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Butcher's Dog! Regular
outdoor fitness tips from the canine on creatine. Cold wet
nose and glossy coat guaranteed.
Gel? Yukko
It's a dog's life, one day you're eating
Pedigree Chum, the next some smart arse gear tester shoves a
sachet of energy gel under your highly sensitive nose and
says 'chomp on that mutt'.
Why Gel?
Eating solid food on the move is all very
well, but it's absorbed relatively slowly and, in the
process, diverts blood from the muscles to the gut.
Importantly, it also slows gastric emptying meaning that it
can contribute towards dehydration.
Gels are a good way of keeping blood
glycogen levels topped up and digest easily, which is great
if you're moving fast and literally can't stomach an energy
bar, when running or biking for example. They usually
contain maltodextrin, the glucose polymers also used in
energy drinks and some research shows that gels, like drinks
produce a faster initial glucose 'kick in' than solid foods.
They're also easy to carry and easier to get down your face
in some situations, for example when climbing at altitude
when you don't really feel like 'eating'.
Drink Too If you do opt for easy
to carry gels over, say, energy bars, it's important to
remember that you should also drink approximately 250
mililitres of water with each 25g sachet. Miss out on the
fluid intake and you'll slow down absorption both of the
concentrated carbohydrate gel and of fluid, leaving you
worse off than before. To be honest, most gels are so sickly
sweet that you'll be gagging for water anyway...
One Exception There is one
exception to the drink rule. Lancashire-based
Science
In Sport produce an isotonic
carbohydrate energy gel, which is forumlated so that you can
consume it without additional fluid. A sachet weighs in at
81 grammes on the OM scales compared to 33 grammes for a
conventional Clif Shot. We found it worked pretty well,
though the 'Tropical Flavour' had that nasty, flattish taste
that I associate with papayas...
Bottom Line Good for fast movers
and there's a definite 'kick', especially with the
caffeine-containing variations, some of it psychological. A
bit OTT for most walking, but for quick, easy carb intake on
the move, it's great. Make sure you keep drinking as well
though unless you're using the SIS stuff or the very
concentrated gel can actually be dehydrating as they will
concentrate body fluid in the gut to aid digestion.
Top tip: mix the berry flavoured
varieties in with rice pudding for a post-exercise carbo
boost.
Woof!!!!!! Gimme Pedigree Chum any
day.
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