The idea for Brio Bars was born out of a personal frustration with finding healthy, yet effective pre and post activity bars. As a high performance athlete with experience playing ice hockey and lacrosse at the NCAA and National team level, I needed a bar that was going to fuel my intense athletic endeavours, without weighing me down. I also needed a bar that was going to help me recover as quickly as possible after my activity, while, at the same time, be palatable to eat AND enjoyable!
I decided to utilize raw food methods to create a bar that uses the enzymes and natural sugars and proteins of the whole food ingredients. Using foods that are unrefined and un processed allows for easier digestion, and greater nutrient intake, which are both crucial to sports performance.
During digestion, blood is drawn to the stomach to aid in the process of breaking down our food. When foods are harder to digest (processed, animal product based, etc.) our body uses more energy to break down our food. When blood is drawn to our stomachs, it is not available for our muscles, which need it to bring oxygen to them. This drastically inhibits muscle performance! Our bodies also need glycogen for energy. These glycogen stores fuel our performance. Glycogen can be found in the form of sugar, however, our bodies need high quality sugars and not refined sugars or sweeteners. The best source of sugar before a workout (or any time, really!) is from fruit. Brio Bars have no added sugar, 100% of the sweetness in the bars comes from fruit sources, meaning they are great for loading up your glycogen stores.
After activity, it is important to eat high quality carbs and proteins within 15-30 minutes of completion. The number one priority after your game or workout is to replenish the glycogen stores your body just used up. The number two priority is to consume easily digestible proteins to aid in the recovery and rebuilding process. With Brio Bar's combination of natural, fruit sourced sugars and whole food proteins from the nuts and seeds, they provide a great option for post activity recovery.
Stephanie Burlton, BA, CSCS Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
