GU Energy Supplements & Performance Nutrition

Review by Erin Trail

GU Energy is such a longstanding sports performance nutrition company that it’s easy to let them fall by the wayside, as newer, shinier things vie for an athlete’s performance nutrition needs. GU is about as ubiquitous for concentrated carbs as Kleenex is to facial tissue, with athletes broadly referring to any packaged concentrated liquid carb as “GU”.

GU recently landed in my inbox and on my doorstep with a product line that extends well beyond gels.  I’ve been spending the past month training and racing while using the updated GU product line. Several of the items have impressed me so much that I’ll be adding them into my regular sports nutrition rotation.

Products Tested

• Hydration Drink Tabs
• Roctane Protein Recovery Drink Mix
• Original Energy Gels
• Liquid Energy
• Energy Chews

Hydration Drink Tabs

I recently learned that my sweat has a high sodium concentration and that I need to dial in my hydration game.  I love dissolvable electrolyte drink tabs because of how portable they are and how they don’t tend to be high in calories.  They’re for electrolyte replacement only and I find the tabs in the plastic sleeves incredibly handy.  But some of the tabs have an off taste to them (Nuun), don’t have enough electrolytes (Amacx) or have supply chain issued (Science in Sport).

I mainly use hydration electrolyte tabs for hot yoga, as a daily supplement when I’ve done a hot run or ride, or for emergencies, stashing a sleeve in the armrest of my SUV for when we’ve planned poorly.

I sampled the GU Hydration Drink Tabs in the Tri-Berry, Orange, Lemon Lime, and Strawberry Lemonade flavors.  The tablets dissolve quickly and add a light color, flavor, and effervescence to plain water.  The flavors are straightforward without a weird aftertaste; they simply taste as described.

Nutrition Facts:

• Calories: 10
• Sodium: 320 mg
• Potassium: 55 mg
• Gluten Free
• Vegan
• Does contain stevia

You get 12 tablets per sleeve and at $8/sleeve, they are one of the more affordable hydration tablets on the market.  I enjoyed all of the flavors and the amount of sodium hits that “just right” spot for me.

There are a few other flavors that I didn’t try, both with and without caffeine. Plenty of options to keep your palate engaged and sodium needs met.

I’ll be keeping these in my regular rotation moving forward.

Roctane Protein Recovery Drink Mix

As an endurance athlete, having a recovery drink mix at the ready for post medium to long workout replenishment is key.  I like to see a decent amount of protein per serving, mainly because I usually skip lunch on my long workout days, so a shake helps me to both recover and make up for a protein intake deficit.

I also seem to prefer whey based protein over plant based options, mainly due to taste and consistency preferences.  Not all whey products agree with my digestive system, so I am pretty picky about what I take in.

GU Roctane Protein Recovery Drink Mix comes in two flavors: vanilla bean and chocolate smoothie.  I prefer chocolate, so I went with that.  Each bag contains 15 servings and I tend to use 1.5 servings in a shake.  I do wish the bag was a bit bigger, with more servings, because I envision flying through a bag when my training volume gets high.

Nutrition Facts (1 serving, 61 g)

• Protein: 20 g
• Carbs: 30 g
• Fat: 0 g
• Sodium: 230 g
• Gluten free

I mix my recovery shakes with almond milk because I like the flavor and texture better, although GU has designed their mix to be used with water.

I prefer around 30 g protein for my recovery shakes, so I will do a 1.5 serving size.  I find that also gives me a nice amount of carbs (30 g pro / 45 g carb) to help me recover after a medium to long workout.  I also REALLY like that this recovery mix contains sodium, so I won’t have to supplement later on with hydration tabs.

The GU Roctane Protein Recovery Drink Mix blended easily and had a smooth, easy to drink texture.  No clumps or weird thick textures.  The flavor was also exactly spot on: chocolate.  I imagine that this will be delicious when mixed with some cold brew coffee after a hot bike ride.

Most importantly, I had zero GI issues with the whey used in the GU Roctane Protein Recovery Drink Mix.

I’ll be keeping this in the rotation moving forward.

Original Energy Gels

This is the OG of GU: gels. They’re so OG that most people refer to gels as “gus”. And being the OG means that their gel lineup is large.

Options:

• Original (21 flavors including options with or without caffeine)
• Rocktane (13 flavors, this gel has 1425 mg amino acids and 125 mg sodium, plus caffeinated options)

I went with the Original caffeine-free mixed box, getting a variety of no-caffeine flavors, ranging from fruity to bakeshop flavors.  I never use caffeine when I train, and use it very rarely when I race, so that’s why I went with the non-caffeine.  I’ve also had other brands that had Aminos and they tasted, well, terrible, and I was a little gun-shy about the Rocktane gels.

Nutrition Facts (per 1.1 oz gel)

• Calories: 100
• Carbs: 21-23 g (flavor dependent)
• Sodium: 60 g
• GU Amino Blend (L-Leucine, L-Valine, L-Isoleucine, 450 mg)
• Carb source: maltodextrin and fructose
• Gluten Free
• Vegan

The GU Original Energy Gels are compact and do exactly as advertised: deliver quick release carbs.  The combination of maltodextrin and fructose was easy on my sometimes finnicky stomach.  The flavors were on the stronger (and sweeter side).  The texture was fairly thick – think cold honey.

