop during a ride to maintain a stable caloric burn while on the bike.
Just the other day, I was at a literal fork in the road, pondering where my next pedal strokes would take me as I happily popped back the plant-based protein snack. Stomach sated, good decisions came easy, and I chose the #LiveWilder option, going for gravel over asphalt, and I’m happy to share that made all the difference.