It’s been awhile since I posted my last article on homemade energy gels. And since there’s been so much interest as
of late, I thought I’d research what other outdoor enthusiasts have recently come up with and post the best of the best for your personal experimentation.
First and foremost my own personal concoction is a 50/50 combo of chocolate syrup (your choice of brand) and espresso (your choice of flavor), which I put in a GU flask for ease of use. This combo is affordable, the ingredients are readily available, it’s easy and quick to make, and will provide a nice dose of energy and caffeine for the duration.
The next best concoction I came across was a combination of 50% brown rice syrup, 20% blackstrap molasses (loaded with potassium), 30% honey, a pinch of salt and a bit of water to desired consistency. The flavor of this combo can be enhanced with lemon or lime juice, vanilla extract, peanut butter or nutella, coffee or green tea. See this combination being created at http://youtu.be/hAGYXN-PIFM.
Next is more of a whole foods approach with the combination of 20 pitted medjoal dates, 2 branches of celery and ½ a banana in a blender, plus water to your desired consistency. This combo may require a significant amount of water to get to a consistency that could be used in a GU flask, so some packaging experimentation may also be required for this one.
And last chia seed energy gel. 1-2 spoonful’s of chia seed placed in a GU flask and filled with water. Refrigerate overnight = gel in the morning. I haven’t tried this one just yet but the consistency is supposed to be similar to tapioca pudding. I can imagine this one may also need some extra flavoring of perhaps some almond or vanilla extract or a bit of sweetener. The options are endless.
So have fun experimenting and please let me know what fun concoctions you come up with as well as what you find works during those hard intense training, racing sessions.
