Climbing Snacks are more than just food. They can be performance enhancing aids and provide health benefits. Getting it right can mean better training sessions and better performance on your projects. But depending on the snacks you choose, they may have some negative consequences or be outperformed by alternatives. In today’s episode we have one of our nutritionists, Ed Smith, talk us through the pro’s and con’s on some of the most common climbing snacks we see at the gym or the crag.
Many alternatives exist and we are not advocating you need any one of these foods in your diet. Personal preference and individual needs apply. So let us know what your preferred climbing snacks are and why!
We all know that food and the snacks you Can bring with you to the climbing wall Are really important for your Performance and today we have some of Your most common climbing or crag snacks In front of us and i’ve also got ed Smith joining us our nutritionist to Talk about what the best snacks are and We’re going to line these up in Different categories to see what you Should be taking to the climbing wall And what’s going to give you the best Boosted performance [Music] So we’re going to review the snacks that I’ve bought with me today From the kind of angle of What effect it could have on performance What affects if any on health so in Terms of nutrient quality and then also In terms of practicality so Considerations in terms of Taking it with you along to the crag or The climbing wall Or perhaps even buying it In these places as well Okay ed so let’s start with the drinks In the middle we’ve got a few different Types here this is an isotonic sports Drink We’ve got an energy drink system’s going To give us caffeine and then some Chocolate milk as well let’s start with The sports drink what are we going to
Get out of this and why are we taking This drink to the gym Okay so we know that fluid requirements Are an important consideration around Maintaining and sustaining performance Across a session There are going to be times where water Is is potentially not enough Particularly if the session goes beyond 90 minutes we want to be thinking about Carbohydrate provision and we want to be Thinking about potentially electrolytes As well okay so these sports drinks Often claim they’re better for hydration Than water alone is that true and if so Why is it better than water um so to Some extent yes so when we exercise and Obviously to cool our bodies down um we Sweat and we do get some sodium loss With that Um sodium is an electrolyte and it plays An important role in maintaining fluid Balance So the occlusion of some electrolytes This in theory can improve fluid Retention Which of course is a good thing Now it also has Glucose now glucose is the Most kind of Rapidly available Fuel source for the body yeah And So much so that actually glucose is used
As the reference value for glycemic Index So this is quite literally a sports Product that’s formulated for sport so In many ways it’s you know it’s Convenient okay so ed what’s a glycemic Index and if it’s high with this sports Drink is that a good thing for my Performance Okay so glycemic index is kind of Context specific so it’s actually A unit of the rate and magnitude of the Glycemic response i.e how quickly is That glucose or carbohydrate absorbed And readily available To use by the body Now we want a fast response if it’s During exercise because if it’s during Exercise we will have already used some Of the carbohydrate available to us Stored in our muscles and we’re looking To replenish that as quickly as possible Or provide at least You know a readily available source of Fuel so this is good it’s going to give Us sugar and quickly and that’s our fuel Source Um it’s obviously going to help with Hydration because the electrolytes those Are two cons is there anything else this Is good for and is there anything it’s Not so good at So you could argue that in some respects Actually the fact that it is high gi um
You know you wouldn’t want to rely on This as your only fuel source you know You’ve got to consider um you know fuel Needs Across a you know a larger duration of Time so if your session will say for six Hours is it a case of having a lucas aid Every hour is that a practical thing to Do or you’re going to want something That’s a little bit kind of slower to Digest and to kind of drip feed the body With um The nutrients it needs big day at the Gym or multi-pitch climbing trap Climbing whatever big day out this is Probably that fast available energy but Actually a big day out maybe you want Something else in this table which is Going to give that slower release of Carbohydrates yeah exactly yeah Cool let’s move on to the next drink Then which is our energy drink We all know someone’s got caffeine in Um my first question is How much caffeine’s in it and is it any Any better or worse then i’ve got a cup Of tea here you’ve got a coffee like What what’s going to win on this table Yeah so in terms of the caffeine content It’s likely that the coffee that i’ve Made here um so from a fresh ground Coffee bean With basically a double espresso shot You’d be i’d expect that to sit
