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Comparison of Energy Gels

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# As well as Hammer gel, consider Carb BOOM or SIS Isotonic gels.
# See [[How to eat a Gel]] for details.
==DIY Gels==
It is fairly easy to mix up your own gel, and this allows you to tweak the ingredients to your liking. You can have specific flavors, different concentrations, unusual ingredients like Choline, etc., which is not possible with a commercial gel. If you're intending to use a flask instead of packets, then the DIY approach is well worth considering, but I've found it tough to recreate the commercial packaging at home. [http://theplantedrunner.com/copycat-gu-gels/ The Planted Runner uses a modified FoodSaver bag] and includes a recipe. This is probably a much better approach than trying Ziploc bags.
=Gel Ingredients=
Here is an overview of the major ingredients in gels (see [[The Science of Energy Gels| The Science of Energy Gels]] for more details).
''<br/>Ingredients (chocolate haze):Hazelnuts, almonds, sugar, cocoa powder, sunflower oil, organic palm fruit oil, sea salt.''
==Vega Sports Gels==
I put [https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Vega+Sports+Gels Vega Gels] under "other energy gels" because I consider them more as "portable food" than a typical energy gel. The main ingredient in Vega Gels is dates, and I've always loved the taste of dates, so I was surprised when I found the taste rather unpleasant. There is a distinct taste (and texture) of dates but there is also a sharp, tangy, slightly bitter taste as well. Of course, people's tastes are quite different so you might get on much better with Vega Gels than I did. There is a slight concern that the "rice dextrins" might contain arsenic, and while arsenic is completely natural, it's also a toxin. The good news with Vega Gels is that each packet contains 2g of fiber, which I think is well worthwhile. It's less than you get in a packet of PocketFuel, but the Vega Gels are much easier to eat quickly, and on a per calorie basis contain roughly the same amount of fiber. I was expecting rather more complex carbs from a gel made of dates, but it's mostly sugars. This puts Vega Gels in a slightly strange "no man's land" as it's likely to be too difficult to digest to be considered an energy gel in the typical sense of the term, but being almost pure sugar it's a little bit closer to junk food than PocketFuel. Vega Gels has 70% of your daily intake of vitamin C (~42mg), which might be part of the bitter taste and detecting, and if you take lots of these gels you might find in the vitamin C upsets your stomach.I'd avoid using Vega if you're running less than 40 miles, but for ultramarathons it might be worth considering, though I think peanut butter Gu is probably a better choice. The PB Gu is likely to be easier to digest and easier on the digestive system, though if you want something that's "portable food", then check out PocketFuel above. (Update: Vega [[:File:VegaTweats.jpg| responded via Twitter to the concerns around Arsenic]], but their response did not fill me with confidence. As a result of their responses I threw my remaining Vega gels away.)
''<br/>Ingredients (orange): Dates, filtered water, EnergySource (grape juice, natural rice dextrins), sorghum malt, electrolyte blend (calcium, vitamin C, chloride, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, potassium, zinc, copper, selenium, chromium), coconut oil, citric acid, natural orange flavor''
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