MATTER: Yo Fiit Probiotic Bars

"Your health is an investment, not an expense." Yo Fiit

In early 2018 Danielle, my wife, brought me a bar home from the store she thought I'd be interested in: Yo Fiit's plant-based cacoa-goji 'mid-day energy' bar. She remarked on the bar's probiotic content, which piqued my interest, and my first bite proved fascinating. For those who don’t know, I’ve consumed a plant-based / vegan diet for the last 15 years.

Goji-choco mid-day energy, my personal favourite.

Rather than being hit in the face with sugar, I tasted the bar's ingredients: quinoa, chia, cacao, goji, berries, hemp seeds, coconut. . . . I want to stress this: I could identify the bar's ingredients! As strange as it might sound, this was a novel experience. Typically, it’s difficult if not impossible to discern most of the ingredients that comprise the bars most of us are accustomed to eating to support our cycling and active lifestyles.

My next revelation was that Yo Fiit's bars are made in Vaughan, Ontario. This is about as close to 'local' as it's going to get when it comes to sourcing mass-produced bars, and I was excited to learn that this innovative product is being produced here in Ontario. 'Innovative,' you ask, 'how?'

Apple-cinnamon, morning fiber, very nice alone or with yoghurt.

I reached out to Marie at Yo Fiit to discuss some testing of their bars in the context of endurance cycling, and we were fast friends. It became clear to me immediately that Marie is committed to contributing to a cultural shift around nutrition, specifically, how we perceive convenient options as part of our daily diets.

To date, the most of the bars on the market have been, let's be honest, candy masquerading as food. Or, they've been food wearing stage make-up. Lara bars and Vega bars stand out as exceptions, both being made with quality ingredients, but they are both tuned for a sweet palette. Marie kindly sent me boxes of each of their three flavours, which comprise a 'nutrition system' of sorts, each bar's recipe tailored in line with a different nutrition objective, covering the span of the day.

It didn't take long to discern how and why Yo Fiit's bars are innovative in the sports nutrition space. After speaking with Marie about the trials and tribulations of refining recipes for a largely anonymous customer base, I developed a deep appreciate for the work she and her team do to deliver these bars to the market.

Lemon-coconut all-day protein. Somewhat polarizing flavour, totally unique.

Since early 2018, I’ve used Yo Fiit’s bars extensively, and have come to rely on them as my go-to nutrition for every occasion I need to pack and or carry pre-packaged food. I tend to rely on ‘real food’ heavily these days while riding, and this is where Yo Fiit’s bars feel unique, and frankly, phenomenal: they’re ‘real food’. Let me elaborate.

When I pack food to take to work, and I’m light on volume, I’ll pack a Yo Fiit bar in case my lunch is too light. I would not take a Clif Bar in this situation (not that I normally stock them), because they are not ‘food.’ They are ‘candy.’

Yo Fiit’s bars are ‘food’ in the sense that they deliver actual nutrition in a compact form. There’s nothing remotely junk-food-like about them. I’m not all about individually packaged food for daily consumption, but Marie tells me she has customers who consume her bars daily as part of a balanced diet. I can see why.

The result is that when I need to consume portable, relatively non-perishable food on the go, I don’t feel like I’m compromising my nutrition ideals when I eat Yo Fiit bars. Instead, given they are probiotic, I feel I’m contributing something positive to my gut health, and thus, overall health. If I had an unlimited supply of bars, I’d consume one daily. I would never dream of doing this with any other bar on the market.

Flavour-wise, Yo Fiit bars are totally unique. To each their own and all that, I won’t make a case for any of them. I had the privilege of being able to provide feedback on various recipes as the keto bars were being developed - which was fascinating, BTW! - and I’m really happy with how the two flavours came out: almond chocolate, and strawberry vanilla. I’m not a strict keto diet person, but I do keep my processed carbohydrate consumption fairly low most of the time. I really like the flavour and texture of both the keto bars - expect these to be unique, there’s no other way they can be! - and I’ve used them a whole bunch through 2019.

I’ve particularly liked taking them along on morning rides I begin fasted. After 2-3 hours I’d enjoy a bar, then follow up perhaps an hour or more later with a coffee stop, where I’d get a baked good. Super simple, and a nice way to keep in a carbohydrate-sparing metabolic mode while also being able to eat something, at least for the psychological benefit.

I’ve taken a pile of Yo Fiit bars with me to every race and trip I’ve done since spring, 2018, and results have been overwhelmingly positive. I’ve come to rely on the Goji-choco bar as my pre-race snack, for every discipline. I tend to eat breakfast when I get up, usually 3+ hours before an event start. About 1/2 hour before go-time, I’ll eat a bar, and this has always felt great.

While riding in Europe over the last two years, I always carried Yo Fiit bars, especially for the odyssey I rode from Nice, France to Genova, Italy, in July, 2019. I took along a pile of both types of bar and relied heavily on them over the 14-hour ride Scott Emery, Nico Joly and I did from Bordighera to Limone Piemonte, Italy (story to come in the winter issue of Bicycle Quarterly).

On that day I learned there’s such a thing as too much of a good thing when it comes to probiotics. Let’s just say my legs were not bothering me as we climbed the 60 switchbacks of the Col de Tende, but I was really, really looking forward to visiting a bathroom. In the end, the intestinal discomfort I was experiencing subsided on its own, just as we gained access to our accommodations! It was hilarious then, and even more so now. So yeah, maybe experiment a bit to make sure you know your personal limits. I have to wonder whether the carb bonanza we had at the bakery in Tende triggered the ‘reaction’ I experienced….

To reiterate, Yo Fiit bars occupy a unique position in the market, which is dominated by products that cater to a sweet palette. For those who aspire to consume a ‘clean’ diet at least most of the time, these bars provide a simple option for all manner of activity, from the daily grind to spectacular, audacious adventures in the wilds.

All the things! Into the mountains, on ancient ‘roads.’ Nice - Bordighera - Limone Piemonte - Genova.