I do appreciate that GU has added sodium AND aminos to their gels, something that not other sports nutrition brands do often. The amount of aminos is just right and I didn’t taste any of the tell-tale bitterness.  This makes me want to give the Rocktane gels a go with my next order and see how they taste.

The GU Original Energy Gels are packable and reliable, with plenty of flavors to stave off flavor fatigue across long days.

Liquid Energy

This is a newer product to GU and one that I was really excited about.  With regular gels (GU included), you need to consume a decent amount of water to help digest the thicker substance.

GU Liquid Energy is just that – a liquid!  This makes it SUPER easy to take in.  No rolling up the package to extract every drop, no need to drink extra water.  You just tear off the top and do your best impersonation of a college freshman to drink it down.

A word of caution: GU Liquid Energy is VERY liquidy.  You need to be able to drink all of it in a few gulps and don’t squeeze the package too much when it’s open.  There’s also NO drinking a partial amount and saving the rest for later; the remains will end up on whatever you’re wearing.

Nutrition Facts (per 1.7 oz serving)

• Calories: 100
• Carbs: 24 g (flavor dependent)
• Sodium: 75 g
• GU Amino Blend (L-Leucine, L-Valine, L-Isoleucine, 450 mg)
• Carb source: maltodextrin and fructose
• Gluten Free
• Vegan
• Caffeinated and non-caffeinated options, 6 total flavors

I sampled the lemonade flavors and the new passion fruit orange guava (POG) flavors.  Both are lightly sweet and lightly tart, not being overwhelming.  The texture is like sticky water – this is the most viscous of any liquid gel that I’ve tried.  Because of the high viscosity, there is a little learning curve in opening and drinking it, but after 2 pouches, I had figured it out.

The size is bigger than the original gel, but still easy enough to store in a pocket, pouch, or sports bra.

Similar to the original gel, I really appreciate the sodium and aminos.  I used these during several trail runs (training and racing) and I really REALLY liked these – especially the POG flavor.  They’ll definitely be staying in my sports nutrition drawer moving forward.

Energy Chews

Chews are another solid (pun intended) sports nutrition option, coming in little gummy chews that are packable and portable.  Chew preference is very specific to the person, balancing out flavors, textures, stickiness.  GU has 8 flavor options to choose from.

Nutrition Facts (per 30 g serving / 8 pieces)

• Calories: 100
• Carbs: 23 g
• Sodium: 40-125 mg (flavor dependent)
• GU Amino Blend (L-Leucine, L-Valine, L-Isoleucine, 420 mg)
• Carb source: maltodextrin and fructose
• Gluten Free
• Vegan
• Caffeinated and non-caffeinated options, 8 total flavors

I sampled the caffeine-free mixed box, which contained Fruit Punch, Salted Lime, Watermelon, and Lemonade chews.  Each chew feels a little waxy on the outside (in a good way), keeping the chews from sticking to each other and keeping sticky residue off of your fingers.  The chews, while eating them, are each to chew, even when running, and did NOT stick to my teeth (usually a chew deal breaker for me).  The chews are also sizeable enough where they don’t seem like a choking hazard, but they’re also easy enough to grab several to eat at a time.

I like to use chews when I’m running or hiking, because of how portable they are and how you don’t need to eat the whole pack at once.  Chews give me flexibility, which I love.

The flavors of the GU Energy Chews are light and not overly sweet. I did get a touch of bitterness from the amino acids, but it wasn’t enough to turn me away.  For me, the benefits that amino acids bring (muscle support and fighting muscle fatigue) outweigh the small flavor hit.  The Fruit Punch was my favorite flavor, although I also like the Salted Lime for the added electrolytes.

I really like how I can layer in flavors and textures, along with Aminos in a mix-match, chose your own nutrition adventure that the GU Energy Chews offer.

Closing Thoughts

GU Energy has been a long-standing go-to for endurance athlete, and for good reason.  They offer a wide variety of products – there’s literally something for everyone and their preferences and nutrition needs.

GU Energy is also a member of 1% for the Planet, which means that they donate 1% of their annual sales to Environmental Partners that have proven a positive impact on the planet. Every purchase of GU products gives back to non-profits categorized into 4 impact areas whose targets align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Rights to Nature; Conservation & Restoration; Resilient Communities; and Just Economies.

GU also believes in three pillars of giving: Access & Belonging (to athletic movement), Environmental, Conservation & Stewardship and Movement for Youth. They prioritize donating to work and projects that support and serve BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, elders, youth, immigrants, and other communities that are historically underserved. Through grants, employee volunteering, product donations, and more, GU is working to make a difference.

Erin Trail

Trail Boss of Stoke

Erin Trail on her mountain bike at the World Tri Cross Triathlon World Championship race

Erin Trail on her running at the World Tri Cross Triathlon World Championship race