GU…it’s an ugly name for an ugly product. A thick, brownish gel that seems like something out of a bad science fiction movie…and yet in 1991, it revolutionized the sports “eating” world.

Most people who are into any endurance sport know about energy gels.  They come in single serving packets of around 100 calories, or in large bottles for transfer to small bottles…you may have seen runners festooned with those bottles in a belt around their waist. They’re easy to eat while in motion, and they’re formulated to make them easy to digest while you’re beating your system up. There are tons of brands out there now, but the first was GU.

I’ve been using the GU products since the early 90s, first for century rides on my bicycle, then more intensively as I raced road and mountain bikes. I’ve tried pretty much every brand out there, but I keep coming back to GU. Why? Simple, they’re not as sweet as the rest of the brands. The flavors are muted and mellow and pleasant, which is nice…but it’s the lack of sugar that I like. Super-sweet gels make my body react in funny ways; I find them harder to swallow quickly, and they tend to upset my digestion post-race. I’ve never had any problems with GU, whether it’s the flavors with caffeine or without.

Recently, I tried their GU Electrolyte Brew and GU Chomps. The Brew sounds exotic…but it’s not. It’s an energy drink with some vitamins and electrolytes in it. But, true to GU form, it’s a little different than some other energy drinks.  I compared it to Gatorade and Powerbar Endurance. In the Gatorade, a 34 gram serving has 33 grams of carbs, 28 of them sugar; Powerbar Endurance, 33 grams carbs, 17  sugar. GU Brew? 34 grams carbs, but only 10 sugar. Same idea as the rest of the GU products: longer chain carbs, less sugar, and in my case, less negative reaction to it from my body.

And the Chomps? Well, I’m biased…I hate gummi bears, worms, toadstools, whatever…I can’t stand the texture. So, the Chomps aren’t for me, personally. But the flavor?  If I treated them as sort of soft hard candy, they tasted fine…not too sweet, a little salty. You’re on your own, though, to find out how they work for your performance; I’m going to stick with good ol’ GU gels!