Essentials of Nutrition for Sports

Sports Gels

The only mineral that has consistently been shown to be
important for athletes is sodium. For more information about sweat mineral losses, see page

21

.

No sport gels contain fat.

These are a convenient source of cal

ories for use during exercise.

Other ingredients are of questionable value. Other ingredients

include anti-oxidants, other electrolytes, and amino acids.

Most contain about 100 calories per serving/packet. Some come

in packages of two to a dozen servings.

Although some have amino acids, the content is insufficient to

total to 1 gram of protein for labeling, except for the Accel gel product.

Carbohydrate is the most impor

tant and usually the exclusive

source of energy. Most carbohydrate is in the form of maltodextrins. Glucose, fructose, and other simple sugars are also used.

Most are best accompanied by at least 8 ounces of water to

prevent gastrointestinal upset. Hal

f-strength fruit juice in a standard

waterbottle, “real food,” yields the same calories with less expense.

Table 25

, below, lists selected sports gels. These typify

manufacturer offerings. The inclusion of products and the omission of others is not an endorsement of

the products listed or a criticism of

those omitted.

Gel consistency is often described as being like syrup, cake

frosting, or toothpaste.

Unlike bars or traditional foods, th

e gels have no fiber, and no

starches such as rice or potato. The maltodextrin percentage content can therefore be inferred by the grams of complex carbohydrate relative to the total carbohydrate content. Read more about maltodextrins on page

51

.

Nutritional contents are based on information provided on the

manufacturers’ websites, accessed October, 2004.

The nutritional content of the

italicized

flavor is given.

(^)
Many contain up to 50 milligrams of caffeine, about half the
content of a cup of coffee.
Image
Manufacturer
Size
Calories
Carb Cals (total g, complex g)
Protein Cals
Fat Cals
Sodium,
mg
Flavors
Other
Product Accel Gel
PacificHealth Laboratories, Inc. pacifichealthlabs.com
41 g
112
90 (20g, 10g)
22
0
95
Vanilla Chocolate (20 mg caffeine) Strawberry kiwi
Vitamin C, iron, potassium 45 mg
Nutrition for Sports, Essentials of 106