Every week, when we run on the trails, we make sure we have enough water and food with us. Usually each of us is fully packed with around 2.5 liters of water, of which often nothing returns. For the food, we have a similar approach, which currently consists mostly of energy bars, but might change in the future. However, the thing which bothers me is that when we’re out there, in nature, and eat those energy bars, we’re always left with the plastic packaging. That’s not something we want to contribute to, so, we started looking for more eco friendly alternatives.
One option is of course to start making your own energy bars, and that’s certainly we’re going to dive into in the near future, including ways to have close to none waste. However, while this maybe sounds like a good idea, it’s maybe not for everyone, and for those who are short on time, or don’t feel like making their own, there’s We Bar None, a Victorian (Australia) based company who proves that ethical and delicious can go hand in hand.
We Bar None bars
Last week, we ordered our first snack bar pack, with a diversity of flavors. Ellen has attention to details: when the pack arrived, it was protected by a reusable and compostable packaging. I love that.
The pack itself contains 12 bars for $ 55, which comes down to close to $4.50 per energy bar. Compared to other bars offered at the local super market, this is a very reasonable price! The flavors we receive were the following:
- Coconut wholefoods snack bar
- Gingerbread wholefoods snack bar
- Chocolate wholefoods snack bar
- Mint Choc wholefoods snack bar
- Aztec wholefoods snack bar
- Turkish Delight wholefoods snack bar
Ellen has made all of the bars with a combination of dates, nuts and some extra flavoring. I particularly enjoyed the Aztec bar, which has a small bit of chili added. This gives it just a bit of an extra bite to the bar.
Field test
I took 3 of the bars with me in my last 21 km run, and I finished 2 of them. This was more than enough to sustain me on the run, and they are delicious and very easy to eat!
I think the biggest challenge with the bars is that they are just too good; in the days before our run, I already tried out one, then two, then three, and I had to stop myself from eating the whole sample box within the week.
Now, while this might sound a bit like an promotion, we can assure you it’s not: we’re not sponsored (yet 😉 ) by We Bar None, but we really love the initiative Ellen is taking and we fully want to support and endorse such an initiative! So have a look at the We Bar None website and let us know what you think!
