Fuel Buzz: Rodeo Labs Trailnuggets

Healthy, whole food bars are becoming an increasingly popular item to pack on long runs for an easy mid- or post-run snack. Recently our staff discovered Rodeo Lab’s Trailnuggets and we’re obsessed with its chewy texture made from a blend of just four key ingredients: Dates, nuts, fruit and essential oils.

Although the vegan, gluten-free and kosher bar is made up of simple (and easily recognizable) ingredients, its flavors are far from ordinary. Our favorite was the Just Beet It flavor that includes beets, dried cranberries and orange oil. Not only high in vitamin C, beets are also a highly coveted source of nitrates among sports endurance athletes. The high concentration of nitrates in beets converts into nitric oxide which helps to improve oxygen and blood flow throughout the body. Lastly, the dried cranberries and orange oil help to mask the strong taste of beets that can be off-putting to some and add a tart sweetness to the mix.

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Other than the nutritional benefits of beets, each Trailnugget square contains 5 grams of dietary fiber (due to the dates)  and 3 grams of protein (due to the almonds) making it an ideal post-run treat. A single Trailnugget may be small, but it packs 210 calories of pure energy and a few of us have admittedly munched on these as an afternoon pick-me-up at the office. We also found that an individual package fits nicely in a fuel belt or zipped up in the pocket of your run shorts for easy access.

Other flavors include Peanut Coco Apocalypse and Lemon Almond Hot Date, which are sold in packs of 12 for $27 on the Rodeo Labs website.