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Justin’s Nut Butter – I may have found heaven while riding now.

I operate almost totally on liquid nutrition while riding, drinking Infinit can get a little monotonous around the 3-4 hour mark (but don’t get me wrong, Infinit is the bomb, yo).  It’s nice to have a little treat waiting for you in your feed bag when you need it.  I still can’t really eat solids (like a bar or a sammich) so what to do?

I tried making my own concoction of coffee grounds, almond butter and coconut oil.  It ended up being a big mess and not very tasty (I’m sure I could refine my recipe and make it better).

Nut Butter by Justin

The other day I was in some hippy health food grocery store and I saw Justin’s Nut Butter packets.  It took, oh, maybe .5 seconds to realize this was going to work for me on long rides when I needed a treat.  They had all sorts of flavors ranging from regular almond butter to chocolate almond butter! YUM!  Each pack is right at 200 calories and I’m attempting to bring in 240 calories an hour so this is a nice delicious treat when needed.  Check out the specs!

I bought four packs and took them on some training rides.  At hour 3 I ripped the first one open and got ready to lap it down…except, that I probably should not have ripped it open all the way as that ended up with me looking like a kid and chocolate cake.

The next pack I carefully opened up one end and squeezed it out.  It was heaven and just enough to keep me going for another 4-5 hours.

I passionately love peanut butter however I’ve cut that out of my diet because it magically adds so much fat on me, even with the kind that doesn’t carry any extra stuff in it.  I use almond butter sparingly and only during a ride or post ride recovery – I have generally only eaten Maranatha’s raw almond butter and while I like it, it’s an absolute bitch to scoop out of the jar.  Here, Justin’s wins because of convenience and honestly, taste.

Nut butter as Mental Treats

With the TNGA less than a month away, I’m trying desperately to get all my nutrition in order – I think I’m going to load up on some of these packets and take along with me.  If you’re an endurance athlete, you already know the tiny psychological things that have a big payoff mentally.  For me, it’s every 20 minutes I get to take a swig of Infinit.  I sometimes look down at my Garmin and watch the minutes getting more and more excited as it slowly climbs to the 20 minute mark.  If you’re just starting out in endurance riding, then consider some form of a treat for yourself as it’ll do wonders for you.

Final Thoughts

Justin’s Nut butter didn’t contact me for any of this – I just really liked their stuff.  However …hey Justin – if you see this article and want to send me some a bunch of samples – I’ll give them out to all my buddies at the trailhead next time I’m there (which is generally all the time).