Home made energy "gel"?

[7rider]

This is a recipe I got from Coolrunning website and it works well.

You need:
Polyjoule or Polycose Powder (AKA Maltodextrin)
Gastrolyte sachets
Cordial


Mix 1.5 cups of polyjoule, I sachet of gastrolyte and a generous amount of cordial ( about 1/2 to 1 cup ) to turn the powder into a gel.

Mix the ingredients for a minute or two. Depending on the consistency, add a small amout of water to get a runnier gel.

Refridgerate overnight- it will become clearer.

This makes about 6 shots, usually enough for about 4 hours bike/run.

Drink plenty of water (NOT GATORADE- it will give you malabsorbsion and the trots) with each shot.


Another recipe I have but haven't tried is :

I scoop of sports drink
6 scoops of polyjoule (=1/2 cup)
enough water to mix to gel

This makes 3 gels
wash down with 200mls water per gel

I like making my own. It is convenient and satisfying and cheap!

Hmmmm...thanks for these.
However, what is "cordial"? Is it flavored syrup? When I hear "cordial" I think of a sweet alcoholic after dinner drink, like Creme de Menthe or Gran Marnier.
Is "Gastrolyte" a trade name?

[susanm8048]

Sorry, I wondered if all the ingredients would translate. I lived in Canada for 4 years,so you think that I would know!

Cordial is indeed sweet, flavoured syrup. You would normally add it to water for a sweet kids' drink.
Gastrolyte is a trade name for an electrolyte replacement drink usually used for people with gastroenteritis. You can buy it in chemists/drug strores in sachet form. It comes in different flavors, but I just buy plain so that I can add my own flavouring with the cordial. I just looked in the cupboard and the the sachets are 4.9g. and my husband must have got some freebies( he is a pediatric gastroenterologist- it is about the only freebies HE gets) of another brand- Hyralyte. I guess it works the same.

The polyjoule I also buy from the Chemist/ drug store. It comes in big tins and is quite expensive. People use it medically to add to sick kids feeds to add more calories.

One of the nice things about making your own gel is that you can make it as thick or thin as you like. I find it quite hard getting the commercial thicker ones down my throat especially when I am running.

I hope this helps.
Sue

[mellic]

I think the problem with a lot of gels is that they are just too thick and pastey and you have to roll it around in your mouth for a bit to get the right consistency to swallow.

I really think an energy gel should be runny enough to swallow with ease so that: 1. you don't have to taste it too much, and 2. your breathing rate does not have to alter too much.

I have tried a lot of gels and I either cannot stand the flavour or I end up choking on it because it is too thick and I struggle to breath. I found this runny gel made by a company called Enervit which they call an Enervitene cheer pack. They come in lemon or orange flavour but the stuff does not taste bad and it goes down the hatch so fast you can hardly taste it anyway.

[Kitsune06]

regular maltodextrin and dextrose are actually really cheap when purchased thru a brewing supply store...
I've seen a lot of recipes that call for dextrose online... just a small amount. Reading the back of my jug of Hammer gel, it calls for Maltodextrin, grain dextrose, fruit concentrates (I'm thinking a little scoop of fruit juice from concentrate for the 'all natrual' hammer stuff, or coffee/italian soda syrup for more exotic flavors) and amino acids. Correct me if I'm wrong, but can't you get amino acids via health food shops? I'm thinking Bragg's Liquid Aminos would work, but I'd be VERY hesitant to use that as it's got that STRONG soy sauce flavor.