I have a very picky stomach. I am a Celiac, and I strictly keep to a gluten free diet. After a lot of experiments (some unintentional: I’m looking at you, Pumpkin Spice Latte), I have found I also need to avoid dairy. I have tried a lot of foods to fuel my long or speed work runs, The Honey Stinger Gluten Free Waffle is one of my absolute favorites. The texture is soft and light, the cinnamon flavor is tasty, it gets me about 140 calories of fast acting carbs, and is certified gluten free by the Gluten Intolerance Group. When I need some protein before a run I eat a spoonful of almond butter. The best feature of the waffle is that it sits well in my stomach, even if I gobble one really soon before I start warming up. On tight schedule days that can be clutch.
These waffles also travel well. I often keep one in my purse, and when I travel I take a bunch so I can keep them around in case snacks are scarce. I think everyone on a plane is jealous of me.
There is a variety box of the flavors available on Amazon (10 for about $20).
I tried these first to test drive the different flavors. I thought I would like the chocolate flavors best, but cinnamon turned out to be the clear winner.
You can buy a box of one flavor on Amazon for 16 for $21.90 (about $1.37 each). If you use the subscribe and save option they are $18.62 ($1.13 each). Subscribe and save is a great option on Amazon. If you find yourself ordering several things on a regular basis and subscribe, they will all come on the same day and you’ll get a discount on each item of between 5 and 15 percent. I find it’s a little hit and miss what is available for the program. These waffles are available from REI for $1.50 each, but if you’re a member you would get 15 cents back (net $1.35). If you don’t have an REI near you, you would have to pay shipping, but it would be a great thing to add onto an order.
Road Runner Sports offers the box of 16 at $23.84 ($1.49 each), but members pay $21.46 ($1.34 each) and would get 10% back (net $1.21) and free shipping.
Amazon subscribe and save is the clear winner here.
Honey Stinger recommends the waffle for before and during workouts. They’ve recently introduced a protein version designed for recovery. I haven’t had a chance to try them yet. Please let me know if you recommend them.