FAQ

We as a company are obliged by law (according to the Food Information Regulation) to clearly label the most common allergens in the list of ingredients of products, and to (visually) highlight them if they are included as ingredients. In addition, PowerBar® voluntarily declares any potential traces of allergens. On our homepage you can choose different filter for “form of nutrition”, e.g. Gluten-free. Activating this product filter you can see all products which are gluten-free. Should you have any further queries about the topic of allergens, please contact: nutritionteam@powerbar.de

We always try to meet the interests of our consumers, so of course we also offer vegetarian and vegan products. You can find the whole vegan product range through activating the filter Form of Nutrition: Vegan. Do you have further questions? Please contact us here: nutritionteam@powerbar.de

The best before date represents the date during which food or a product (if stored correctly) can be consumed without any noticeable or essential changes to the taste or quality, or with any risk to health. As this is a best before date, and not an expiry date, it is possible that the product could still be suitable for consumption after the stated date. However, as manufacturers we cannot guarantee the quality of our products if they are consumed passed their best by date. The expiration of the best before date cannot only affect the taste, appearance and the microbial decay of food it can also affect its effectiveness. For the longest possible use of our powdered products such as DELUXE, LEAN, CLEAN WHEY 100% ISOLATE, RECOVERY ACTIVE, RECOVERY MAX, ISOACTIVE und ISOMAX Powders, we recommend to store these well closed and dry after opening as well as protected against heat.

Yes, the ISOACTIVE Isotonic Sports Drink as well as the ISOMAX Isotonic Sports Drink can be prepared as a hot drink. Therefore both sports drinks are also ideally suited for winter sports athletes, when prepared in a thermos for on the go.

The small hole in the white intermediate cover of some of our products is not a quality flaw – this hole (also called pinprick) is needed here. It ensures resistance of the seal towards high pressure differences (pressure equalisation). This prevents a contraction or bursting of the tub. Therefore, the pinprick is present in those tubs where it is technically necessary.

Every athlete needs a healthy and varied diet tailored to their individual requirements. Factors like managing your weight effectively, i.e. optimising the ratio of muscle mass and body fat and training scheduling have a strong influence on your daily energy requirements. This will also influence the ratio of the macronutrients - fat, carbohydrates and protein - in your diet.

A common mistake during activity, alongside a sub-optimal fluid strategy, is either the wrong timing or the wrong amount of carbohydrate ingestion, which varies greatly depending on the main goal of training or duration of competition. One of the main determinant of successful endurance performance at the highest level is a continuous ingestion of carbohydrates, and the right amount and timing should be individually pre-determined during training leading up to the event.

Good foods to choose in the final hour before a race include small carbohydrate-based snacks such as energy bars (e.g. ENERGIZE bars or NATURAL ENERGY FRUIT BAR) or a ripe banana, which would be ideal in combination with small amounts of fluid. If the nerves are getting to you, it's advisable to stick to liquid carbohydrate sources (e.g. gels dissolved in water) rather than solid foods.

In the 2-4 hours leading up to the planned activity it is generally recommended to drink approx. 5-10 ml of fluid per kilo of body weight. In the final hour before a race, you should ideally consume approximately 100-300ml. Individual taste and preference should dictate what you should drink (e.g. sports drinks such as ISOACTIVE Isotonic Sports Drink, sweetened tea, or plain water), as long as you can tolerate it well. Some endurance athletes like to use caffeinated beverages, which may help improve physical performance. Amongst endurance athletes caffeine has long been considered as a real “mental booster”. Bear in mind that this is only really suitable if you are habituated to caffeine and tolerate it well.

That's a very individual decision, but you should definitely try how many you might need during training in the months leading up to the event. As a rule of thumb though, depending on each person's tolerance, a carbohydrate intake of up to approx. 60g per hour (e.g. 1 POWERGEL® every 30 minutes) is a sensible amount for a marathon. And remember it is also important not to neglect your fluid strategy.

