Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Let's talk sports nutrition for the athlete! I bring this up after hearing an terrible rumor that Clif Luna Moons have been discontinued. (I'm calling when they open to find out for sure). They were one of the few things I could stomach on a long bike ride, and I'm not sure about possible replacement products. I was looking at the Clif Shot Blocks, but I think they all have caffeine. I'm looking for alternatives, so share your raves and faves!

The Direct Fuel Bites from Thrive are pretty good, if you're into DIY. I don't have the book with me right now, but I think there were also some energy gels in there.

There are some recipes here, if you scroll down the page a bit.

I tried to Clif Shot Bloks a little while ago (not from an athletic standpoint so much as an impulse buy at the sporting goods store). I don't recall them having caffeine, but if they did, it was a small enough amount that I didn't notice. Oh, looking at the website, I see that three of the varieties have caffeine, and the rest don't. I liked the taste and texture, and I could see them being okay for long rides.

http://www.clifbar.com/food/products_shot_bloks/

I want to say I've had the chocolate Hammer Gel and it was delicious and got me through a long workout (a friend gave me one; I didn't buy it on my own). Only two of their flavours have caffeine, and chocolate is not one of them. It tasted like delicious pudding.
http://www.hammernutrition.com/products/hammer-gel.hg.html

I know Luna Moons aren't listed at all on the Clif/Luna Bar website. I was looking online at gel type things last week because my runs are getting close to an hour or longer.

Last summer I was going on 3 hour + runs and I just couldn't find a gel I actually liked. They all made me want to vomit.

So I started carrying dried fruit with me (pitted medjool dates, dried pineapple, etc.) and would nibble on that. It worked like a charm for me.

Thanks for the ideas. I called Clif and both Luna Moons and the Luna Electrolyte are off the market. They're sending me some Shot Blocks to try out.

@DTBK- I LOVE the Thrive stuff, but I find it doesn't hold up well on the bike. Good for pre/post workouts, though.

I like do the long distance thing with a squeeze flask of brown rice syrup & some coconut date rolls.

I like Hammer Gel and GU, depending on the flavor - if you want something chewy I think Sharkies are my favorites. I've done the DIY gels from Thrive and they're a little grainy, and the direct bites turned to mush on a long run but were really great pre-run.
Probably my best long run combo would be sugar free electrolytes like nuun or the one made by emergen-c with some kind of just sugary gel or sharkies for carbs. I'm contemplating an ultramarathon next year and I'm curious about solid, real food on a run because I know that's how a lot of ultrarunners do it.

Clif bloks come in both caffeinated and uncaffeinated versions. these are my go tos for endurance exercising!

This website is excellent! The info on post and pre workout nutrition is just what I've been looking for. Thanks for sharing this c:

I'll be curious to see what you discover. I know a lot of my 'go to' foods (peanut butter, bananas) I can't eat during endurance events. I usually live on gummies and Clif bars cut in to small bites, and if I'm lucky there's pasta salad for lunch at a big ride.

I usually go on more relaxed rides and have clif bars/homemade protein bars and dried fruit. I've had hammer gels before and thought it was alright. My partner is an endurance cyclist and always has a steady supply of hammer gel and gu packets.

shot blocks totally saved my asparagus a couple times. I'd keep a sleeve or two handy, they seem to kick in faster than the protein bars, but they obviously won't have much staying power.

I tried a couple yesterday, and was pretty impressed. They were part of my standard 'Clif Bar/gummy' combo, and I liked it. I could potentially become a fan. They didn't melt on the bike, and were pretty yummy.

I am glad I searched for Clif bars before starting my own topic!
I love Clif. I got away from them for awhile, because the Luna was too sweet & I stopped exercising. Now I am back at it and enjoying Clif again!

I was curious if any vegans ate them, as it states that it "could contain dairy." I always fear the worst, because I have a tendency to get stomach sick all the time.

Newsie15 - most of us eat stuff with those warnings because it just means it's made on the same equipment and for those with really serious allergies, there's a tiny chance there could be a bit of contamination.

I love the Cliff shot blocks, even just for when I feel dehydrated or am up late. Now that I'm running again, I'll be enjoying them even more.

I typically use gels (Clif Shots) when I'm doing a bike race (as I can't seem to chew and ride my mountain bike at the same time). I do the bloks for when I'm on training rides, they come both w/ & w/o caffeine. I make my own energy bars now but I prefer Larabars if I buy any at all.

I made it through a 65 mile ride with Shot Blocks, Clf Bars(in bite sized pieces) and some boiled, lightly salted and seasoned (Mrs. Dash) red potatoes. I swear they were the best potatoes I've ever eaten...

For me, every thing on a long ride is the best thing I've ever eaten. I would like to try the potatoes though, I get kind of burned out on sweet things.

I like this DIY idea. I'll have to look into them.

If you don't mind caffeine, the Cliff Shot Mochas are really good. Like, I would eat a bowl of that with a spoon. I tried the strawberry too (less caffeine), and it tasted like smuckers jam spread on stale rice cakes. Not great, but edible.

At the Oakland Running Festival they were handing out halves of bananas at some of the water stops. I thought that was pretty cool!

It was such a nice change from the sugary stuff. I highly recommend trying them for longer events!