I love a good flapjack so was pleasently surprised to see a pretty hefty bar at the bottom of my bag after finishing the Harrogate 10K race last year.

I hadn’t read ultra running classic Born to Run by Christopher McDougall yet so had no idea what Chia seeds were so just thought I would take the flapjack with me on my next long run to try it. After all it was running food for energy and endurance – perfect!

Chia Charge flapjacks are a calorie dense (380 calories in one bar), easy to eat, nutritious flapjack. With a combination of ingredients that provide you with quick fire carbs and slower burns carb.The golden syrup and brown sugar will give you fast benefits while the oats and chia seeds will provide slower burning carbs so you wont get a sugar rush followed by a swift drop off in energy.

After that first try I make sure I take a couple of Chia Charge flajacks with me on all my long runs and they form the basis of my nutrition for ultras and trail marathons. They really are some of the best things you can take with you to keep you fueled and full of energy on long runs.

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What are Chia Seeds

The nutritional value is simply fantastic and that what makes them so super!

Chia seeds are 20% protein, 20% omega 3, high in antioxidants and fibre as well as low in sugar.
Chia seeds have a mild, nutty flavour which makes the perfect for consumption in a number of ways. As well as combined with our wholesome ingredients to create naturally delicious, nutritious fuel food.

• Chia is gluten free
• It is super high in dietary fibre, making it great for digestion and healing digestion issues (25%)
• It contains 20% Omega 3 ALA, making it a super food for the brain and heart. Chia has eight times more Omega 3 than salmon!
• It boasts 20% protein
• The protein is a complete protein with all 8 essential amino acids (the only vegan source known to contain all 8 essential amino acids)
• It is high in antioxidants (It has a four times higher ORAC value than blueberries)
• Chia contains five times more calcium than milk
• Chia contains seven times more vitamin C than oranges
• It contains three times more iron than spinach
• It contains twice the potassium content of banana
• It is food for healthy skin, hair and nails
• It has a positive impact balancing blood glucose levels (making it awesome for diabetics)

Usage

Chia Charge recommend eating one flapjack per hour, which would replace 3 – 4 sports gels as during activity most people will metabolise 300-400 calories in this time.

This is only a guideline as everyone trains differently so it’s highly recommended that you test your nutrition strategy as part of your training. Something as important as this shouldn’t be left untested until the big race.

Personally I have found eating half a bar every half an hour works best for me as it gives me a steady supply of energy and i’m not trying to eat a full flapjack in one go. I find this works best with my stomach as well as there isn’t so much to digest in one go. It’s best to wash eat bite down with a little sip of water I’ve found also.

This is what works for me but you might be different so try them out during training and I fairly certain you will ditch the gels.

Nutritional information

Original flapjacks

Ingredients: Oats, Butter, Demerara Sugar, Golden Syrup, Chia Seeds (9%), Sea Salt Flakes.

Free From: Wheat, artificial flavours, preservatives and colouring (please note – made in a bakery that uses wheat). Suitable for Vegetarians.

Banana flapjacks

Ingredients: Oats, Butter, Golden Syrup, Sun Dried Bananas, Brown Sugar,Chia Seeds (9%), Sea Salt Flakes, Rice Flour.

Free From: Artificial flavours, preservatives and colouring (please note – contains Dairy and is not made in a Gluten-free bakery). Suitable for Vegetarians.

Verdict

Chia Charge flapjacks have become a staple of mine for any long runs, marathons and ultras. They are tasty, easy to eat and full of energy. Just what you want in running food.

Buy

Chia Charge Flapjack (box of 20 bars) – £24.99