Since we are on the subject… I have had success with diluted forms of fruit nector. In particular - peach and banana. The main reason I went down the “natural road” is because I am allergic to citric acid and (specially) absorbic acid.
They say that necessity is the mother of invention. And, it became a necessity to find an alternative to off the shelve (or mail order) sport drinks. I also fell back on a bit of old school hydrating method.
Back when Ultra-Endurance sports were more of a novelty, I (and a few friends) use to eat watermelon and cantelopes (sometimes strawberry and banana). Little were we aware that what we were doing had some advantages for endurance sports. It wasn’t until products like Pro-Enhancer and other glycerol based products hit the market. As it’s been noted, more complex carbos (such as maltodextrin) provide advantages that can only be truly realized for long distance sporting events. I get simular results from melons (…without getting technical (I’ll slick do that)- it has to do with glycemic index and caloric density - glycemic load)
I also found that Super Ultra-Endurance sports (for lack of a better term) such as multi-day activities require more protein and fats to help maintain energy levels. Long before Eco-challenge, a bunch of my friends and myself would take 4 day trips that include climbing, kayaking and rappelling down canyons, deserts and mountains. The goal every year was to see how much faster we could do it. This was done without support, without good maps, without high tech (light) equipment but mostly without a lot of common sense. We use to thrive off of water, fruits, nuts and cheese. We also thrived off each other’s dependency to succeed. There wasn’t a finish line per se. But, there are a whole lot great stories - like the time we finished in the dark, at least that what we claimed was the finish-zzZZ.
I think the point I am making is, there are a lot of natural products that provide many of the advantages that the pre-packaged products. And, I not advocating that todays advances aren’t good. However, I for one found that old experiences provide the bases for my ability to find something that works for my situation. It’s amazing how the net results is similar (…as Tom pointed out).
Gatorade is a good product… but for longer distances, I prefer to eat watermelon, cantelopes and the world famous, never fail - peanut butter and fruit spread (no sugar added). That may not be high tech, but it works for me and significantly less expensive… And, that’s coming from someone who could have bought a nice H2 with all the money he has spent on Triathlon gear/travel in the past 18+ yrs.
The difference (IMHO) between products is not that significant. However, it the concentrations and the timing of the consumption that detemines the effectiveness. And, that is totally dependent on the environment and the individual. What worked for me last time may not work for me the next time… but, it’s generally very close. I use simple sugars and complex carbos to help the process… for me, acids only inhibit that process (uh, … let me rephrase that… it makes me sick).
FWIW Joe Moya