As if there weren’t enough tasty new bites, brews, and gels at Sea Otter Classic, we’ve been trying (or just seeing) a smorgasbord of new energy foods and drinks come in recently. Everything from power breakfasts to on-the-go hydration, and even a little something for after the ride, here’s the latest sports nutrition to come across our desks (and kitchen counters).
Skratch Labs Tangerine Mango
It’s the summer of flavor this year, with a lot of sports drink brands launching limited seasonal flavors. Skratch has a new Mango + Tangerine flavor of their original hydration sports drink mix, and like all of them, it uses real fruit and fruit juice powders to flavor it.
Infinit Nutrition Berry Blast summer flavor
Infinit Nutrition’s custom blended sports drink now has a limited edition Berry Blast flavor for the summer. Like all their products, you pick the flavor and the levels of electrolytes, carbs, sugars, etc., then it’s batched and shipped just for you.
Gnarly Salted Margarita hydration mix
Sometimes you just want to boost your electrolytes between rides, or maybe want something with less carbs for recovery spins. Gnarly’s new Salted Margarita flavor hydration mix has just 7g carbs (4g sugars) but a healthy dose of electrolytes (500mg sodium, plus magnesium, potassium, and chloride) and B-vitamins. I preferred it at half strength as the stevia can be a bit much, but the flavor is great for summer sipping to keep the body primed for activity and heavy sweating.
Holos Overnight Muesli Berry Flavor
Holos makes a lot of delicious flavors of overnight oats, er, Muesli, which also pack a lot of protein and end up being the perfect serving size pre-ride. For summer, there’s a new Berry Flavor that keeps the 20g plant protein, chia seeds, and probiotics, but adds berries and dark chocolate. It’s good, but I actually liked all other flavors better, and the Chai, Apples & Cinnamon, and Vanilla, are outstanding.
Greenbelly Mud Meal
For those who prefer a liquid breakfast but still want something filling and nutritious, Green Belly Meals’ Mud Meal is a meal replacement shake that’s made with real food. I tried the Vanilla flavor, which uses Whey Isolate and other animal-based protein sources, but there’s a plant-based Strawberry flavor, too. At 400 calories per serving and packed with healthy fats, oat and sweet potato powder, and various fibers, they’re enough to fuel a ride (or get a long one started), and I blended mine with a banana for a little more flavor.
Also check out their monstrous Meal Bars for on-the-go fueling…they’re filling, and tasty, and big enough that some jersey pockets may not hold them.
Morning Complete green drink
There are a lot of green drinks on the market. Athletic Greens has a bit of a pineapple flavor. Amazing Grass has a, um, greens flavor. And Morning Complete has a more citrusy flavor, albeit one with a strong stevia sweetness. If that’s your cup of (greens) tea, Morning Complete has a lot of pre- and probiotics, dried greens, adaptogens, turmeric, and more, to help fill in the holes of any diet, healthy or otherwise.
Athletic Brewing Fruit Stand Series
First up for this summer is the new Athletic Brewing Raspberry Sour, brewed with real raspberry puree, a hint of salt, and light spices for a well-rounded flavor. It’s a limited time flavor, and if it’s like their other special editions, it’s likely to sell out in just a couple weeks. Grab it while you can!