Somewhere in the region of maybe 100 to 150 milligrams of caffeine the red bull Is at 80 milligrams the cup of tea again It varies depending on the the strength Of the product the length of the brew But you could be looking at anywhere Between maybe 20 even up to maybe 60 80 if it’s particularly strong So you’re not looking necessarily at a Very high caffeine product here okay so Tea Is the lowest yeah then i need to drink And a coffee is actually going to be Much more maybe even double if it’s a Strong one that’s right yeah this is a Double espresso um and that’s not an Uncommon thing to buy you know if you Get an americano often they will use a Double okay right and caffeine helps With performance that fair to say yeah It’s definitely fair to say so Caffeine’s one of the most well Researched ergogenic aids um For a number of reasons really we know That it has effects on our cognitive Processing speed Um our ability to you know to focus make Decisions quickly that kind of thing But also in terms of sports performance We know that it can influence our rate And perceived exertion so how how hard We are finding a particular task And that in itself Is
I guess an important uh performance Enhancing feature Because if we’re Able to feel like we’re actually working Less than we really are we can push Harder then we can push that a little Bit harder yeah nice so is there Anything other than the caffeine in this This drink which is good is it also got Sugar in it has got sugar yes it’s got Sucrose which is a glucose fructose Blend And again it’s very readily available Fuel sources um actually not too far off The amount you would find in in this Drink so it lacks the electrolytes and I’d say another kind of potential Downside is the fact that it is Carbonated so it is a fizzy drink Um so perhaps not the best to kind of Sip on between sets but rather if you’re Having a prolonged rest maybe so you Know that red bull can often get a Pretty bad rep and i think that’s just Because of the badge we look at this big Company and we think it’s a bit evil but Actually the drink inside that can is Pretty good it’s got caffeine more than A cup of tea it’s probably cheaper than A coffee it’s got Our energy it’s got our sugars in there Which is going to help energize the Session so it’s actually a pretty good Drink
Again context specific you know okay so As a kind of drink that you’d maybe have From time to time to really boost those Crucial sessions Um maybe when you’re you know projecting Either extra boost You could argue well it’s it’s Convenient you know you can’t always Take a big flask of of coffee um but You’ve got that little drink that you Can pack into about in terms of health Benefits like it’s it’s not necessarily That bad Not necessarily no the odd the odd red Bull isn’t going to cause any issues in It you know in a healthy adult Population Over consumption is a different matter Altogether yeah yeah but you could Probably do that if any of these drinks Here exactly okay so let’s move on to The chocolate milk um Why is this one on the table uh i know Definitely this is what i would consider More of like a post-workout drink Because i’m seeing a protein content in There as well um so what’s the main Benefit of the chocolate milk It’s exactly that so it brings to the Table um the addition of some protein Some high quality protein which can help Kick-start recovery Um so it you know again it is Pretty good at rehydration rehydration
Um it comes with the added benefit of Being a kind of more natural product and There are naturally occurring b vitamins In there there’s calcium so in terms of Overall nutrient quality it’s probably One of the best on the table really It doesn’t have to be this kind of Branded kind of uht milk the reason i Bought that one today is because it is An option if you are um taking it along To the crag with you obviously a normal Fresh milk product would need Refrigerating With a uht product um it only needs Refrigerator once it’s open so you can Kind of keep that out of direct sunlight In your bag and and maybe sip on that Towards the end of a session so with the Chocolate milk we’ve got the protein Which is going to help with recovery We’ve got vitamins and minerals in there We’ve got calcium Vitamin b2 and we’ve also got the sugars In there for energy which is you know if You drink it during the session that’s Going to help fuel it off replenish Carbohydrates at the end so it looks Like a pretty good drink in comparison To these Where where in the session are you Taking these which which is your go-to Or your favorite yeah i mean it’s Unlikely you’d plan a session where You’re having all three of these but you
