Try These Real Meal Replacement Gels, Sports Drinks, and More
Gels, bars, sports drinks and cocktails are all wonderful inventions that allow us to get the right nutrients into our bodies at the right times while we exercise. But plain old plain food works the same way in many cases – and is often cheaper.
What to try instead of gels
If you take long runs or bike, gels (like Gu) or sports gum (like Clif Shot Bloks) can provide light carbs while on the move. But since it’s mostly just sugar, you can easily replace them with any other easy-to-eat carbohydrate.
I learned from other runners in the marathon workout group that fruit snacks are a simple and cheap replacement for the gels we continued to use. Go to a grocery store that sells cereals and you’ll find them pre-packaged for kids’ lunchboxes.
To be honest, almost any candy will do; just find something about the right amount of carbs (you’ll need 30 to 60 grams of carbs per hour after the first hour, depending on your body size) and not too much fat or protein. Starchy foods also count; both pretzels and gummies contain carbs in the middle of a workout.
Make sure you can eat it along the way; for many of us, this excludes anything that requires frequent chewing or crunches and cracks when you eat them, such as chips. Some cross-country runners love raisins. Just remember to try something new a little in case your choices don’t match your instinct.
What to try instead of sports drinks
A drink like Gatorade does three things that water doesn’t: it provides you with carbohydrates (sugar) to nourish during exercise; contains sodium, which replaces sweaty salt; and it usually provides several other electrolytes, such as potassium.
If you haven’t been exercising long enough or hard enough to lose a lot of sweat, water is likely to do the trick. For carbohydrates, see our recommendations above for candy or starchy foods.
When it comes to electrolytes, you have a choice. Watering Gatorade tends to be easier on your stomach if you drink a lot. You can also use an electrolyte powder or tablet such as Nuun or Liquid IV. But what if you need electrolytes from real food?
Fortunately, most of us don’t need to work too hard to replace electrolytes. If you’re just exercising for an hour or two, you’ll have enough water and your next meal should ensure your sodium and potassium intake is normal. However, if you are concerned about this, salty snacks such as pretzels or chips may contain not only sodium but also carbohydrates. And banana has 422 milligrams of potassium, compared to 30 milligrams in a serving of sports drink.
What to try before your workout
If you just don’t feel right at home in the gym without a serving of caffeinated fruit powder, it will be difficult to replace that feeling. Many pre-workout medications contain beta-alanine, which can cause itching and tingling sensations in the skin; I can’t think of a food that does this.
But the main reason many people use pre-workout is because of caffeine. This is what is behind the idea of using it to increase “energy”. However, you can easily replace pre-workout with any other caffeine source, such as coffee.
Just check the amount: A C4 scoop contains 150 milligrams of caffeine, which is roughly a cup or one and a half cups of strong coffee (the caffeine content of coffee varies with grains, roasts, and other factors, so it’s hard to pin down exactly).
Protein Shakes & Bars
Protein powder is a convenient way to increase the amount of protein in your diet, but there is nothing special about protein shake . It’s the same with protein bars. A scoop of protein powder often contains about 20 grams of protein, and most protein bars contain 10 to 20 grams of protein.
You can opt for a bar or shake for convenience, but don’t assume the amount of protein you are getting is special. A three-ounce serving of chicken breast is the size of a deck of cards and contains 27 grams of protein; there are six of them in the egg; there are 20 of them in a can of tuna; There are 17 of them in a small container of low fat Greek yogurt. So serve yourself any of these protein-rich foods (or your choice) and you don’t need a bar or shake.