Food for when youre exercising is a whole product category these days.
Ive read this book and made several of the recipes.
Ill give you the verdict right up front: these recipes are delicious and pack well.
But most shouldnt be kept in your running belt pocket all daythey could become unsafe.
Well get to that in a bit.
Gels fit all these requirements, and so do other foods made for endurance exercise, likePowerBarsandClif Shot Bloks.
Is it possible to eat on the run without sucking down something that tastes like synthetic cake frosting?
The answer is yes, according to the authors, exercise physiologist and cyclistAllen Limand chefBiju Thomas.
Theyre writing for cyclists, but runners and other exercisers have similar needs.
But waittheres really good stuff in here!
As a rule of thumb, eating is optional for activities under two hours.
Above that, you should eat at least half the calories you burn each hour.
A lengthy treatise on why Gatorade gives you diarrhea.
Calorie-containing drinks are digested differently than food plus water.
Bottom line, if youve ever been unable to leave the porta-potty after a marathon, youre not alone.
Swilling sports drinks really does do that to us.
Theres one major caveat about many of these recipes, especially the savory ones.
They should probably stay refrigerated for food safety reasons.
For example, theres a rice cake with (deliciously seasoned) beef inside.
Food safety expertBen Chapmanisnt buying it.
No one has been sick that they know of.
And the sample size is probably pretty small, he said in an email.
Cooked ricecan harbor food poisoning bacteria.
At room temperature, cooked food is safe for four hours.
In the heat, next to your body, it could grow significant amounts of bacteria even sooner.
Theyre actually so good I ended up eating a selection of them for lunch on more than one occasion.
Road Testing
I made five recipes, three of them rice cakes.
I was skeptical, but this actually worked really well.
(You could also secure the little packages with rubber bands or tape, if thats easier.)
Season with a mix of yogurt, tomato paste, onions, and spices.
How they taste: A little bland, but seasoning is easy to adjust.
These actually perfectly satisfy the pizza crust craving I get on long runs.
(Why pizza crust?
Then layer the cooked mixture with sushi rice.
Cut into blocks when cooled.
How they taste: I ate half the batch before the other half was cooled.
Um, yeah, theyre good.
The beef is savory and flavorful.
How they taste: Like sweet rice and plain raspberries.
Underwhelming, compared to the other amazing recipes in this book.
Still beats a PowerBar, though.
How they taste: Excellent.
Ive tried mini-omelets before, and always hated the taste of cold eggs.
But somehow, the extra ingredients overshadow that flavor and eliminate the slimy texture.
I used the quick crust method, where sandwich bread substitutes for a real pie crust.
How they taste: This is another winner.
Our Take
These snacks pass the deliciousness and portability tests with flying colors.
Every recipe I tried was at least good, and many were amazing.
Theres also a chapter of sticky bites, likethese chocolate and sea salt ones.
I am disappointed by the food safety issue, though.
Theyre are a great addition to a lunchbox, or for a before- or after-workout snack.
These snacks dont have to be just for exercise, of course.