Know to put these into kind of better Contacts you potentially have your red Bull at the very start of a session Really obviously it’s got the caffeine It’s gonna take 45 minutes to an hour Really for that to peak in the Bloodstream it doesn’t make a lot of Sense to drink a red bull at the very End of a session And also in terms of the time of day as Well so red bull without having the Caffeine content probably less Appropriate so the the time of the day In terms of consumption is an important Consideration as well when having a Caffeinated drink Um you know obviously ideally First thing in the morning give you that Kind of wake-up boost and perhaps early In the afternoon as well but anything Later than 4 p.m and you do run the risk Of the caffeine actually interfering With sleep quality so leukocyte would be The choice for kind of during a session Obviously it’s providing the the energy The rapidly available Kind of glucose the electrolytes for Rehydration other than that it’s not Providing a great deal else And then we’ve got the the milk drink The chocolate milk doesn’t necessarily Have to be the kind of chocolate variety Um people often say is there anything Unique about chocolate not necessarily
Could be normal milk But there is a slightly higher Carbohydrate content in those that are Flavored so this is what i would Highlight as being the kind of best end Of session uh drink here obviously for The protein and to kick start the Recovery yeah i don’t think i would be Um Necking a bottle of milk just before Getting on a root and then like sit in The stomach a bit wrong that one yeah That’s right so it’s going to take a Little bit longer to digest as well cool Right ed before we start rating these Best to worst for climbing let’s just go Through These snacks here One at a time and tell me a little bit Of i don’t know their pros and cons any Unique qualities we’re going to get out Of actually selecting one of these over The other okay so um i mean i like Serene it’s one of my personal favorites Because i find that it’s Really easy to kind of dose Carbohydrates so you can actually buy Like a pre-sliced product and i know That two slices of that is going to give Me roughly 30 grams of carbohydrates um I guess one of the downsides of buying a Product like off the shelf rather than Making one is that it’s gonna contain Preservatives um and potential other
Kind of artificial ingredients And also um I’ve known to get quite sticky fingers After eating it as well so not a problem If you’re at the wall where you can go And wash your hands in a sink um but Yeah if you’re on your project the last Thing you want is to be uh yeah getting Sticky fingers or not great for friction Not great for friction okay yeah So the bananas it’s going to win overall In terms of being the most natural Product uh potentially having the Highest kind of nutri nutrient qualities Um you know readily available source of Carbohydrates Possible downside really is it’s very Easily damaged so if you’re you know Shoving your stuff into a bag um you Know your banana might end up not Actually being all that edible By the time that you get it out or Covering all of your climbing gear your Criminal or your gear yeah so that is a Potential downside there and also in Particularly cold weather um so if you Out in kind of minus temperatures uh Bananas aren’t that appealing i’ve never Had a cold banana if you’ve had a cold Banana before you have to let us know What it’s like in the comments yeah i’ve Had one it’s not it’s they’re not great Um And then with the
Granola raw kind of we’ve got use the Clif bar here really Um Yep again it’s it’s kind of pre-packaged Which is a pro and a con in that we’ve Got this portion um that we know is Providing a certain amount of energy um And carbohydrates So for on the convenience front it’s a Good choice but again it’s you know it’s A manufactured product um you can make Your own and use kind of more whole food Ingredients So i mean the really the kind of Downside to the to the bar i guess is um You know the cost of buying these They’re not they’re not cheap And one of the pros is obviously the Convenience With the sweets they’re a good source of Energy and not much else [Music] Hygiene might be even a consideration um You know do you really want to be kind Of handling your food with your Fingertips after you’ve had a session Indoors and Used fingerboards and climbing holes That other people have so there is that As a consideration um And again packaging but yeah biggest con There is that it is Very refined and isn’t going to provide Much else other than energy
And then in terms of the nuts actually Really good in terms of nutrient quality Protein as well decent source of protein But not much in the way of Readily available energy so there’s no Carbohydrates essentially or very little Carbohydrates In mixed nuts A good option though let’s say you are Following a very low carbohydrate diet Or in fact Keto you know the considerations change All together and in fact you probably Won’t be looking at any of these Products on the table beyond the mixed Nuts in which case It is a good choice yeah yeah yeah okay Obviously you only go to option at that Point yeah nice i think let’s go and Start Should we just do the snacks to start With and we’re gonna order them Best to worst And we’re gonna do it for three Different categories Convenience Energy availability and then we were Saying is it nutrient so kind of Nutrient quality yeah what else it Brings to the table other than energy Really okay so let’s start off with Convenience i think i’m guessing you Were mentioning this is one of the most Convenient oh yeah you also are a fan of
