A: There are two different versions of bars: Almond Butter White Chocolate and Mixed Berry Vanilla.
Both bars contain:
Electrolytes – from Mediterranean Sea Salt, Pink Himalayan Salt and Sodium Citrate (which is also a buffer to protect from GI upset)
Resistant Starches (RS)- Green Banana Flour, Potato Starch and Hi Maize Fiber (17-18 grams per bar)
Natural sweetener – Brown Rice Syrup and Agave Inulin
Canola Oil and sunflower lecithin – for moisture
Vegan White Chocolate – Sugar, palm kernel oil, natural flavor and lecithin
The Mixed Berry Vanilla also contains:
Fruit (Blueberries, Raspberries and Pomegranate)
The Almond Butter White Chocolate also contains:
Nuts (Almond butter and sliced roasted almonds)
Touch of Cinnamon – for extra flavor
A: Both varieties of bars are Vegan (nothing from animals including no dairy), gluten free, GMO-free as well as soy and preservative free. They do not contain any: stimulants like caffeine or guarana, artificial sweeteners, artificial colors or artificial flavors.
A: The average athlete loses as much as 3,000 milligrams of electrolytes per hour of activity. Each of The Right Stuff bars provide 865 mg of electrolytes. For comparison, a bottle of Gatorade has about 290 mg. and the most found in other nutrition bars is only about 300 mg. For additional comparison, one serving of The Right Stuff delivers over 4,000 mg of electrolytes.
A: The Right Stuff bars provide two performance benefits:
Electrolytes to help with hydration
Resistant Starches (RS) for sustained energy
A: The feedback has been very positive about the flavor of both versions. We developed our own special blend of Pink Himalayan and Mediterranean Sea Salt to provide two flavor benefits. First, despite the high concentration of salt relative to other bars, while they do have a salty note to the taste, athletes like the taste. Second, once you finish eating the bar, there isn’t any significant salt after-taste. As with The Right Stuff electrolyte drink additive, please remember these bars are not just another nutrition bar, they are a performance aid. They deliver two key performance benefits: electrolytes for hydration and resistant starches for sustained energy.
A: Starches are long chains of sugar (glucose) in grains, potatoes, legumes (beans) and other carb-containing foods. Glucose is a major source of energy for the human body, and is the main building block of carbohydrates (including glycogen, the body’s way to store carbohydrate energy in muscles and liver).
A: Normal carbs are broken down into glucose in the GI and absorbed into the body. This is why blood glucose (blood sugar) increases after eating. But not all starch you eat is completely digested.
The digestion of “simple” and “complex” starches – begins in the mouth, as chewing and salivary amylase (a saliva-based enzyme) start to break them down. The bulk of traditional starch digestion happens in the small intestine, as they are broken into glucose and galactose. However, fructose, is processed in the muscles and liver.
A: One type of starch called ‘resistant’ starch (RS), functions more similarly to soluble and fermentable fibers than traditional starches which are broken down into sugars.
Unlike other starches, RS are digested in your colon by bacteria in your large intestine and broken down into short chain fatty acids, most importantly butyrate, where they act as prebiotics (like fertilizers that stimulate the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut), and are broken down and fermented by your gut bacteria into short chain fatty acids, called butyrate.
A: There are four types of RS:
Type 1: grains, seeds, and legumes. Examples include raw oats, cashews, legumes, barley and fava beans
Type 2: starchy foods such as raw potatoes, corn, and green (unripe) bananas
Type 3: formed when certain starches, such as rice and potatoes, are cooked and then cooled, a process called “retrogradation. Starches are commonly prepared/cooked destroying most RS.
- White rice refrigerated for 24 hours and then reheated had 2.5 times more resistant starch than freshly cooked rice. Another study found RS increased from 41% to 88% when wheat was heated and cooled
Type 4: man-made – form of RS that’s chemically modified to make it resistant to digestive enzymes (e.g., high-maize)
A: Improved Insulin sensitivity (blood sugar control): Short chain fatty acids are produced when fiber is fermented in the colon. They travel in your blood benefitting other body parts for improved blood sugar control/improved insulin sensitivity.
With meals high in RS, the spike in blood sugar and insulin are much smaller than meals without RS.
