High5 or Nuun for hydration?

Hello! I have the second part of my ProBikeKit review for you today.

If you missed the first one and are interested it was reviewing the Clif energy bars (find it HERE). As I got the choice of what to pick from the website (was actually really hard to choose, so many good products) I decided to do a little stand-off between the High5 electrolyte tablet product and the Nuun version. And with it being so warm and sunny recently it was actually a perfect choice.

IMG_7598

The idea behind the electrolyte tablets is that it’s better than water in that there are important electrolytes added which help keep the athlete properly hydrating. Water is only good for so long and indeed if you have too much water it can be very dangerous as it effectively washes out valuable salts from your system. I’m no scientist so if you want to read more go HERE.

High5 Sports Zero X’treme Caffeine Hydration Tablets – Tube of 20 (find HERE)

Basically you add one of the tablets to around 500ml of plain water and let it dissolve (I vigorously shake my water bottle to speed this up). The flavour is very subtle – kind of like weak squash with a little bit of a chemical taste. I wouldn’t describe it as delicious but it’s not horrendous. There are two flavours available in this range: berry and pink grapefruit (I had berry).

High 5 Zero Caffeine It contains zero calories (hence the name) and this version contains caffeine. I’m a big believer in having caffeine before big races or parkruns. I need my morning coffee. But I dislike drinking coffee before my long runs because I want to just get out there and having coffee sloshing around is not good, whereas there is time before races for it to ‘go through the system’ if you like.

I would fill my bottle with this and take it with me during a long run. Sometimes I would drink 500ml the day before a race if I know it’s going to be hot to make sure I’m fully hydrated leading up the race, not just on the race day.

According to High5, it helps improve attention, concentration and reaction time. There’s added vitamin C (supporting the immune system) and magnesium to help with the “electrolyte balance, reduces tiredness and fatigue, whilst supporting muscle protein synthesis” (source). There are no artificial colours or preservatives and it’s suitable for vegetarians and vegans. There are 20 in this tube and on ProBikeKit it’s £4.99.

Nuun Active Sports Isotonic Hydration Tablets – Tube of 12 Grape (find HERE)

Similar to above you add a tablet to 500ml of water and let it dissolve. Nuun seems to be very popular in American and I hear about it lot on different blogs so I was keen to see what it was like in comparison to the more widely known High5 above.

IMG_7601 This product only contains 12 tablets and is slightly more expensive at £5.99 per tube. So obviously it’s more expensive than High5’s version.

Each tablet contains 360mg sodium, 100mg potassium, 12mg calcium and 24mg magnesium – and again very low calorie (6 per tablet). But there’s no caffeine added variation available. There are lots of flavours to choose from: citrus, lemon tea, lemon/lime, orange, grape, strawberry, fruit punch and tri-berry. Mine was citrus fruit flavour. It tasted OK, again kind of like weak squash but not unpleasant.

Thoughts

Which did I prefer? It’s funny because I prefer Nuun as a company but I prefer the High5 product. The added caffeine and vitamin C win me over. Probably taste-wise, Nuun is better but I’m not that bothered about taste. High5 is also cheaper, when considering how much you could be using this product it is a definite consideration. I think either though are fine to use and it’s just down to personal preference. I know that High5 also do a caffeine-free version if the caffeine isn’t your thing.

Hope you enjoyed the review! Check out the ProBikeKit website for more cool products (for both running and cycling).

Do you drink a lot of water when you run?

Do you use electrolyte tablets or sports drinks? I tend to avoid sports drinks as they are so sweet and it makes me feel ill when running. I like the fact that these have no sugar in them so it avoids that stomach issue. Ben however loves his sugary drinks when running and after a run.

Have you tried Nuun or High5 products before?

**Full disclaimer: I was sent these products for free to try. All opinions are my own**

11 Replies to “High5 or Nuun for hydration?”

  1. I love your idea of a showdown! I have tried the zero and high 5 tabs too (free samples after races etc) but I found them too strong in flavour, and prefer the nuun flavours. But yes I agree having something other than water is so important to rehydrate properly.
    I don’t take water with me when I run, as I hate the sloshy feeling (and my arm aches from holding the bottle) but if I was to run longer than a half in training I probably would, especially in the summer. But just a small amount.
    Maria @ runningcupcake recently posted…Holding backMy Profile

  2. This is a great idea for a post and I liked your review 🙂 I use electrolytes on the bike if I’m going any further than about 30 miles. I usually use the SIS ones, which are pretty good, but recently tried the High5 ones – they are just the same really!

    1. I haven’t tried SIS but I’ve tried their gels and quite liked them. I think it’s just finding what works best for you. I haven’t really been further than 34 miles on the bike and tend to just take water with me as I never get that thirsty or hot on the bike, but I agree that further than I’d probably pop a tablet in my bottle.
      AnnaTheApple recently posted…High5 or Nuun for hydration?My Profile

  3. This is brilliant: you’ve come up with a fantastic concept for a post, and I really appreciate the review and comparison because I currently use High 5s, and I’ve always wondered about Nuun and whether one is better than the other.

    I’m not really on board with Nuun as a company (though that could be just the US branch of it) but really it ultimately comes down to taste for me, so we’re very different in that respect. I have a hard time with nausea eating/drinking anything while running, so if something tastes bad to me I just can’t force it down or I will literally just throw it straight back up again. For that reason, I go with the pink grapefruit High Five tabs – they’re the only ones that don’t taste sickly sweet to me. I love how sour they are!

    xxx
    Jess recently posted…VirusMy Profile

    1. Oh, I meant to say that I don’t use them when I’m running unless it’s a ridiculously long race without water available on the course. I’ll carry a hand-held in that scenario, but I do drink the Highs when I’m at the gym and pre-run, just to make sure I’m balanced in terms of electrolytes.
      Jess recently posted…VirusMy Profile

      1. It’s an interesting point about the flavour. I hadn’t really considered that. I think I’ve just been lucky that none of the flavours I’ve tried have caused me any issue. But I can imagine that some might not agree with people. It’s interesting because some of the gel flavours about I think “oh that sounds tasty” but then actually considering taking a super sweet toffee dessert whatever gel during a hard race might actually make me gag!
        AnnaTheApple recently posted…High5 or Nuun for hydration?My Profile

  4. I am an electrolyte drink convert! I used to religiously drink a bottle of Lucozade per long run but like you mention, I find them very sickly and sweet after a while. Especially in the heat. I find I really have to limit my water intake in the heat because otherwise I have a tendency to gulp down too much and I leave my body all out of sync and ‘washed out’.

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