I’m a fan of Voom! I’ll admit it. I love their Pocket Rockets and genuinely feel they work for me and have no hesitation in recommending them to others.
Well, they’ve brought out a new energy bar called The POW® plant bar. When I was asked if I wanted to try them and review them of course I said yes.
They are vegan and low gluten, and each bar provides 270 calories, with 33g of carbohydrate. Using beetroot as a base in each bar provides dietary nitrates, which research has shown to improve athletic performance (we all want that). The beetroot, combined with other flavours and oats, are formed into a easy-to-eat, flapjack-type bar. When using them this last week I’ve felt a rapid injection of energy, and this hasn’t decreased at all over a run. During a slower run/hike over Kinder Scout I began to feel the cold, I ate half a bar and immediately felt the benefits and began to feel warmer and moved more efficiently. Reading up on the use of beetroot in the bars, it seems as well as the benefits of nitrates that it also increases blood flow and improves circulation.
What they say:
“Sports physiology research has demonstrated nitrates can improve sporting performance by elevating blood nitric oxide levels which then can reduce the oxygen cost of exercise by around 3% (Larsen et al, 2011). In other words the same muscular ‘work’ uses less oxygen, or more work can be done with a given oxygen consumption – muscles contract faster or stronger to run or cycle faster!”
Voom have written a blog on the science behind nitrates, which you can read here.
In addition to the bars providing nitrates with their energy giving properties, there is 33 grams of carbohydrates, and further energy is provided in the form of super healthy coconut oil. The MCTs in coconut oil (medium chain triglycerides) have many health benefits. But, in particular for a sports nutrition bar, the attraction would be their easily available energy supplies which doesn’t deplete the body’s own stores.
I’ve really enjoyed using them this last week as I start my training blocks again in preparation for a spring ultra. My stomach can be very sensitive at times, and I’ve had no issues with them. I particularly liked the beetroot and cacao flavour. I tended to break the bars into four mouth size pieces and munch as and when I needed them. I’m always so happy to find products that do what they claim to do, and for me these bars did just that. They kept me moving and energised me. My body felt efficient, and I felt confident I was giving it what it needed on my runs. I’m truly fascinated by benefits of using these bars and the science that has gone into producing them.
Well Done, Voom!
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About the writer: Suzanne Roebuck is an ultra and fell runner in the Peak District who has completed the Spine Challenger twice and can be found supporting or running at her local events.
