Carbohydrate ≠ Gels: Your Sports Fuel Doesn't Have to Look Like a Gel

For a long time, I thought sports nutrition meant gels.

If you were running a marathon, you used gels.

If you were cycling, you used gels.

If you were serious about endurance sport, you used gels.

They looked athletic.

They came in little packets.

Everyone seemed to have one.

So I assumed:

That's what sports fuel is.

Then I realised something quite important.

A gel is not a nutrient.

A gel is a format.

The carbohydrate inside it is the fuel.

And once you separate those two things, your options suddenly become much bigger.

Carbohydrate is everywhere

Carbohydrate isn't a specialist sports ingredient.

It's a nutrient found in everyday foods:

• bananas

• bread

• rice

• potatoes

• pasta

• oats

• fruit

• cereal

• flapjacks

• sweets

• chews

• bars

• cassava

• plantain

And yes, gels too.

The point isn't that gels are bad.

They're incredibly practical for some athletes and some situations.

The point is that gels aren't the only option.

So why did I think they were?

I think part of it comes down to how sports nutrition is marketed.

Walk into a running shop and you'll find shelves of gels, drinks, chews and powders.

Open a running magazine.

Watch a race.

Look at an elite athlete's kit.

You see the little packets everywhere.

And when something is marketed specifically as sports fuel, it starts to feel like that's what serious athletes are supposed to use.

But sports nutrition is much bigger than the sports nutrition aisle.

Food can fuel sport too

Long before gels existed, athletes were eating food.

And they still do.

Rice.

Potatoes.

Bread.

Bananas.

Porridge.

Fruit.

Pasta.

And plenty more.

The carbohydrate itself doesn't suddenly become “sports nutrition” because it's been put into a sachet.

That's what I find so interesting.

We've created this huge divide between food and fuel, when actually food can be fuel.

But aren't gels useful?

Absolutely.

This isn't an anti-gel blog.

If you love gels, they work for you, you've practised with them and they fit your event, brilliant.

Keep using them.

Sports foods exist for a reason.

During a long race, you might not want to carry a sandwich.

A gel can be incredibly convenient.

A carbohydrate drink can be convenient.

A chew can be convenient.

Different formats can make fuelling easier when you're moving.

Convenience matters.

But convenience doesn't mean everyone has to like the same thing.

Because some athletes really don't like gels

And I hear this all the time.

“I hate the texture.”

“They make my stomach feel awful.”

“They're too sweet.”

“I don't want another one.”

“I just want real food.”

And that's where I think we need to stop treating personal preference like a problem.

If something doesn't work for you, that doesn't automatically mean you're bad at fuelling.

Maybe you need a different texture.

Maybe you prefer something solid.

Maybe you want something you can chew.

Maybe you want something that feels more substantial.

Maybe you simply want your fuel to taste like something you actually enjoy eating.

That's allowed.

That's where RED-Scue comes in

Our 70g bar is designed as a solid, smooth, carb-first option.

It isn't trying to pretend it's a gel.

It's deliberately different.

You can hold it.

You can bite it.

You can chew it.

It feels like food.

And that's exactly what we wanted.

We wanted to make something for athletes who were looking for an alternative.

Not necessarily because gels are “bad”.

Simply because sometimes you want something else.

Before, during and after

One of the things I love about real food is that it doesn't necessarily need one single job.

A RED-Scue bar can work before training when you want carbohydrate.

It can be an option during longer endurance training or racing if you've practised eating solid food and like it.

It can also be useful after training when you want something convenient alongside your normal recovery meal.

The right choice depends on the situation.

Your training.

Your event.

Your appetite.

Your stomach.

Your preferences.

And what you actually enjoy eating.

Your race isn't the place to experiment

This is the bit I really want athletes to remember.

If you're trying a new fuel for the first time, don't make race morning your experiment.

Try it in training.

Try eating it at the pace you'll be racing.

Try different timings.

Try different amounts.

See how your stomach responds.

Work out whether you actually like the texture when you're tired.

Because something can taste amazing at home and feel completely different when you're three hours into an endurance event.

Your training is your testing ground.

Your race is where you use what you've already practised.

And this is where personal fuelling matters

There is no prize for having the most complicated nutrition strategy.

You don't get extra points for using the newest gel.

And you definitely don't become a “better athlete” because you forced yourself to eat something you hate.

A useful fuelling strategy is one you can actually follow.

It needs to fit your:

sport

session

body

appetite

preferences

schedule

And sometimes your stomach.

Because the best fuel on paper isn't necessarily the best fuel for you if you can't tolerate it, don't enjoy it or simply won't eat it.

We need to stop making carbohydrate scary

This is a big part of why I care about this conversation.

Carbohydrate has somehow become a word that makes people nervous.

But carbohydrate is fuel.

It's one of the main sources of energy your body can use during exercise.

And when you're training, racing, recovering and trying to do all the other things life throws at you, your body needs energy.

You don't need to earn carbohydrate.

You don't need to “burn it off”.

And you don't need to justify eating it because you've exercised.

You need fuel because you're asking your body to do something.

That's a very different mindset.

Sports nutrition should give you more options, not more rules

We don't want to replace:

“Gels are the answer.”

with:

“RED-Scue is the answer.”

That's not what this is about.

We want to replace:

“There is one correct way to fuel.”

with:

“There are options.”

Maybe your fuel is a gel.

Maybe it's a banana.

Maybe it's a bar.

Maybe it's rice.

Maybe it's a drink.

Maybe it's a combination.

Maybe it changes depending on the session.

That's okay.

Because your fuel doesn't have to look athletic

This is probably my favourite part.

You don't have to hold a gel to be a serious athlete.

You don't need a brightly coloured packet to prove you're fuelling properly.

And your food doesn't need to look “sporty” to do its job.

Carbohydrate ≠ gels.

Sports fuel ≠ one texture.

And fuelling doesn't need to feel like punishment.

Find fuel you actually look forward to.

Find something you can tolerate.

Find something that works for your sport.

And, wherever possible, make eating part of the enjoyment rather than another thing to fear.

Fuel without fear.

Fuel the sport you love for life.