VERT NUTRITION
Sustainable gel powder endurance? Now I know you want to hear more.
Vert Nutrition products, based out of Brisbane, don't need any preservatives, acidity regulators or humectants to give it shelf life. Nor does it need any of that stuff to make it taste flavourful. Additives lead to stomach upsets that can well and truly ruin your race day – and its why many runners, when they find something that works for them, stick with what they know.
Founded by Queenslander Ben Paris who is a dietitian and runner, gels just never ‘gelled' with him in terms of the way empty packets would always be littering his favourite trails and the way they made his hydro-pack or pockets sticky. With his knowledge in his chosen industry, Ben created a gel powder and a reusable flask so athletes could get the benefit of gels without the plastic – or the rubbish.
Available in an incredible 8 flavours, I was given the opportunity to taste test and performance test Vert Nutrition's Lemonade and Mango varieties (also available in Maple Syrup, Unflavoured, Orange Juice, Kiwi Fruit, Raspberry and Apple). There is preparation involved, but it's actually quite minor – all you need to do is ensure you prep your gel powder either the night before race day or at least an hour beforehand you walk out the door so the warm water you use can cool down in the fridge.
The instructions: 20ml of warm water to 2 scoops of gel powder, stir, and let sit in the fridge. You can scoop it immediately in cold water, but the gel powder won't dissolve completely – which is fine. It doesn't affect the carb stats; mixing with cold water will make zero difference performance wise. You'll just be left with granules that sit at the bottom of your cup before pouring it into the Vert Nutrition flask (I'll talk about that in a sec).
When it comes to taste, the two flavours I tested were exactly as they said they were. A little more sweet than I'm used to, I diluted both slightly, but otherwise both the lemonade and the mango were quite refreshing when cold and I was left with no lingering taste.
The main carbohydrate ingredient used is sucrose, which has a 66% lower carbon footprint when compared to dextrose/glucose (made from corn); sucrose is produced here in Australia too, so the food miles are dramatically lowered. Vert Nutrition also doesn't use single-use plastics and all of their packaging is compostable, while their mail/ delivery boxing is simple cardboard and features carbohydrate recommendations and serves per hour printed on the actual inside.
Don't get me started on Vert's flasks though – they are absolutely mint. Small in size (150ml), they fit perfectly in my hydro-pack front pockets when filled and were easy to use whilst out trailing it. And look, I don't normally have gels, they don't mix well with my stomach, but as mentioned earlier, the fact they have no additives or preservatives, I was taken by surprise that I had no churning happening or sickly feeling.
If you're a runner who enjoys their gels, Vert Nutrition seriously needs to be taken into consideration for your training and prep work. I acknowledge there are plenty of runners who put their gels in their pockets or belts, and they can fit a good five to eight, maybe even more, in there. And yes, a flask is bigger than a small pack of gel. But if you're wanting to make a bigger impact on the environment without leaving behind a footprint of rubbish (because those gel packets have got to go somewhere, right?), then a product with more sustainable power should be put on the table and tested out. It deserves a go.
Ben Paris has created a winning product for gel enthusiasts, and price-wise, it ends up being only $1.80 per serve.
The only thing you want to leave behind while out racing is your PB. Vert Nutrition can help you get there in more ways than one.
VITALS
RRP Gel Power 450g $30.00 AUD RRP Vert Flask 150ml $12.50 AUD RRP Slider Scoop 20ml $10.00 AUD VERTNUTRITION.COM.AU