Baouw Extra Organic Bars Review

As a general rule, it’s not easy to change one’s habits, but based on the principle that enjoying the effort is increasingly important at 3bikes.fr, beyond the impact on performance, we will therefore increasingly favor a healthy, but also gourmet, practical, responsible diet that respects nature and everyone’s health.

And now, let’s check together the result of our latest “culinary discovery”…

Text: Jean-François Tatard – Photos: All rights reserved

Baouw is not just a simple sports nutrition brand. Baouw is a concept that takes sports nutrition off the beaten path, thanks to a “culinary initiative” that exists in no other brand, and which dictates that the products in the range are developed in the kitchens of a very renowned chef.

This model was born from the observation that the majority of products consumed by athletes and found in specialized stores are most often excessively processed, and when we read the nutritional label on the packaging, it appears that the list of ingredients is often getting longer and longer.

It’s completely out of the ordinary: at Baouw, the recipe for all bars (and other products in the range, for that matter) is created in the kitchen of a two-Michelin-star chef, none other than the aptly named Yoann Conte. And so, the one who takes enthusiasts lucky enough to come and taste his dishes by Lake Annecy on an extraordinary journey into the heart of what inspires him, is also a fan of outdoor sports.

And in this kitchen, there is another well-known figure in the field of sport and nutrition. From Alain Prost to Christine Aaron, via Lance Armstrong and Kilian Jornet, Benoît Nave has supported many athletes in osteopathy but also for what interests us in this article: nutrition. Indeed, Benoit Nave is a renowned nutritionist and is therefore the co-founder of the brand.

Performance comes naturally when one is in good physical and mental shape, implying that it is only the result of general well-being. When it comes to eating for sport, Benoit Nave himself says it, but “it’s mainly about avoiding cereal products, refined sugars, and other ultra-processed foods.” This is the commitment of the champions’ osteopath and the other co-founder of Baouw. In short: focus on ingredients with a high content of natural antioxidants that respect the acid-base balance.

These are the foods that the two designers choose daily, as well as the fact that they come from organic farming, which would best express the performance of consumers of their products. Physically, of course, and ultimately intellectually and mentally too. Because neurotransmitters, for example, often play an unsuspected role in mood and motivation.

So before testing the bars from the same kitchens as this starred restaurant, we already had the vision of a 100% organic brand, excluding unnatural and ultra-processed products like glucose syrup, dextrose, maltodextrin, and others, which are found in most products consumed daily. However, it was necessary to verify that the ingredients were as natural, raw, simple, and additive-free as desired.

And some research has shown that the mixtures in the design were also made cold. And that there was therefore no heating, just the friction heat of the ingredients. Apparently, this heat produced during preparation would never exceed 40°C, which guarantees optimal preservation of micronutrients.

The reflection then turned to a discourse along the lines of “indeed, what’s the point of being so demanding with the choice of our dietary products, if the qualities of these raw materials are destroyed in the design method which most of the time heats at high temperatures.” At Baouw, by developing their products at low temperatures, they avoid transforming molecules and thus preserve the taste and nutritional qualities of the different ingredients in their recipes.

A few years ago at 3bikes.fr, we had already tested bars from the brand with sometimes daring combinations, notably sometimes made with vegetables or even Guérande salt. And we found the idea good because the fact is that with the duration of the effort, especially in ultra, there is a kind of saturation for the “sweet” taste. So finding something savory at some point allows you to rediscover the pleasure of eating.

In short, Baouw recipes are raw, natural, and gourmet. They were clearly designed for athletes, respectful of their bodies and the planet, but also for good living people who love both the great outdoors and good products. Moreover, what was certainly surprising was the simplicity and gourmet nature of their recipes. Concretely, when reading the label, there isn’t a single “unknown” ingredient: simple, raw foods found in nature or at the market. Just like in the kitchen of Yoann Conte’s La Maison Bleue restaurant.

On our last long rides, we therefore always took with us one of the four new bars that we decided to test… until we had tasted them all.

Vanilla / macadamia

Banana / pecan

Chocolate / hazelnuts

Coffee / almond butter

In use, these energy bars are a real concentrate of benefits and also effectively satisfy our energy needs. An ideal calorie intake during our training sessions. Totally digestible and with no added sugars, it is first and foremost a healthy solution, and then a gourmet one. And it feels good… It’s the perfect bar for competition or during our rides.

Moreover, this brand new 50g format contains more oilseeds and lipids than classic 25g bars. And we’re not complaining…

What to remember:

No energy slump

No digestion problems

Easy assimilation

Useful calories

Satisfying recipes

Gourmet and natural recipes

The feeling of a reward

To conclude

It’s not often that we eat a two-star chef’s cuisine. Especially since this time, it cost us less than €3. But beyond these gustatory generosities that exploded our taste buds, it was the (sometimes surprising) marriage of flavors and the very intelligent and thoughtful combination of ingredients of very interesting nutritional quality for our sporting practice that seduced us.

We were very happy with this rediscovery of the brand. Firstly, because the products are perfectly aligned with our needs to achieve performance objectives, but also because the brand’s commitment, particularly to protecting nature and therefore our favorite playground, is one of the brand’s spearheads. And all this while keeping in mind that such a delicious treat during effort is most often experienced as a true reward.

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