PowerBar Gel Blasts

PowerBar Gel Blasts... mmmmmm... Gusher's for endurance athletes. These "energy chews" are basically a more solid form of an energy gel (in fact, 6 of them are the equivalent of 1 PowerGel). However, unlike a gel, you don't have to consume them all at once, and they might be easier to eat when riding a bike (I don't really know as I have only recently managed to drink water while riding a bike... eating something will be a whole new challenge).

Ingredients:

• Glucose Syrup, Invert Sugar: source of sugar / carbohydrates
• Raspberry Puree, Raspberry Juice Concentrate: source of sugar / carbohydrates and a "natural flavoring" agent
• Sodium Ascorbate: source of Vitamin C
• Citric Acid, Tartaric Acid, Malic Acid, Sodium Citrate: adds tartness and some serve as a preservative
• Gelatin, Carrageenan, Locust Bean Gum: thickening/gelling agents
• Sorbitol: a sugar alcohol that the body metabolizes slowly; it is used as a sweetener (sugar substitute)
• Coconut and/or Palm Kernel Oil: I'm guessing that oil is added to keep the gels from sticking together (but I have no idea)
• Carnauba Wax: used as a formulation aid, lubricant, release agent, anticaking agent, and surface finishing agent
• Black Carrot Juice: a natural additive for pink/red color

Nutritional Analysis:
1 serving (6 pieces) of Gel Blasts contains 130 calories (30g carbohydrates), 40mg of sodium, and 2g of protein (oh, and 10% of your Vitamin C for good measure). Basically, these are solid energy gels.

#20's Thoughts:
PowerBar recommends consuming 1-3 Gel Blasts every 10min for activities >60min... this seems like a lot to me. However, it is cool that you can space out eating them more than you can a gel (and they come in a resealable pouch). And, I don't find myself needing to drink a whole ton of water after eating one to unplaster it from the roof of my mouth or dilute the sugary/salty taste common to most gels. I looked up Gushers also to see what the difference was. Gushers contain 1g of fat, no protein, fewer grams of carbs (and therefore fewer calories) per serving. However, they have slightly more sodium and Vitamin C. I'm just hoping that the ingredients in the Gel Blasts are "more natural"... otherwise, there's very little difference (this isn't a far stretch- after all, I've never seen a blue raspberry). #20