Question about gels, gu, etc.

ZenInTexas
ZenInTexas Posts: 781 Member
To those of you who have tried a lot of the different kinds and flavours what do you think tastes the best? I really don't like things that taste "artificial ", I can taste aspartame and fake sugar in anything, and I hate gatorade, what would you recommend as being the least offensive tasting?

Replies

  • DavidMartinez2
    DavidMartinez2 Posts: 840 Member
    I prefer Hammer Gel. Many of my friends swear by Island Boost but I haven't tried it. I am planning to test some Honey Stingers tomorrow night.
  • miguelrunner
    miguelrunner Posts: 156 Member
    Anything that has to do with taste should really be tried out individually. I can tell you that I don't care how gels taste because I'm usually dying in the Texas heat anyways. Taste is the least of my concerns. :wink:

    I think I had Clif chocolate gel on Sunday night's 6.5 mile run. I thought it was OK...
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
    Hammer is what I use, albeit sparingly. It isn't as thick as Gu. Montana Huckleberry flavor.
  • schmenge55
    schmenge55 Posts: 745 Member
    Sports beans or Chomps
  • rhall9058
    rhall9058 Posts: 270 Member
    I tried out some Stinger flavors this weekend. The natural gold wasn't too bad, pretty much honey sugar, but if you don't like overly sweet, then the other flavors will turn you off. I enjoyed them however. Fruit Smoothie was good as was the vanilla.
  • LisaO85
    LisaO85 Posts: 152
    Taste and texture are very individual things. I would try a couple different kinds and see what you like best, on that note this is what I have found out for myself.

    1. I don't like the gels, something about the texture.
    2. Jelly Belly sport Beans I found some of the flavors to sweet, but they are the size of a jelly bean so very easy to eat.
    3. Clif shot blocs on the other hand are kind of big and I found hard to chew. They would stick in my teeth.
    4. Chomps are not bad.
    5. Honey Stinger I believe is all natural. That is what I am currently using. They are easy to chew and don't taste to bad.

    Have fun sampling.
  • scott091501
    scott091501 Posts: 1,260 Member
    From a scientific standpoint Hammer products lag far behind Gu, Powerbar, etc. I honestly prefer to eat "solids" running like Chomps or Shot Blocks. Generally 1 block every other mile.
  • ColorfulWeirdo
    ColorfulWeirdo Posts: 113 Member
    I run with Powerbar Vanilla and green apple gels mostly. On longer runs, my body requires salt tablets along with powerbar gels. (Powerbar has the most sodium per gel of all the major brands). I go through salt at a faster rate than most people, but after talking with my doctor and nutritionist, that's what works for me.

    Fake sugars give me terrible migraines so I have to avoid them.

    I eat honey stingers before a run. I adore them.
  • TheBrolympus
    TheBrolympus Posts: 586 Member
    I use the unflavored GUs. All the flavors are too sweet and will make me sick when it's hot out.
  • scott091501
    scott091501 Posts: 1,260 Member
    I use the unflavored GUs. All the flavors are too sweet and will make me sick when it's hot out.

    I hope you're getting you're electrolytes from other sources. Regular GUs have none. Roctanes do.
  • CarsonRuns
    CarsonRuns Posts: 3,039 Member
    I use the unflavored GUs. All the flavors are too sweet and will make me sick when it's hot out.

    I hope you're getting you're electrolytes from other sources. Regular GUs have none. Roctanes do.

    Unless you live in a deprived culture or eat nothing by grass, you are getting all the electrolytes your body could ever want or need from your regular diet.
  • timeasterday
    timeasterday Posts: 1,368 Member
    I prefer the e-Gels but we got a good price on some GU gels so we are stuck with those for a while (not they are bad). I really don't like the process of eating a gel while running so I put a gel into one of my Nathan water bottles and add some water so it's premixed. I don't run far enough to need more than one gel yet.
  • dorianaldyn
    dorianaldyn Posts: 611 Member
    I tried out some Stinger flavors this weekend. The natural gold wasn't too bad, pretty much honey sugar, but if you don't like overly sweet, then the other flavors will turn you off. I enjoyed them however. Fruit Smoothie was good as was the vanilla.