The soaring it’s a good all-rounder um The the cliff bar um as well as the the Serene as well So i mean they’re all these are all Relatively convenient um but yeah in Terms of having that kind of If you’re having like a dosed Kind of approach really to your Carbohydrate intake yep then something Like that is that that’s number one yeah I mean you could even say that these are Going to be roughly similar i suppose um [Music] And then Well i don’t know even nuts is there Anything wrong with nuts in terms of Convenience so in terms of convenience Are you just saying they’re all equal Yeah i mean this one’s gotta get a bit Smushed doesn’t it Yeah potentially yeah yeah Okay i mean maybe we’ll anger some People when we throw the banana to the End of the pile so in terms of Convenience we’re saying actually Yeah i mean the same so i chose these Products for the very reason that they Are all commercially available you know If you can’t buy these at a center you Know you can use a black lift bar maybe Some fruit or mold life or similar you Can get them in a supermarket on your Way or on the way to the crack So
I guess in many ways they are all Convenient it’s the practicality side of Things really and i think that changes More so with the drinks but um yeah so When it comes to the drinks what’s I mean convenience again they all seem Pretty convenient apart from maybe the Milk’s gonna be a bit sitting heavy in Your stomach so maybe that one goes Towards the end yeah and again the Considerations around it being either a Fresh milk product um or not and whether It’s refrigerating it yeah refrigerating Yeah But yeah of convenience they’re all Pretty good you mentioned this one’s Carbonated and that’s not maybe the best If you’re actually thirsty yeah um yeah And so Does this one sit number one you’re Number one yeah um Yeah you’re right so in terms of it Being a carbonated drink um you know You’re not gonna rely on that really to To to meet your hydration needs it’s Quite a small drink as well yeah um so Yeah the leucade comes out on top there Okay there’s the convenience lineup in Terms of order let’s move to Energy availability like how much sugar Or Ergogenic aid our performance boost what Are we going to get out of it let’s line It up let’s start with the drinks this
Time One two three what’s your go-to drink For energy available so these are Actually already in the in the correct Order okay so i’m not going to do any Order in there yeah um primarily glucose Which i mentioned before is there’s the Kind of fastest absorbing uh type of Carbohydrate uh followed by the sucrose Um That is the the predominant sugar there As well um and then we’ve got lactose Yeah In the in the milk product we’ve also Got the fat and protein to consider as Well so that is actually going to slow Down the rate of absorption okay right That’s good today so the other Consideration when we’re talking about Performance that was energy availability But this one’s got caffeine in which the Other two don’t But we kind of mentioned if you just had A cup of tea or a coffee before going to The climbing wall or the crack you Mentioned it’s like An hour 90 minutes for that caffeine Probably a little short or 45 to an hour Yeah okay so potentially if you’re not a Coffee or tea drinker maybe this takes The lead if you’re looking for caffeine To give you that boost would you say That’s fair yeah abs absolutely i mean You’re pretty limited really in terms of
Uh sources of caffeine if you’re not a Tea or coffee drinker um and that comes Down to buying Just basically powdered caffeine which i Think is is a risky thing to do Um because unless you’ve got Pharmaceutical scales It’s going to be very difficult really To get the dosage right yeah You can buy The the pills as well so the caffeine Pills or capsules um But again they’re typically a bit higher So like generally they come in 200 Milligrams Pro plus is actually a lot lower that’s At 50 milligrams but Yeah it’s it’s an option there okay so That’s the lineup for the drinks energy Availability For The snacks Yeah i’m thinking this one’s gotta come In front Yeah it’s going to be high isn’t it yeah Yeah so it’s basically the primary Ingredient in the sweets is glucose Syrup um so that’s going to come That’s number one number one the nuts Unfortunately is going to be the bottom Now it seems kind of odd because Technically speaking in terms of energy Density it is a lot in fact probably the Highest um but most of that if not all
