Goodness Shakes are rightly known for their excellent sports recovery drinks (see the Cyclo review here) but now they have taken the plunge into the exercise sports drink market with an intriguing new idea. Nectar Sports Fuel is a concentrate which comes in a 2litre bottle (at around £25.00) with a precision pump that delivers exactly the correct amount (25ml) for mixing with 500ml of water – but here’s the clever bit: pump once for a hypotonic drink, twice for an isotonic drink or three times for a hypertonic solution.
Perhaps that needs a little explaining… the hypotonic version will deliver fast hydration and is best suited for use during low intensity workouts (or long, slow bike rides) or in hot conditions. Isotonic works best for higher intensity workouts, strenuous rides or races and delivers a greater energy boost, whilst the hypertonic, three pump, version serves up a real surge of energy for that sprint finish or for interval-style training.)
In terms of the ‘sciencey bit’ Nectar is a ‘dual carbohydrate source’ consisting of 2 parts glucose to 1 part fructose; because these two types of energy use different methods for absorption into the body they can enter the bloodstream (and therefore ultimately the muscles) up to 55% faster than either a standalone glucose or fructose-based energy drink.
The taste, as you might expect from For Goodness Shakes, is excellent too. The Lemon/Lime variety is pleasantly tangy and the Light Orange variety has a mellow mandarin hint – obviously having a sports drink that is actually palatable makes all the difference to drink the right amount. Value’s good too – depending on the concentrate level you opt for each diluted 500ml serving will cost from around 65p, around half what you would expect to pay for a pre-prepared sports drink with similar values.
As a rough guide to nutritional values, the isotonic version (double-pump, 50ml of concentrate) will serve up 240Kcal of energy with 60g of carbs (48 from the combined sugars) along with a good balance of potassium, magnesium and other body salts otherwise lost through sweat.
For more information, visit: www.nectarfuel.com
