PRODUCT REVIEW: Nutrition

We stock a wide range of nutrition products from 21 different brands, but with so many different flavours and textures, how can you decide what to try?

We asked one of our team members, Rachel, who has an interest in sensory science (the experience of eating food) to try examples from some of our most popular brands.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but hopefully it can give you an overview of some of the flavours available. If you would like to know more about brand flavours in particular, we have a blog on Gu gels. 

Clif Energy Bar - Cool Mint Chocolate

Smell: Almost exactly like an after-dinner mint, lightly sharp, mild mint aroma

Taste: Moderate mint with a light chocolate flavour, slight toasted grain flavour

Feel: Chewy with crispy pearls, small texture that holds together well so no crumb concerns, the mint is actually very cooling in the mouth though it does linger

Overall: This is a really good option for a flavour that isn’t heavy but still satiates and is refreshing

GU Energy Gel - Campfire Smores

Smell: Toasted white marshmallow, sweet but very little chocolate aroma

Taste: Like brownie batter, very rich chocolate buttercream, most similar to Betty Crocker chocolate icing. Chocolatey aftertaste with a lingering sweetness

Feel: Thick but not unusual for chocolate flavours due to a lack of acidity

Overall: Definitely one for the chocolate lovers! The chocolate flavour is well balanced but besides the aroma, there is no other indication of marshmallow. Quite rich and definitely lingers, likely best before beginning your workout, it might be too heavy a flavour during exercise but this depends on each person’s palate and preference

Clif Energy Bar - Blueberry Almond Crisp

Smell: Fruity- specifically dried berry (zingy with a light caramel aroma); oats which are malty sweet

Taste: Old school muesli bar which is laden with oats and lightly sweet but with a more complex sweetness, rather than just sugar with a slight tang

Feel: Chewy with crispy sections 

Overall: Good texture, not overly sweet, good fruit to grain distribution but very few almonds (3 slivers in total). I expected to have more almonds, even if broken up given that they’re in the name. Blueberry on the other hand was well represented in the aroma, chewiness and complex sweetness

Clif Energy Bar - Peanut Butter and Banana with Dark Chocolate

Smell: Complex fruit sweetness, heavy fruit aroma (not containing any refreshing volatiles, but not specifically banana), lightly chocolatey, very low caramelised banana aroma, no evidence of peanut butter 

Taste: Mild banana chip flavour, very small pieces of chocolate chips, no evidence of peanut butter

Feel: Chewy, similar to other Clif bars

Overall: Surprisingly nice. Banana can often be too heavy a flavour (overly ripe) when added to foods but this was very mild. I wouldn’t say or even suggest that this was an example of peanut butter or banana, but it was still pleasant to eat 

Ems Power Bar - Chocolate Oat Smart Bar 

Smell: Oats, specifically an old-school muesli bar and chocolate chips. Pretty much exactly what you would expect

Taste: Moderately sweet, mostly just sweet oats with small pieces of chocolate all throughout the bar

Feel: Slightly chewy

Overall: An inoffensive bar with a good distribution of chocolate chips, HOWEVER I found the entire bar in one go too sweet. It might be better if you eat this over the period of your workout rather than at the end as exercise can increase the perception of sweetness. 

Ems Power Bar - Cranberry Chocolate Smart Bar

Smell: Sweet-baked good

Taste: Quite sweet, minimal amount of cranberry pieces, greater amount of chocolate

Feel: Crumbly cake texture

Overall: This bar was surprising, it was very cake-esque in its flavour and texture, not at all like your typical muesli bar. Most like a K-Time fruit bar but with very little fruit

GU Energy Gel - Salted Watermelon

Smell: Watermelon confectionary with a more floral note. Less sickly-sweet, strong watermelon lollypop, more of a mild flavoured watermelon drink.

Taste: Initial sweetness which is quickly overpowered by salty taste but then goes back to a lingering sweetness.

Feel: Inoffensive texture with a normal gel consistency. 

Overall: This was a really unfamiliar flavour experience, was it good? It was ok, I would try it again as an alternative to something sweet, but I don’t think it would be my go-to flavour.

226ERS High Energy Gel - Orange

Smell: Little to no aroma. This was surprising that there was no notable orange or even a hint of fruit to detect. 

Taste: Sweet but not over-powering with an artificial orange flavour that is more floral than citrusy. 

Feel: Granular, very thick texture that retained its shape once squeezed

Overall: This is a very mild flavour that falls flat. Ideal if you’re not a massive fan of orange but still want something fruit-esque. It’s recommended to take this with 300ml of water, and I definitely agree with that. The thick consistency with granular texture make the 76g a little too much to be enjoyable

SiS GO Energy Gel - Pineapple

Smell: Sweet fruity aroma which is similar to a Starburst lolly

Taste: Candied pineapple, very sweet but with an odd aftertaste that is metallic

Feel: Very thick!

Overall: A pleasant aroma but an unpleasant aftertaste, the 60ml was also a bit overwhelming in comparison to other brands which have 50g or less. This was almost like a meal replacement

226ERS High Energy Gel - Neutral Flavour

Smell: Little aroma

Taste: White sugar sweet (no caramelisation), floral afternote, mild artificial fruit flavour that is similar to vitamin C tablets

Feel: Light cooling effect, this was actually very gentle on my stomach (thanks to the highly branched cyclic dextrin) but had an odd aftertaste, maybe metallic, maybe bitter, certainly odd

Overall: Waaay too sweet for me, at 76g, this was also a huge serving and very overwhelming, couldn’t finish without gaining cavities 

GU Energy Gel - Raspberry Lemonade

Smell: Exactly like raspberry soft drink that you would get at your local pub, fruity notes similar to Cottees Apple and Raspberry cordial, light red fruit aroma

Taste: No fruity flavour, only artificial sweetness and an aftertaste which is slightly metallic. Medicinal fruit flavour that lingers

Feel: Thick and dries out the tongue

Overall: While the smell of this one was a delightful blast from the past that mimicked many popular childhood raspberry flavours, the taste was unfortunately very similar to raspberry cough syrup medicine. Even if you haven’t had these experiences, the fruit aroma is great, but the flavour is lacking with an unpleasant aftertaste that requires a mouthwash afterwards 

226ERS Energy Bar - White Chocolate and Strawberry

Smell: General berry fruit, milk powder aroma

Taste: Very artificial fruit taste

Feel: Chalky but dense and chewy at the same time

Overall: This was not pleasant to eat at all and I honestly couldn’t finish it. This seems like a nutrition product that was focussing on the numbers rather than the flavour.

About The Author

Rachel Williamson - Nutrition Expert, Adventurer & Running Enthusiast 

Rachel has a Bachelor of Food and Nutrition Science (honours), and a passion for bread, whole foods and getting creative in the kitchen. Rachel traded cycling for running after a back injury and is now focussing on building up her fitness to run a marathon. Whilst the bread is proving, she's either out running, or spending time with her Kelpie, Tilly.