    Yes, the honey stinger natural gold tastes just like honey to me. I have found that sports beans work better for me, though.
  • KeithAngilly
    KeithAngilly Posts: 575 Member
    Chocolate gu for me!
  • 58Rock
    58Rock Posts: 176 Member
    I think I have mentioned this before. You should really try real food during a long run. Packets of mashed food like "Mash Ups', "Ella's Kitchen" and "Happy Baby" are the best way to get energy on a long run. No added sugar, or caffine, or aspertame. Just good real food to fuel your run.
  • RaineMarie
    RaineMarie Posts: 158 Member
    I dont like the texture of gels, so I've been sticking with the Cliff Shot Blocks, and occassionally Gu Chomps. I think I just like chewing something. But I think it's very individualized.
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
    I prefer Gu (chocolate or vanilla) and I also like Jelly Belly Sport Beans when I am craving something a little more solid. However, on a bike, the beans don't work out too well. I also make sure to drink a little more water when I take them. The Clif Blocks stuck to my teeth and I really didn't enjoy that.
  • lizsmith1976
    lizsmith1976 Posts: 497 Member
    The only thing I actually like is peanut butter flavored GU. The texture and consistency really is like peanut butter, and it is the only one that actually tastes like the fake flavor it pretends to be.

    If it's a bike ride or a long and VERY slow run, I can do Clif bars, and then I like white chocolate macadamia nut. They really do taste like a cookie. If it's anything approaching fast I have to stick to liquids and not solid food.

    For sodium and fluids I drink lemon lime G2 gatorade. I hear all the time that is not the best, but it is the one that doesn't hurt my stomach.
  • ZenInTexas
    ZenInTexas Posts: 781 Member
    Thanks for all the replies!! I haven't tried anything yet, haven't felt the need since I haven't gone past 13 miles, but the long distances are in my near future. Anyway, I guess I'll hit up the local running store and select a few to try. :smile:
  • ATT949
    ATT949 Posts: 1,245 Member
    I use the unflavored GUs. All the flavors are too sweet and will make me sick when it's hot out.

    I hope you're getting you're electrolytes from other sources. Regular GUs have none. Roctanes do.

    Unless you live in a deprived culture or eat nothing by grass, you are getting all the electrolytes your body could ever want or need from your regular diet.

    Hear, hear.

    Another eye opener — as you perspire, concentration of sodium increases*, not decreases.


    *Noakes, "The Lore of Running", somewhere around page 80.

    :-)
  • xtrout
    xtrout Posts: 193 Member
    My list in order of like....

    1. My favorite is Clif Shots. Especially the ones with caffeine. The Mocha + caffeine is delicious. Kind of like frosting in taste and consistency. The lid leash is a nice feature too. keeps the part you tear off from flying away or getting lost.

    2. Honey Stinger = Tasty but kind of thin in consistency. Close second to Clif.

    3. Hammer = too waxy

    4. Gu = too chemical tasting
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
    Anyone ever try Brawndo, the Thirst Mutilator? It's got electrolytes too.
  • KeithAngilly
    KeithAngilly Posts: 575 Member
    Anyone ever try Brawndo, the Thirst Mutilator? It's got electrolytes too.

    Brought to you by Carl's Jr...
  • schmenge55
    schmenge55 Posts: 745 Member
    I use to train occasionally with a guy who was an Olympic race walker back in the late seventies. He said he and the other athletes would let some Pepsi sit out overnight to go flat and that was their version of the gels of today.
  • moochachip
    moochachip Posts: 237 Member
    I am a GU fan myself. Honey Stingers are a bit too sweet for my taste. Favorite flavors include Espresso Machine and Salted Caramel.
  • Destanie_Robyn
    Destanie_Robyn Posts: 304 Member
    I've switched from gels to chews over a year ago so I cant remember the GU flavors I like. I really like the Cliff shot blocs I know many of you said they are too big.. I just bite one bloc in half, chew and then eat the rest. Never seems to sticky to me. My favorite flavors are:
    Chocolate Cherry, Berry, and island punch? (the light blue one)