RJ Review: A Quick Shot on Clif Roks

Protein is often overplayed in sport. From the time of Charles Atlas and leather head football, a lot of athletes have been told they should consume much more protein on a daily basis than they really need for optimal performance, and even for good health.

So, it was with some trepidation that I started testing out a (full disclosure: complimentary) sampling of Clif Shot Roks (Clif site), bite-sized protein "balls" geared toward athletes looking for a protein boost either after a big endurance effort or in the midst of one. And despite my slightly jaded eye going into things, I realize protein has an important place in one's diet, and I have some positive things to say about the Roks.

First, they taste quite good. My sampling included chocolate and peanut butter flavors, and with their hard(ish) outer shell and chewy insides, they taste how I envision a healthy malt ball might taste. In fact, as I write this I'm noshing on some.

Second, they offer a lot of control over intake. With ten pieces to a pack, each ball has 2 grams of protein - a little over what Succeed's Clip 2 has per bottle (1.6 grams). So during a race you can throw a couple in each drop bag as you need them, and post-event you can dose them out as your stomach and appetite dictate.

Finally, they're made up of largely healthy protein. While burgers and steak and bacon can taste really good after a long race, they're not the healthiest option for regular protein replenishment. The Roks, on the other hand, are made up of milk-based protein, which makes them pretty healthy (save some cholesterol). Via Twitter, I know of one ubiquitous and esteemed ultrarunner, blogger, and vegetarian who really enjoys the Roks as a healthy source of his needed protein.

Of course, there are many other sources of protein for ultrarunners to choose from both during and after a run. A lot of sports drinks have one or two grams per bottle. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich has about 15 grams of healthy protein. And a Burger King Whopper has about 29 grams of unhealthy, though at times very tasty, protein.

Still, it's never bad to have another arrow in the quiver. It's hard to tell sometimes what's going to work when, so throwing some Clif Shot Roks into your pack, mile 38 drop bag, or glove box could be the ticket to getting the protein you need right when you need it.

	Clif Shot Roks (Package)
Total Calories	270
Total Fat	4.5g
Sat Fat	1.5g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	40mg
Sodium	340mg
Total Carb	38g
Protein	20g

The Drop Bag: How Much Sodium is in Those Gels, Bars, and Pills?

Water, calories, and salt form the grand triumvirate of ultrarunning nutrition. Go off-program with any one of them, and you can forget that PR and may even have to hitch a ride home in the old broom wagon.

This past season, I really tried to focus on my salt consumption and thought it'd be interesting to collapse the sodium content of some common nutrition products into a single chart to get a sense of where things fell (see below). For the savvy runner, there are aren't too many surprises here. Hammer products remains typically low in sodium. Power Gels are the sodium king in their category. And chicken broth/bouillon blows the top off of everything. One real surprise, though, is the newest formulation from Gatorade Endurance, which packs a whopping 400 mg of sodium in a 100 calories serving, easily beating out the other sports drinks in that category.

The Drop Bag: PB & J vs. Turkey & Avocado

The peanut butter and jelly sandwich gained a little extra cache' this summer when neo-legend Kyle Skaggs made his sub-24 hour assault at Hardrock powered almost exclusively by gels and PB & Js. Knowing that certain sandwiches have their devotees, I wondered just how the PB & J stacked up from a nutrition standpoint with that other ultra-sandwich mainstay, turkey and avocado.

So with calculator and pad in hand, I hopped on over to the USDA nutrient data base and pieced together on-the-go versions of the two sandwiches. Neither was overstuffed. The PB & J had two tablespoons of peanut butter and one tablespoon of jelly. The turkey and avo had a 1/4 cup avocado, about 2 1/2 ounces turkey (75 grams) and a dash of mayonnaise (1/3 tablespoon).

Not too surprisingly, the two sandwiches stack up pretty well (see table below). Calories, fat, and sodium are basically the same. Where they mainly differ is in the protein and carbs. The turkey and avo has more protein and fewer carbs than the PB & J. The PB & J has more carbs and less protein.

So if you're looking for a decent amount of protein with a great carb boost, the PB & J is a good choice. If you want a bolus of protein with some pretty good carbs, turkey and avo may be the thing. Clearly, one of the most important factors is simply which sandwich sounds good to you at the time, and whichever it is it'll have some good fuel to get you to the finishing line.

(Creative Commons photo by iirraa)