Here is a table of carb and sodium sources for various products available to purchase. This is helpful if you want to understand the carb source, electrolyte content and also the volume or weight for endurance events.
| Product | Type | Amount | Serving | Carbs | Sodium | Calcium | Potassium | Magnesium | Sugar | Fiber | Caffeine | Main Ingredients |
| Saltstick Chews | Chewable Tablet | 1 Tablet | 1 Tablet | 1g | 50mg | 1mg | 3mg | 1g | ||||
| Saltstick Capsuals | Capsual | 1 Cap | 1 Cap | 215mg | 22mg | 63mg | 11mg | |||||
| SIS Sodium Gel | Gel | 1 Gel | 60ml | 22g | 300mg | 0.7g | ||||||
| SIS Regular Gel | Gel | 1 Gel | 60ml | 22g | 10mg | 0.6g | ||||||
| Tailwind Caffine | Powder | 1 Scoop | 27g | 25g | 310mg | 27mg | 90mg | 12mg | 25g | 35mg | Dextrose, Sucrose, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Magnesium Oxide, Caffine | |
| Tailwind Regular | Powder | 1 Scoop | 27g | 25g | 310mg | 27mg | 90mg | 12mg | 25g | Dextrose, Sucrose, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Magnesium Oxide | ||
| SIS Beta Fuel Chew | Bar | 1 Bar | 60g | 46g | 100mg | 41g | 2.2g | Glucose (36%), Fructose (29%) | ||||
| Precision Hydration PF1000 | Dissolvable Tablet | 1 Tablet | 6g | 3g | 500mg | 20mg | 130mg | 10mg | 2g | |||
| Nuun Sport | Dissolvable Tablet | 1 Tablet | 4g | 300mg | 13mg | 150mg | 25mg | 1g | ||||
| Gatorade Endurance Powder | Powder | 1.5 Tbsp | 24g | 22g | 300mg | 140mg | 0mg | 13g | Sugar, Malto, frustose, citric acid, sodium citrate, etc. | |||
| Gatorade Endurance Bottle (24oz) | Premixed Drink | 1 Bottle (24oz) | 24oz/720ml | 44g | 620mg | 280mg | 26g | Sugar, Malto, frustose, citric acid, sodium citrate, etc. | ||||
| Gatorade Normal | Powder | 1.66 Tbsp | 23g | 22g | 150mg | 50mg | 21g | Sugar, Dextrose, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate | ||||
| LMNT | Powder | 1 Pack | 6g | < 1g | 1000mg | 200mg | 60mg | Salt (Sodium Chloride), | ||||
| Maurten Gel 100 | Gel | 1 Gel | 25g | 25g | 85mg | 25g | Water, Glucose, Fructose, Calcium Carbonate, Gluconic acid, Sodium Alginate. | |||||
| Maurten Gel 100 CAF | Gel | 1 Gel | 25g | 25g | 22mg | 25g | 100mg | Water, Glucose, Fructose, Calcium Carbonate, Gluconic acid, Sodium Alginate, Caffine |
| Energy product format | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Carb (“Isotonic”) drinks | + Useful for short-to-moderate duration activities (~45 mins-2 hrs) | – Unlikely to meet your fluid and electrolyte needs over ~2 hrs (especially in the heat) |
| + Require no chewing, little digestion | – Reduces the flexibility of your fueling strategy | |
| + Replaces some of the fluids and sodium lost in your sweat, mitigating the risk of dehydration | – Some people don’t like the sweet taste | |
| Gels | + Easy to carry a large amount of carbs efficiently | – Some athletes find they become sickly or unpleasant (“flavour or texture fatigue”) if over-consumed |
| + Efficient when your hydration needs are proportionally lower than your energy needs | – Many athletes just can’t “stomach” gels | |
| – Not ideal when simply opening the packets is tricky because you don’t have full use of your hands (e.g. when kayaking) | ||
| Chews | + Can be more ‘satisfying’ than gels during longer races at lower intensities | – Not ideal when you’re exercising at a high enough intensity to make chewing and swallowing an issue |
| + A viable alternative for anyone who doesn’t get on well with gels | – Not ideal when simply opening the packets is tricky because you don’t have full use of your hands (e.g. when kayaking) | |
| + Excellent energy-to-weight ratio | ||
| Bars | + They often contain protein, fat and fibre (unlike drinks, gels and chews), so are generally a lot more satisfying to eat | – Better suited to ultra-distance events, where it’s possible to eat them because you’re moving at a slower pace |
| + They take longer to digest and absorb, so their energy can be released more slowly, which may be an advantage at lower intensities | – They tend to need to be washed down with fluid | |
| + Can double up as a good pre or post-workout snack |
