Wendy’s Picks
Nutrition Bars

When you want a small meal or a snack on the go, these bars are convenient. From a walker’s perspective, I rate them for how they would perform in my purse or pack as I am walking, commuting, or grabbing a quick snack at my desk. What I look for are a list of understandable, natural ingredients. A few varieties listed here are gluten-free and vegan.

LÄRABAR Jocalat
Pure Organic Food Bar
Chocolate Mint
This bar is so tasty it is almost a sinful delight. It has only a handful of organic ingredients – dates, almonds, chocolate, vanilla, and peppermint. No added sugar, no gluten, no soy, no dairy. It’s vegan, kosher, and 90% raw food. Drawbacks? 9 grams of fat, but it’s all-natural fat and there are 190 total calories. It doesn’t have added vitamins, but you get 5 grams of natural fiber. The date bits tend to get caught in your teeth. But it is easy to pack, doesn’t melt, doesn’t crumble, is easy to chew, and tastes exquisite. I would eat this for dessert, then floss.
www.larabar.com

thinkOrganic
Cashew Pecan
This raw fruit and nut snack is gluten-free and vegan. It has a short list of organic nuts and fruits as ingredients. It has no coatings to melt, is easy to chew, and doesn’t crumble. It would make a perfect snack to pack along for whole food energy and no mess. The flavor was good and enjoyable. Only 150 calories, and it comes in six flavors.
www.thinkproducts.com

LUNA Tea Cake
Three Flavors
This organic-ingredient bar is non-crumbly, has no coatings to melt, is easy to chew, and easy to pack. It’s a bit dry, like a Fig Newton, but with a pleasant flavor. The tea cake is divided for easy sharing with your walking buddy. Each flavor has a purpose — vanilla macadamia is mood-balancing, orange blossom is for the skin, berry pomegranate for longevity. Calories vary from 130 to 150 by flavor.
www.lunabar.com

Balance Gold Nutrition
Energy Bar/High Protein
Chocolate Peanut Butter
Very, very tasty. But the coating melts and it ended up being fairly sticky, so it’s not a good bar to carry in your pack. At my desk, I would be looking forward to this as a mid-day snack. It is easy to chew, with no weird off-flavors. It has 210 calories and a whopping 13 grams of protein. The bar provides 25% or more of the recommended daily allowance of many vitamins and minerals.
www.balance.com

Zone Perfect All-Natural
Nutrition Bar
Chocolate Peanut Butter
This bar has the soy crisp base, with a chocolate coating that was melting at 75F, so beware if it gets steamier in your fanny pack. I like the flavor, and it is very easy to chew. The bar is packed with vitamins and minerals, providing 20% or more of the daily recommended allowance for most of them, which makes the ingredient list much longer. It has 210 calories with 14 grams of protein.
www.zoneperfect.com

PowerBar PRIA Grain
Essentials Nutrition Bar
Chocolate Almond Bliss
This bar touts 70% organic ingredients and 30% of your daily calcium. It has a soy crisp base with a chocolate coating. The taste is bland; nothing objectionable, it’s like eating slightly flavored rice cakes. On the plus side, I wouldn’t be tempted to eat more than one at a time (don’t believe the Bliss part of its name). I give it good points for being non-crumbly, easy to chew, and easy to break into sections. Only 160-170 calories.
www.powerbarpria.com

—Wendy Bumgardner
www.walking.about.com

Ahnu’s New Norden
Mid Trail Shoe

One of the newest kids to hit the trails, Ahnu recently released the Norden Mid. Great on the trails and great for the environment. The packaging is made from 100% recycled material and printed with soy inks. Read more about their environmental commitment on their website. It’s all about balance. The root of Ahnu is inspired from “Anu”, the Celtic goddess of balance and well-being.

The design is centered around QuiteLight™ construction, a system that enables exceptional strength-to-weight ratios, for both enhanced performance and superior comfort.

Breathable, with waterproof upper materials (leathers, nylons, and meshes) to inhibit water absorption. Gusseted tongue to block out water and debris. QuickFit System — a combination of the Ahnumatic positive-lock cam buckle and the magnetic quick release clasp — provides bilateral support and dual adjustment points. Its single-handed adjustability uses a light weight nylon frame piece and rubberized cam interface joined by a metal hinge pin with “click lock” confirmation of static closure. This system takes a few tries to get down, but once mastered it’s an easy single-handed lace-up.

Visit www.ahnufootwear.com for more information and to view their other products.

Foam Roller

You have seen them in the gym and maybe on those late night infomercials, the big foam roller. Economical and fun to use, foam rollers aid in the development of balance and motor skill. Foam rollers are great to use after that long walk or hike to stretch. Use the roller to enhance yoga or Pilates workouts to increase core strength and balance. The rollers can be found in various lengths and colors and also come in half round and full round. You can find the rollers at many of the local running/walking stores or online at www.jfit.com.

Sidestream™
Hydrate in Style

This lumbar-riding hydration waistpack is great for those long training walks, hikes in the hills, or training with your Nordic poles. What sets this hydration system apart is the Sidestream’s revolutionary retracting drink tube and a 27 oz topfill internal bladder. It features a High-flow BiteMe™ bite valve, bounce free, body contoured pack design, easy access bladder port for quick fill and go, a zippered accessory pocket, and weighs in at 8 oz empty. For more information visit www.mazamadesigns.com.