Sports Nutrition Gets Natural in 2016
The word on every sports nutrition rep's lips at Interbike this year was “natural.” Gone are the days when manufacturers proudly paraded bars and gels resembling NASA-grade space food. Today, the fewer ingredients the better—and those ingredients better be some combination of natural, gluten free, non-GMO, and vegan, if not all of the above. Oh, and they also better be easy to digest and taste great, too. It’s a tall order, but samplings from this year’s show prove it can and is being done. A few highlights:
Huma Chia Energy Gel. The concept for this relatively new brand emerged in the deserts of Iraq, when company co-founder First Lieutenant Ian McCollum started eating chia seeds—a great blend of carbs, protein, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids—for energy. Once back home, he helped launch the chia-based gel Huma, which also contains fruit puree, filtered water, sea salt, evaporated cane juice, and brown rice syrup. Huma is gluten- and dairy-free, vegan-friendly, and contains 100 calories per gel. It’s available in seven flavors, including raspberries, lemonade, chocolate, and apples and cinnamon. A pack of seven gels costs $15.75. humagel.com
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K’UL Chocolate Endurance Bar. Made in Minneapolis, these delicious chocolate bars are vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and dairy-free. They're engineered with ingredients like antioxidant-rich cranberries, pumpkin seeds—which are rich in magnesium, a mineral essential to energy production—and guarana, a natural source of caffeine. They probably won't hold up in your pocket on a warm day, but they’re so good, you won’t have them in there for very long. Additional flavors include 'Peanuts and Currants' and 'Maca and Fruit.' Each bar has 210 calories, and a box of eight costs $25. kul-chocolate.com
Nuun. Lots of cyclists like the simplicity and convenience of Nuun hydration tablets, but many aren't fond of their lengthy ingredients lists—including chemical coatings and the sugar alcohol sorbitol, which can cause gas and GI upset if you take too much during the day. Come January, that will no longer be an issue. 2016 sees Nuun replacing sorbitol with the simple sugar dextrose; using avocado oil as a coating; and using less stevia while increasing use of monk fruit extract for a more natural flavor. Also available is Nuun Plus, a flavorless carbohydrate tablet that can be added to regular Nuun when you want more calories in your bottle. A tube of 10 tablets costs $7. Nuun.com
Carb Boom! Energy Gel. After disappearing for a few years, Carb Boom! Energy Gels have returned. Boom Nutrition prides itself on offering a gluten-free gel with one of the highest ratios of complex carbs to simple sugar (so you don’t get an energy spike followed by a crash) and contains real fruit with no added sugars, and no artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners. The gels are available in seven flavors, including apple cinnamon, banana peach, grape pomegranate, and raspberry. A pack of six costs $10. boomnutrition.com
GU Energy Stick. In a move to provide whole-food products alongside its more-engineered energy gels and chews, GU released a new Energy Stick Whole Food Bar at Interbike. Available in early 2016, the stick-shaped bars deliver 200 calories each, along with all eight essential amino acids. Seventy percent of ingredients are organic and gluten-free, including roasted quinoa, dates, and chocolate. Flavors include 'Crispy Chocolate Almond' and 'Crispy Honey Peanut.' Each bar costs $2.50. Guenergy.com
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