Of that energy is coming from fat So then it’s going to be Probably A tie between these two actually or it’s Going to be fairly similar i think Between that because of the fructose Content in there the fruit sugars Yeah so the additional uh the additional Sugar added to the serene is going to Give that slight edge um they’re both Sources of fiber though so and we said That slows down the energy availability Or the absorption the absorption yeah Exactly so um Yeah i think this one is going to be Quite quite close i think you’d be Splitting hairs to Have these either way round And then cliff bars coming cliff was Going to become slightly slightly lower Down potentially yeah but we also Mentioned like that that the slower Release of carbohydrates could be Beneficial if you’re talking about a Longer session so are we saying even the Clif bar could potentially be a better Suited choice For those longer sessions yeah i mean in Theory the rate of absorption only Really needs to match the rate at which You’re using the carbohydrate okay so if It’s a very intense session you are Pushing yourself to your limits You know repeatedly essentially kind of
Repeated bouts of maximal efforts you’re Going to deplete muscle glycogen stores At a faster rate and therefore you’re Going to need to replenish them at a Faster rate as well particularly if you Want that session to you know to be Prolonged Um So really again it’s one of these Annoying things where i’m going to say It’s context specific because how often Do you go and train You know kind of flat out essentially Yeah so maybe a hard training session Somewhere up here yeah but mooching Around the crag on a sunny day maybe Like Even maybe even the mixed nuts is Something to throw them in there as well Yeah i mean you’ve got to think of it From a health perspective as well Yes some of your nutrient needs are Going to be met with a banana but you Know the mixed nuts um you know good Source of fats there as well So i mean the only other thing that i Would say is it comes down to the Quantity that’s of kind of realistic to Consume during a session as well yeah Before this i was like well i’d never Eat more than a handful of nuts and then Ed was like i could definitely just do a Whole packet i could easily do a whole Packet of nuts yeah no not a bother in
Fact any one of these really i could do The whole packet off but um yeah in Terms of the quantity as well that might Be required so if you are having a very Long session and you do need to Um you know dos carbohydrates Every hour for three four hours you know How practical is it to You know keep eating bananas or keep Eating haribo you know so yeah how many Bananas can you take Yeah exactly so having a um perhaps even A range of snacks is a good idea yeah Particularly if you’re going to be out At a crag all day I often say to people just Pack what you can fit Even if you don’t think you’ll eat it um As long as you can take it back home With you nothing’s wasted Because you never really know until You’re actually Out there what you might even fancy so Like your appetite is gonna play play a Role in your choices Um And yes i have been out all day before And been stuck with Something that i just wish to have now Taken out Um so yeah having a range of stuff is Gonna be definitely important for those Longer days Nice
Uh the so we’ve ordered these in terms Of energy availability the last one was Nutrient quality Yes nutrient quality okay so again Snacks from us let’s start with these I think we were already saying that this Probably is the best one yeah the Banana’s gonna go up there isn’t it so We’re gonna have the banana Um We’re gonna want the milk up there as Well And we’re gonna have the nuts so i mean These are all good in their own right So it’s very difficult really to you Know create a hierarchy here um And then going down this list So we’ve got Typically some nuts added to the kind of Granola bars Um there’s nothing else being Being brought to the table with the Haribo yeah Again purely energy provision Now the red bull interestingly does Actually have some b vitamins Okay And a little bit of taurine which is um A fairly potent antioxidant so Okay that’s not Terrible it’s good for recovery It’s probably not in a quantity that’s Sufficient enough to have any major Impact but
You know it’s there basically it’s Better than that yeah yeah than the Green essentially and then perhaps the The serene going somewhere in the middle Okay so this is What’s Better for you in terms of health Benefits yeah okay and like i said with These ones you could You could do this and it’d still be Definitely right It’s worth mentioning other snacks are Available this is just typically what we See at the climbing wall or at the crag Please let us know what your favorite Crag snacks are and why That’s it from us today thank you ed for Joining us and talking us through some Of the available snack options if you Enjoyed this video please like and Subscribe and we’ll see you next time [Music]
