Fleck wrote:
I would argue that recovery drinks and protein powders count as supplements, which I'm guessing the majority of serious triathletes use. Yes, but for the most part the effectiveness of these drinks has been debunked, and athletes fare just as well eating whole natural foods.*
A big part of it is convenience, though. Sometimes it's nice to just eat a bar when you have 10 minutes to shower and get in the car to get to work after your 5AM workout.
In a perfect world we'd all have time to make a quinoa breakfast bowl with raw milk and freshly-picked fruit every morning after my first workout. Maybe when I retire. Currently I can swing that a couple times per week.
Same with in-workout drinks. I could make my own fruit juices with my own salt added in. Sometimes easier to scoop some Gu powder or whatever into a bottle and go.