ProBar energy bar

Art Eggertsen worked as a congressional lobbyist representing nutrition-education interests before switching to a career in energy foods. As founder of ProBar LLC, a small company based in Park City, Utah, Eggertsen leaned on his knowledge of health and nutrition to create a unique new energy-bar product. The ProBar (www.theprobar.com) comes in two flavors, Original Blend and Whole Berry Blast, and it's made of an amalgamation of pumpkin seeds, dates, brazil nuts, corn flakes, pineapple juice, organic rye, hemp seeds, almonds, apples, oat bran, crisp brown rice, and several other natural ingredients. The Whole Berry Blast variety adds in whole dried blueberries and strawberries.



The ProBar

The end product is a hearty and tasty granola bar of sorts that the company claims has several specific nutritional advantages over current energy bar mainstays. For example, about 70 percent of the ProBar's ingredients are classified as uncooked and un-processed raw foods, which the company says preserves vital enzyme activity and makes nutrients easier to digest.

With easier digestion, the body absorbs nutrients faster, the company claims, translating into quicker energy during activity. ProBar also touts that the raw ingredients will result in less cramping because of their easy digestion.

The bar is 100 percent vegan, meaning there are no dairy products added. It has more fat and less protein than many competing energy bars because the company says during extended periods of exercise the body can conserve carbohydrates by metabolizing fats at a rapid rate.

I tried out both varieties of the ProBar and was impressed with their good taste. They cost about $3 apiece, which is twice as expensive as most energy bars, but the ProBar is larger and more filling.

The company's nutritional claims seem valid and logical, but in my tests I did not notice a dramatic difference in my energy level. ProBar does have a leg up on taste, however, and I would happily consume the company's bars for a regular afternoon snack.

During aerobic activities like cross-country skiing, cycling and running, I found the ProBar to be too heavy for eating on the go. In these situations, I prefer an energy gel like GU or Clif Shot.

But for hiking, climbing, backpacking and similar pursuits, the ProBar was a welcome filling, hearty and good-tasting snack.