Individual tastes and preferences, duration, and intensity of activity should dictate the form of the chosen carbohydrate product. Those with a sensitive stomach or those who tend to get affected by nerves should opt for sports drinks and gels, and maybe not use solid foods. The same goes for very high intensity activities. For longer duration endurance events it is sensible to allow for a bit of change in the types of food you eat to alleviate monotony, so maybe try a combination of liquid and solid foods.

You should recreate racing conditions during training, so you learn WHAT and WHEN to drink/eat during a race. This will allow you to avoid being confronted with any unpleasant surprises or negative symptoms due to low blood-sugar levels. It is beneficial to eat sufficient amount of carbohydrates in the last days prior to a competition (pasta, bread, dried fruits, etc.) to ensure you have well-filled glycogen stores in your body's muscles. In addition, the best preparation involves eating the correct types and amount of food in the last few hours leading up to a race.

Taken in the correct dosage, caffeine can improve endurance performance during longer events if consumed in the 60 minutes leading up to the event, as well as when consumed during the activity itself. Especially at the halfway point of a longer endurance session the consumption of caffeine can delay the typical feelings of tiredness and as a result improve performance.

There is no scientific evidence showing that moderate caffeine consumption (< 5 mg/kg of body weight) during exercise has a negative impact on hydration levels, or that it causes dehydration at all.

Carbo-loading is a tried-and-tested method designed to maximize the glycogen stores in your muscles; or fuelling your energy reserves if you like. The recommended strategies have evolved a lot in recent years. The methods recommended nowadays are much simpler: in the last 3 days leading up to a competition, you should follow a high-carb, low-fibre, low-fat diet while also tapering your training. In this so-called carb-loading phase, the most suitable nutrition consists of carbohydrate-rich foods such as pasta, rice, mashed potato, dried fruit and fruit smoothies. Some simple advice for mealtimes includes: fill your plate with two additional helpings of rice, potato or pasta than you would normally eat, choose a banana instead of low-calorie soft fruit (such as berries) for dessert, and for a snack between meals an energy bar or a few raisins are good options. It's important to understand that effective carbo-loading leads to increased fluid retention (carbohydrates are stored as glycogen in combination with water in the muscle), which increases your body weight. As a result you’ll notice that you're slightly heavier than usual. It's therefore important to test this sport nutrition strategy before a long and intensive training session. But rest assured that carbo-loading can definitely lead to improvements during long endurance activity.

It’s important to mainly reduce calorie and carbohydrate intake in periods where you aren’t competing to avoid a drop in performance and slowed recovery. Weight-loss strategies can also lead to an increased risk of illness and injury, and therefore should be planned carefully, in advance, and on an individual basis.

The badly planned diet of an omnivore is no more balanced than that of a badly planned vegetarian diet. A well-planned lacto-ovo vegetarian or vegan diet has been found to be sufficient for the nutrient needs of an athlete. When planning a vegan diet, careful consideration must be given to include sufficient vitamin B12, vitamin D, omega 3 fatty acids and the minerals iron and zinc. Many vegan and vegetarians have been found to have lower creatine stores than their meat-eating counterparts. In this case it might be beneficial to consider a suitable creatine supplementation, as well-filled creatine stores can allow you to train at a greater intensity, which for example can improve repeated sprint efforts.

You can find Powerbar® products in many places. Our products are sold in good sports nutrition stores, sport stores, drug stores, selected gyms and online retailers.

We are happy that you’re interested in PowerBar® and our products. We are always searching for dedicated partners that live according to our motto and help represent our brand. Please send us an email with your request and your business information (name, address, telephone number, and email address) to the following address and we’ll get in contact with you: friends@powerbar.de

As we strive to continuously improve, we value the opinions of our athletes! Therefore, we are very happy to receive positive, as well as critical feedback. You would like to write to us about your opinion about a product? Please contact: friends@powerbar.de