Finding the perfect energy gel to fuel endurance workouts is a necessity for any endurance athlete. But it’s also always a case of trial and error. While you need that injection of rapid-release carbohydrates to top up your spent glycogen stores, the potential stomach-cramping GI issues, gloopy texture and impenetrable ingredients lists you get with some gels may be less to your taste.
Even when you find the perfect balance of carbs and electrolytes that won’t wreak havoc with your stomach, many sports gels taste like they’ve been concocted in a lab. Finding a flavour and consistency that’s bearable is about as good as it gets.
But things are about to change. Here at Veloforte we believe you should always look forward to taking on fuel, not fear it. We want you to have confidence that you can top up your energy stores without the dread.
That’s why when we created our range of Veloforte nectars, we looked long and hard at the most common energy gel issues and found ways to overcome them with 100% natural energy you can rely on.
From tummy troubles and flavour fatigue from too much sweetness, to the lack of nutritional value – here are the biggest problems with traditional gels and how have we fixed them.
Everyone’s heard the saying “don’t try anything new on race day”, right? One of the reasons that’s so important for nutrition is that you never know how your stomach will react to certain sports products. Cramps, bloating, GI distress and an overwhelming need to find the nearest portaloo right now can be common side effects. Not what you need when you’re gunning for a PB.
The reason sports gels can be hard to stomach is that during exercise your body prioritises sending blood to your active muscles over your digestive tract. This makes digesting fuel and liquids on the go much trickier than normal. To make things worse, over-processed carbohydrates, like those found in many traditional energy gels, can play havoc with sensitive stomachs.
The Veloforte nectar range is designed to be gentle on the gut, using the most natural, unprocessed forms of energy-boosting carbohydrates. Unrefined brown rice syrup, made from the starch of wholegrain rice, provides the fast-release carbohydrate glucose; while date syrup, made from gently heating, squeezing and soaking whole dates, provides slower release fructose. Deliciously sweet maple syrup, meanwhile, is a natural source of both types of carbohydrate.
Not only are natural carbohydrate sources easier on tender tummies but this combination of glucose and fructose is proven to cause fewer GI problems than single-source carbohydrate products – it also allows your body to absorb significantly more carbohydrates than usual, so win win.
While natural products such as Veloforte energy nectars should provide your stomach with a much smoother ride, there are additional measures you can take to ward off a dicky tum. Always practice using any nutrition product in training. Gradually increasing the amount you consume as you increase the mileage, will help your body adapt to using your stomach while exercising. And try and drink water when you take on nectars or nutrition products, this will help speed up digestion and get that energy flowing through your bloodstream faster.
Let’s face it, many sports nutrition products taste like the kind of highly flavoured, nuclear-coloured treats you would absolutely ban your kids from having, even at a party. Overly sweet and densely concentrated, the artificial flavourings tend to be something we tolerate rather than a welcome break on a long ride or run. While this may sound like a minor problem, it's not. You wouldn't accept poor artificial flavours at any other time, so why is it ok to do that now? Besides, not enjoying your gels can mean you put off taking on carbs, resulting in a slump in energy.
When testing recipes for our nectar range we knew we were looking for clean, fresh and natural tastes, something we’d look forward to ingesting as we clocked up the miles rather than a means to an end.
After months in the kitchen we came up with three distinct flavours: the sweet and zingy date, lemon and ginger of Tempo; the savoury notes of beetroot and lemon Primo; and the smooth maple, coffee and guarana of Doppio, which also contains 75g of caffeine for added alertness.
All our flavours come from natural sources including real fruit juice, we’re keen to hear your favourite.
Many traditional gels have a gloopy, viscous texture, making them tough to get down when you’re working hard and your mouth is dry. They often have to be taken with water, which can be tricky if you’re relying on the aid stops as your source of fluids in a race.
The smooth to swallow texture of the Veloforte energy nectar range means they slip down easily when running or riding. While we recommend you taking them with water to speed up digestion, it’s perfectly fine if you have to wait a few minutes after taking a nectar until the next aid station and there should be no problem swallowing without fluid.
The main purpose of a gel is to get energy into your body by the quickest means possible. As a result, many gels contain processed carbohydrates, artificial flavourings and preservatives, ingredients you can’t pronounce and not much else.
But imagine if they also contained vitamins and minerals and maybe some antioxidants too. You know, like real food. You eat real, nutritious foods the rest of the time, why not when you’re exercising?
Because we only use natural ingredients in our nectar range, you get the added nutritional benefit of the fruits, vegetables, ginger, pink Himalayan salt and other ingredients.
Alongside 22g of fast-release carbohydrates from natural sources, each nectar provides vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, as well as 110mg of vital sodium to top up those electrolytes lost through sweat and keep your muscles functioning well during exercise.
We’re all familiar with the rollercoaster ride sugary foods can take our blood sugar on – a fast injection of simple sugars causes a spike in energy followed by a crash and burn energy slump. Obviously, if you’re out there running a marathon or cycling 100 miles across a mountain range, this is something you want to avoid.
A mistake many inexperienced athletes make is to stock up with as many energy gels as possible, doubling the amount they’re advised to consume in the belief it’ll give them double the energy. Sadly, this is not the case. In fact, taking on too many gels can have the opposite effect. As your body is unable to process all the extra sugars it could actually bring about the energy zapping crash you’re trying to avoid, throwing in some PB-scuppering GI issues for good measure.
If you’re worried about sugar crashes, we’ve got you. The dual-carbohydrate combination in Veloforte energy nectars is purposely designed to give you a steady energy release and keep your blood sugar on more of an even keel.
The glucose from unrefined brown rice syrup delivers rapid-release energy straight to your muscles while the slower-release fructose from date syrup keeps you going for longer. Taking one nectar in the first 60-75 minutes during a workout followed by a nectar around every 45 minutes after should give you all the extra energy you need.
While traditional gels come in many flavours from fruity to chocolatey, heck you can even get them flavoured like your favourite cupcake, they tend to have one thing in common. They’re overwhelmingly sweet.
When you’re taking part in an endurance event or working out for long periods of time your tastebuds can change. After numerous sweet gels often all you really want is something savoury.
We’re all too familiar with that longing so we made sure we included a nectar with a refreshingly savoury twist in the mix. Primo has the earthy taste of beetroot with a spritz of lemon to help keep your palate guessing and our other nectars are all perfectly balanced too. Tempo contains zingy ginger and lemon to cut through the sweetness of date, while Doppio has the slightly bitter undertones of coffee and guarana to balance the mellow maple syrup.
With our nectars, we’re confident your palate won’t have a problem.
Try our Nectars
We want to hear your feedback on our revolutionary new Nectars. We’re confident that once you’ve tried our all-natural solution, you’ll never go back.
