There are a plethora of vitality gels in the marketplace, and extra gamers are coming into the sports activities gasoline scene yearly with new applied sciences and gimmicks. I’ve personally tasted a very good portion of the established manufacturers. For somebody like me, who doesn’t have a very delicate abdomen, most choices from respected producers do the job simply positive.
I hardly ever seen something out of the bizarre concerning vitality increase till I attempted Honey Stinger Natural Power Gels at a 28km path race.
First, let’s get all of the disclaimers out of the way in which. Each athlete is totally different, and each run and experience varies. There are various variables, so what occurred on this race could be a one-time factor. I get it.
Nonetheless, the surge I felt after consuming a Honey Stinger vitality gel occurred a lot sooner and extra noticeable than something I had beforehand tried.
Honey is a well-established vitality gel substitute, and Honey Stinger is a pioneer in utilizing this honey bee-made gasoline in sports activities diet. Let’s dig deeper and see if what I skilled made scientific sense or was all of it in my head.
Advertising and marketing declare – natural and all-natural
After shopping the Honey Stinger web site, my three takeaways are 1. honey, 2. natural, and three. pure.
Because the model title suggests, honey is the first supply of carbohydrates, and the corporate claims all substances used are pure and natural.
“On the spot” and “burst of vitality” are phrases and phrases used on the web site.
Elements – 95% honey
Though Honey Stinger provides a number of flavors, together with caffeinated and fruity choices, I selected the unique Honey Stinger Gold, which is 95% honey, as a result of I choose much less flavoring.
- Honey
- Water
- Potassium citrate
- Salt
- Niacinamide (Vit B3)
- Calcium Pantothenate (Vit B5)
- Pyridoxin Hydrochloride (Vit B6)
- Riboflavin (Vit B2)
- Thiamine Mononitrate (Vit B1)
- Cyanocobalamin (Vit B12)
Honey is 80% sugars (primarily glucose and fructose), 18% water, 2% nutritional vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and a small quantity of protein. It’s a wealthy supply of a Vitamin B Advanced, which is answerable for wide-ranging bodily capabilities. Some of the instantly associated capabilities for endurance athletes is changing meals into vitality and metabolizing carbohydrates, proteins, and fat.
Honey Stinger Gold particularly underscored its Vitamin B Advanced content material within the ingredient listing.
Different Vitamin B Advanced advantages embrace:
- Cell well being
- Progress of purple blood cells
- Power ranges
- Eyesight
- Mind operate
- Digestion
- Urge for food
- Nerve operate
- Hormones and ldl cholesterol manufacturing
- Cardiovascular well being
- Muscle tone
Dietary info – loaded with micro-nutrients
One pack of Honey Stinger Gold is 31g and provides the next:
- 90 energy
- Fats 0g
- Sodium 45mg
- Carbohydrate 24g
- Protein 0g
Some macro-nutrients are
- Calcium 2mg
- Potassium 58mg
- Thiamin 0.3mg
- Riboflavin 0.6mg
- Vitamin B6 0.4mg
- Vitamin B12 2mg
- Pantothenic Acid 2mg
Style and consistency – duh…very honey-like
The style and consistency of Honey Stinger are naturally…honey-like. In case you are an everyday vitality gel eater and benefit from the style of honey, then Honey Stinger might be a very good vitality gel for you.
I choose the style of honey over that of syrupy gels, so it’s a pleasant change of tempo for my style buds. However the texture is thicker than the usual vitality gel, which some athletes may discover much less palatable.
Packaging – very compact
Honey Stinger’s packaging is compact and matches in most belts, vests, and packs. It’s simple to tear open and received’t make a multitude. All the pieces is smart. Easy as that.
Efficiency – 30km path race with 845m elevation
I introduced 4 Honey Stinger Gold vitality gels for the race, which took simply over three hours.
I had oatmeal and banana an hour and a half earlier than the beginning and ate an vitality gel each 30-40 minutes. The temperature was a scorching 30-34 levels, so I ran a managed race, by no means overextending myself.
Some takeaways
- Each time I ingested a Honey Stinger, I felt a burst of vitality. There are all the time many variables – how fueled up I used to be firstly, exertion depth, climate, and hydration – however the surge was too noticeable to disregard.
- I think that the excessive content material of Vitamin B Advanced performed a task, at the least with regards to my particular person physique.
- Although the flavour of honey is extra palatable for me in contrast with the usual gel, the thicker texture required extra water to clean down.
- Honey Stinger is a well-balanced vitality gel that gives micro-nutrients and electrolytes. I squeezed two packs right into a 500ml flask for a coaching run to create a sports activities drink. It wasn’t unhealthy in any respect.
- 90 energy per sachet are on the low facet, however not so low that it’s an enormous concern. For longer occasions the place I’d like to attenuate weight, I’d a lot choose if every gel I convey can present 100 energy or extra.
Conclusion
Whereas I choose much less flavoring for my vitality gels, I’ve to level out the rave opinions from my working buddies concerning different Honey Stinger flavors. Strawberry Kiwi Caffeinated scored excessive by way of style.
I’ve used pure honey as race gasoline up to now. It was simple on the abdomen, however I discovered it slow-reacting in contrast with vitality gels. So the Vitamin B Advanced reasoning for the short vitality surges doesn’t completely maintain up.
I don’t have the scientific background to totally clarify why Honey Stinger was so efficient for me. Even on a earlier two-hour coaching run, after I solely ate one pack midway, it was evident that the gel suited me.
As with most issues about working, it’s most likely a mix of bodily and psychological causes. Except I’m testing a specific race gasoline, I sometimes convey a mixture of manufacturers to keep away from taste and sweetness fatigue. Whereas extra investigation and testing are wanted, I’m sure Honey Stinger will endlessly be a part of my race gasoline technique.
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