“I just had a bar,” is a comment that I often overhear when I’m sitting in my favorite little juice bar downtown, doing work.
What is a “BAR” anyway? Most of the bars that I see out there are packed with ingredients our bodies can’t use, that are fillers, or partial proteins, or straight up stuck in there to make sure that the thing can be shelf-stable for…forever. I don’t remember the last time I had to suffer through one of these detestable food shapes (because, again, a bar isn’t a food, it’s a shape!) and in part that’s because…I make my own. And these easy, 4-ingredient Alpine Glow Green Bars are a new favorite.
While it makes me ill to see the poor quality ingredients packaged into health food prevalent in our grocery stores, promoted as mindful choice for busy, health minded people, I do recognize the importance of a “bar.” But I also know that while making dinner is time consuming, preparing homemade lunches and breakfasts might feel daunting, anyone can take exceptional ingredients and blend them into a better bar. And this recipe is just that. No fillers, no crap, no fractioned ingredients and no broken promises.
In this particular case, I was inspired to build a better bar because I had a really important job to do. This past month, I was charged with building a fueling menu for my friend + client Hedvig Wessel as she planned an expedition to Denali. We needed something compact, with high-nutritional value, and as many balancing properties as possible. As the expedition was wedged between several other big projects on her plate, I wanted to be sure that the fuel I sent was well-suited to fueling her 21-day weather window as she tackled this 20,900ft/6100m peak. Further, we wanted her digestive system and doshas to stay as balanced as possible, and wanted to keep her regenerating, even on huge days in a very harsh environment.
There wasn’t a bar out there that I knew could do all of these things deliciously. So we made one.
From an Ayurvedic perspective, there’s more to sport fueling than just making sure athletes can go the distance. Reducing the innate impact of sport is also key, because if we don’t mitigate this impact the body inevitably falls out of balance. And because stress, inflammation and the resulting digestive and nervous system degradation that happens when these effects impact the body, we want to keep things moving easily, and smoothly on a cellular level in ADDITION to fueling beautifully, and deliciously.
The bars below include a healthy dose of spirulina and chorella in a very delicious little package – two super-powered ingredients that help the body to do all of the above.
Spirulina is a blue-green algae, high in protein, B vitamins, iron and phycocianin (an abundant antioxidant) and it supports energy management, endurance and immunity. It’s considered a rejuvenating (rasayana) in Ayurveda, as it’s mildly warming and strengthening – two qualities we value in a high alpine environment where vata dosha will be high, and kapha dosha will be inspired to accumulate.
Chlorella is a fresh water green algae, high in chlorophyll, vitamin A, iron and detoxifying compounds. It’s helpful for supporting the liver and the gut, and supports immune function and cellular repair. It’s cleansing, slightly cooling, alkalizing and balancing to Pitta dosha – helpful for athletes at altitude where we still want all systems to be functioning highly.
Together, they’ll be support athletes and bodies in motion in several key ways that most of those dusty “bars” can’t:
While these chewy, sweet little bars were formulated for extreme athletes in extreme conditions, they’re suitable for EVERYONE. I’ve made them several times with my favorite liver greens powder (linked below in the Recipe Notes) and have been enjoying them on my long runs, as an afternoon snack, and as ride food. Leo has been loving them as his afternoon snack, chopped into little bite sized pieces – he’s in love with chorella!
And I’m in love with how yummy + easy they are to put together – just 5 ingredients + 15 minutes (plus some chilling time) and you’re SET! They’re also incredibly easy to digest, and they taste a world better than a Lara Bar (though that’s basically the same idea…but fresh! And anti-inflammatory!)
The bars will store beautifully for these athletes in a harsh environment, but they also hold up to packs and pockets of us everyday athletes too.
There are quite a few ways to spin these, if that’s interesting and you’re the kind of person who loves to personalize + go your own path. I have some success boosting the protein by adding my favorite protein powder (also linked in the Recipe Notes below) but I don’t typically add protein here – I prefer the bars to be green and clean, and to have my protein added at another point in my daily fueling strategy.
Your could also mix up the combo of fruits and nuts here, but if you’re a pitta type I STRONGLY recommend steering clear of other nuts and using the recipe below – it’s perfect for cooling inflammation and once you start to tinker…it will be less beneficial in that way (half the reason of having this bar!)
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