Chia Charge Sports Nutrition Review

Chia Charge is a British sports nutrition brand founded by Tim Taylor in 2012 after he found that other sports nutrition brands lacked flavour in their products and he felt that energy products should be more than just fuel to keep the body going. We were lucky enough to be able to taste test a selection of Chia Charge products and give our verdict.

Salted Caramel Chia Seed Flapjack

The ingredients in this bar are all natural and are foods you would find in your own kitchen so there are no nasty surprises. The bar is packed with chia seeds and this comes with a whole host of health benefits. Chia seeds are high in protein and also high fibre. They are very nutrient dense for a small amount of calories as well as being high in antioxidants, high in omega 3 fatty acids, and one study even suggests that chia seeds can improve sports performance. This means they are perfect for a sports nutrition bar like this and add a great boost to your daily diet! 

The bar smells wonderful as you open the packet and you can see the chia seeds packed into the oats. It tastes very rich and indulgent with all the butter and sugar. The salt isn't overpowering and adds a great depth of flavour and really lives up to the 'salted caramel' name. It's not too crumbly so you could easily take it on a run with you and it'd be a really delicious way of fuelling. It's also not dry which is perfect when you are running and have a dry mouth. It's absolutely delicious and tastes very decadent, but the 50g bar is small enough that you don't feel like you've overindulged or ruined your healthy eating. This small bar has a lot of health benefits and would be perfect as pre-, during, or post-exercise fuel.

Chia Seed Flapjack with Peanut Butter

This 50g bar contains 246 calories, 11g of fat, 24g of carbs, 11g of sugar, and 6g of protein. These are very decent nutritional stats for such a delicious bar which will definitely provide you with all the fuel you need for an endurance training session or race. The elevated protein content is particularly impressive as there are no chemicals or additives in the bar, proving the worthiness of chia seeds as an ingredient. 

The bar tastes really indulgent and lots of peanut butter comes through as soon as you take your first bite. The added sea salt flakes are really tasty and add a tangy edge in the background of the thick peanut butter. Beware though, it's so moreish! With only 11g of sugar it can certainly be classed as 'healthy', especially with its 6g of protein, which is more than a lot of 'protein bars' on the market today contain.

Gingerbread Chia Seed Flapjack

I was really excited to try this flavour bar because I'm a huge fan of gingerbread. I was pleasantly surprised that the potentially overpowering flavour of ginger was not too strong but was definitely there. The balance of flavours is perfect and the gingerbread flavour is delicious! 

Cashew Karma Bar

The brand's Karma Bar range is a low-carb option for when you need more of a protein hit and less carbohydrates. These bars are all low sugar and feature lots of nuts like cashews. The bars are fairly small and light at only 35g and contain few calories, roughly 150 calories in each bar, which means they make for a perfect grab-and-go healthy snack. If all that wasn't enough, they're also wheat- and dairy-free and 100% vegan meaning they're perfect for people on a free-from diet. 

Cocoa Karma Bar

I wasn't sure what to expect when I was about to open this bar because the name 'Cocoa Karma' doesn't give too much away, so I was pleasantly surprised by how chocolatey it was! This raw fruit bar has a very subtle flavour but is suitably moreish and indulgent.

I've had bars before whose main ingredient is dates (which is the case for this bar) and they've always been far too sweet and sickly, but this bar hits the nail right on the head and gets the balance just right. It is devilishly chocolatey and rich considering the only chocolate-based ingredient is cocoa powder, but I think the peanut butter perhaps has a part to play in that. I really enjoyed this bar and its nutritional values are great, containing only 146 calories and packing 5g of protein. I'd love to see this bar re-imagined using cacao instead of cocoa as this would just take it to new levels!  

Verdict

I'm really impressed with this brand as the food tastes very authentic and is really delicious! It's perfect for fuelling pre-, during, and post-exercise and the fact that the bars come in both small and regular sizes means they're excellent as low calorie snacks.