the [vegan] bar

since i've been training for the marathon, i've become much more in-tune with my body. i can tell which foods give me energy, and which foods make me feel like someone secretly attached cinder blocks to the bottom of my shoes in the middle of the night [please tell me you know what i'm talking about]. i've figured out that it is pasta two nights before (not the night before) that really gives you endurance and that hydrating the day before is probably more important than what you eat the day before.  i've also learned that what i choose to eat the morning before a long run can make or break my stride. when i first started training i'd make a bowl of steel cut oatmeal with bananas and then wait an hour or two before taking off. i soon realized that a) that was much too heavy for a pre-run meal and b) i was not patient enough to wait for all of that food to digest. so, like most runners, i turned to bars.

[mmmm]

i never thought i'd find a vegan bar with a good balance of carbs and protein that also tastes good. above are three of the best vegan bars i've tried so far.

1. marcronutrient bar - this bar is the most "granola-y" of them all (not literally). it is organic, vegan, macrobiotic, and features organic flax sprouts and organic spriulina.
calories: 240
protein: 9g
carbs: 25g
sugars: 15g

2. pure fit - have you ever had halva? this bar has that same chalky taste. don't get me wrong - it's good! it actually might be my favorite.
calories: 210
protein: 18g
carbs: 25g
sugars: 13g

3. nugo dark - this one tastes the most like candy. they have a mint chocolate flavor that tastes exactly like a thin mint girl scout cookie. who says you have to be training to eat bars? try this one for dessert!
calories: 190
protein: 10g
carbs: 30g
sugars: 14g

[pure fit is my favorite]

[tastes exactly like a thin mint cookie!]

having one of these bars in the morning and then refueling with gatorade and clif shot bloks throughout the run is sort of the perfect combination. now, which one of these lucky bars will be breakfast on november 7th?