- Studies found 33–50% improvement in insulin sensitivity after 4 weeks of consuming 15–30 grams per day (each of The Right Stuff bars contains 17-18 grams of resistant starch)
Resistant Starches also have a “second meal effect” which means that their blood sugar and insulin controlling benefits apply to both the meal you eat them with as well as the meal that follows
A: Benefits* include:
- Stabilizing blood sugars
- Aiding with the challenges from digestive disorders
- Reducing colon inflammation
- Feeding your healthy gut microbiome (the collection of all microbes and their genes, that naturally live inside our bodies)
* Individual variation plays an important role in the extent that RS affect you!
A: Studies show RS deliver long-lasting energy and maintain stable blood glucose levels without the highs and lows of traditional sugar-sweetened sports nutrition products.
- Endurance: Research shows RS consumption improves metabolic flexibility (body’s ability to utilize fat stored in muscles) at a wider range of intensities during exercise. As a rule of thumb, the higher the exercise intensity (and heart rate) the more carbs burned compared to fats.
It takes more time and energy to produce energy from fats than from carbs. However, it can be beneficial to be able to use the unlimited fat stores for longer, to spare the limited carb (glycogen) stores for quick energy bursts like sprinting.
- RS also provide improved cognitive functioning throughout exercise.
- Metabolic flexibility: Endurance athletes often consume high-simple sugar diets, taxing the pancreas and blunting the body’s ability to burn fats for energy. Because RS naturally lessen blood sugar and insulin spike compared to traditional carbs, athletes can still fuel with adequate carbs for training and daily energy needs, without sacrificing chronic health.
Chronic Health: Offset Low/poor insulin sensitivity (aka insulin resistance), a major risk factor for various diseases (i.e., metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer’s)
Colon health: RS are prebiotics. Prebiotics are plant and fiber compounds that feed your beneficial gut bacteria.
- Butyrate is the preferred fuel of cells that line your colon, which means RS feeds and optimizes your healthy microbiome.
GI issues: RS quickly pass through the gut and stay in the colon where they are slowly digested and absorbed. This reduces the likelihood of GI upset.
When simple carbs/sugar is over-consumed, sugar transporters in the lining of stomach and small intestine get overloaded. This can result in malabsorption and fluid shift out of our cells and into the digestive tract, causing dehydration as well as a sloshy stomach and diarrhea. Slower energy utilization and lesser insulin spike with RS means fewer calories needed to maintain muscle contraction and blood sugars for brain function.
Intestinal pH: RS help maintain optimal intestinal pH reducing colon inflammation, strengthening colon barrier and decreasing oxidative stress.
Mineral Absorption: Preliminary research shows RS may increase mineral absorption
Inflammatory Disorders: RS may aid the body with various digestive disorders (ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, constipation, diverticulitis and diarrhea).
Dental hygiene: some athletes have poorer dental health due to high consumption of simple sugars in food and drinks. Consuming more RS as a substitute for some traditional starches can improve dental health, since RS are not broken down into sugars.
- Cooking and processing – Foods that are less cooked – “al dente” pasta and less processed like steel cut vs instant oats are digested more slowly and have less impact on blood sugars (cooking and processing break down fiber).
- Fat or protein eaten at the same time as carbs helps slow digestion and reduce the blood sugar spike from carb digestion (e.g., adding peanut butter to toast)
- Acids in foods slow stomach emptying after eating, which slows carb absorption and the blood sugar increase.
- Diet rich in RS and fiber help blood sugar control. Balance meals and snacks with protein and fats for optimal benefits, especially if not consuming RS. Eating traditional starches may not cause chronic health issues or poor sports performance as long as you consume meals mixed with proteins, fats, and carbs (both simple and complex).
- RS help fend off hunger cravings: Increased satiety from RS due to the slower digestion. RS stabilizes blood sugar levels, so you are less likely to experience energy crashes (fatigue and lethargy), leading to the desire for simple sugars or caffeine.
Start slowly! Allow your digestive tract to adjust, otherwise you may experience GI issues.
Consume no more than 50g daily. Health benefits are observed with a daily intake of 20 grams.
For reference, most people get about 5g daily. Each The Right Stuff bar provides 17-18 g of RS.
Be patient! Note that it can take a couple of weeks to experience benefits/feel the effects
