As an endurance runner it’s important to fuel your body well, not only in terms of quantity but in terms of quality. I’m very lucky in that my running stomach is quite hardy. I’ve never had any issues with gels or liquids on runs.
I’ve tried loads of different ones and never had any problems during or after a run (directly linked to gels, my last half marathon stitch and sickness was purely self-inflicted food and alcohol related!). Out of preference I don’t do sports drinks though. They’re far too sugary and I don’t feel refreshed after them. I prefer water or water with hydration tabs in them (either nuun or High5 are my favourite).
There’s a lot out there in terms of fuel to take before, during or after a run. And a lot of it is processed and full of chemicals. I don’t necessarily take issue with this though as long as the ingredients are high quality and the research has been done. I assume the chemicals are there for a reason.
BUT it’s always nice to hear about a fuel that is not riddled with strange unpronounceable ingredients. 33Shake are a company championing this natural sports fuel nutrition. In their words:
“We went on a quest for healthy, high-performing, natural ingredients that delivered sustained performance and health…” with ingredients that are “100% natural. No additives, no preservatives, and nothing manmade: This is real food”. (Source)
They wanted a fuel that was chocker full of nutrients and beneficial to your training. They kindly sent me a selection of nutritional goodies to test out.
I was sent All-In-One Endurance Shakes (Cacoa, Mocha and Original flavours) and Chia Energy Gels.
The shakes are designed to boost endurance efficiency, energy and recovery. They suggest it can be had as breakfast, before a run or afterwards to refuel. Further positives:
- Contain sources of fat, such as flaxseeds
- Contain antioxidants to fight free radicals
- Contain natural alkalysers to support your immune system
- Contain natural proteins, such as hemp seeds
- Low GI
- No artificial fillers, sweeteners, colourants, flavourings or preservatives
- Only gluten in the shakes is organic spelt
I knew straight away that a shake would be perfect for my Ultra12 event, where getting in quality fuel between runs would be tricky. I remember at Endure24 I made the mistake of having stupid amounts of chicken and sweet potato and really struggling to run afterwards as all I could feel was food bouncing around in my tummy, consequently giving me a nasty stitch.
At Ultra12 I mixed an All-In-One Shake with around 200ml of cow’s milk (though you can use any milk) and had it a few hours before I was due to run.
They recommend you blend with a banana for maximum yumminess and effect, but obviously I couldn’t do this while camping. At first I was it unsure of the consistency. It was very bitty and, well, chewy. I wondered if I’d mixed it enough but when I looked at the ingredients I realised it was because it contained things like dried fruit and oats. Basically it tasted like chocolate milky muesli. Very tasty and went down very easily.
Nutritional Info (All-In-One Cacao)
These are basically ‘clean’ gels (I hesitate to use that word as it has such implications, but what I mean is that they’re free of processed nasties and junk). They’re to be taken during a run/endurance event.
- Contain a blend of carbs, proteins, Omega-3s and antioxidants
- 90 calories per serving (which is equivalent to other gels on the market)
- Contain natural anti-inflammatories
- Low GI
- Gluten free
- Contain a natural electrolyte blend including Himalayan Pink salt
- No artificial fillers, sweeteners, colourants, flavourings or preservatives
In order to consume, you add water, coconut water or fruit juice within the gel packet, mix well, and leave for ten minutes. It has a resalable top as so you can then take it with you for your run or cycle, etc.
Nutritional Info
I really like these and will definitely be saving a few to take with me for my Cheddar Gorge excursion (either half or marathon, I haven’t decided yet…). I love the concept of having more natural energy to fuel you (I’m sure if you’ve read Born to Run you were somewhat intrigued by the fuel used by the Tarahumaras). Because they’re a more natural energy source as well it might be easier for some people’s stomachs to handle on a run as some people really struggle with the chemically-based mainstream gels. I’ve often considered baby food in the past as a good source of fuel mid-run as it’s so natural but was put off by the fact that it didn’t have the ‘added extras’ that the gels had (e.g. electrolytes). So this is a win-win in my eyes!
Edited to add: I used the Chia Gels for my Cheddar Gorge marathon and they were great. I added coconut water to them and had three of them during my race. They didn’t slide down as most gels did but were more bitty and chewy, but they were very tasty and seemed to work well with giving me energy.
In conclusion, 33Shake get a big thumbs up from me. I love the concept, I love the products and I love the company. Also any company that has Chrissie Wellington as a spokesperson is definitely a good one in my eyes 😉
How do you fuel your exercise?
Do you use standard gels or prefer more natural energy sources?
Do you have protein shakes or energy shakes?
**Full Disclosure: I was sent these products for free to review. All opinions are my own honest ones.**
I have only recently started adding protein powder to my smoothies, but I do find that they are much more filling and it is handy when you need something quick to refuel with.
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy recently posted…Comment on Super Berry Smoothie Bowl by Anushree Ganguly
Definitely. For me a smoothie needs to be filling otherwise what’s the point!
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Lee-On-Solent parkrun, Beefy’s and YOLO
I am SO intrigued by these shakes because of the texture that you described. The little gels look like they would be super easy to open while on the run.
Lora @ Crazy Running Girl recently posted…My tips for living a (mostly) healthy lifestyle
Yeah and you could close them as well if you don’t want an entire gel or just want to sip it for a while.
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Lee-On-Solent parkrun, Beefy’s and YOLO
They look very good indeed, compared to most shakes and gels. I tried a few gels when I did my first marathon, and they made me feel awful. I would rather not eat anything, because I get stomach ache on runs so easily, but of course doing a marathon that isn’t sensible, so I just had bear yoyos which are basically dried fruit- a nice sugar boost but not as sticky as jelly beans. The spirulina in those puts me off though– I tried it once and it made everything taste so fishy it was awful- once bitten twice shy!
Maria @ runningcupcake recently posted…Lamp post intervals and summer time!
The shake definitely did not taste fishy I can assure you but I would understand your apprehension!!
It’s really tough to know how to fuel during a marathon as not all of us can do the Tom Williams approach with his “few sips” of water 😉 I certainly couldn’t!
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Lee-On-Solent parkrun, Beefy’s and YOLO
I’ve never used the shakes, but I’ve been using the gels for quite a long time. I love the ingredients, taste and digestibility. Total winner in my book.
Lauren (@PoweredbyPB) recently posted…How to:Make Your Own Energy Balls
I thought these would be something up your street! They’re great 🙂
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Lee-On-Solent parkrun, Beefy’s and YOLO
I have gels on road marathons, but otherwise tend to stick to real food and nuun tablets in my drinks. I’m a big fan of chocolate milk on longer runs as I find it goes down really easily when I don’t fancy chewing or need a change from lemonade nuun!
How easy was it to add water to the gel pouch before resealing ready for your run?
Mary recently posted…Running talk
Mmmm chocolate milk. The only thing that would worry me is it being warm – warm milk (or even just lukewarm) would really turn my stomach. But ice cold at the end of a hot run sounds DIVINE.
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Lee-On-Solent parkrun, Beefy’s and YOLO