Power drinks, mixed by yourself!

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· 05.07.2006

The market for energy drinks and gels is huge - there is something for almost every taste. However, if you want to try out a customised solution, there is an inexpensive alternative: mix it yourself!

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The market for energy drinks and gels is huge - there is something for almost every taste. However, if you want to try out a customised solution, there is an inexpensive alternative: mix it yourself!

Two things are particularly important for a successful race: proper training and proper nutrition. At the big marathons, it is becoming increasingly rare to find sausage rolls, cakes and cheese sandwiches on the refreshment tables. Today, the organisers offer bars, gels and drink powders to keep the riders hydrated. Gels and carbohydrate-rich drinks in particular have rightly established themselves as competition food. They are easy to portion and consume and are generally well tolerated by everyone.

However, athletes who like to experiment can also mix their own energy drink. The main ingredient in sports drinks is maltodextrin, a flavourless powder made from multi-chain sugars (see fitness lexicon below), which is available from any pharmacy. The multi-chain sugars, known as polysaccharides, provide energy slowly and over the long term - just as endurance athletes need it. This is because the intestine only absorbs all carbohydrates into the blood as monosaccharides. Polysaccharides first have to be broken down into monosaccharides, so they are absorbed into the blood more slowly. Depending on the intended use, a certain amount of powder is mixed with water. To replace the salts lost through sweating, a certain amount of sodium should also be added to the drink. For short-term, intensive exercise, you can (but don't have to) add some sugar for an extra kick - a maximum of five grams per litre. The flavour can be varied by adding drink syrup, fruit tea or juice.

Apart from the variety of flavours, what are the advantages of the homemade mixture? You can tailor it to the upcoming exercise and weather conditions and are therefore very flexible. When it's cold, you use a higher concentration of maltodextrin - the body needs more fuel as it has to keep warm. In hot weather, you can take a lower dose as the body needs more water than carbohydrates. More maltodextrin is added during short periods of high exertion than during relaxed training. However, as the ingredient is always the same, the body tolerates the mixture reliably. In addition, your own mix is cheaper than commercially available drink powders - one litre costs around 50 cents.

However, making your own means a certain amount of effort. The powder should be weighed out precisely, as should the sodium. And: self-mixers are self-sufficient. They should really limit themselves to the drinks they bring with them during the race (pure water can of course always be taken at the refreshment stations). If they also eat a gel, there is a risk that the body will not tolerate this combination. For a race that lasts longer than four hours, it is best to mix a concentrate and store it in a small plastic bottle in your jersey pocket - at a concentration of 20g/50ml, half a litre of concentrate is enough for about four litres of ready mix. This way you can fill the bike bottles at the aid stations with fresh water and add your own concentrate.

If the amount of maltodextrin is precisely matched to the energy requirement during the race, you can theoretically "feed" yourself exclusively with the home-made mixed drink. This is a great advantage as the stomach has to work less to break down the carbohydrates. However, some athletes need
the feeling of eating solid food. They do not feel satiated by the drink alone, even though they have actually consumed enough calories. In this case, gels and bars are more suitable as refreshments. The self-mix is therefore an interesting alternative for those who like to experiment. If the effort is too great for you and you want to rely on what the organisers offer during a marathon, you will still be well provided for with gels and the like.

The right dosage for the ready mix

In addition to the type of exertion (training: approx. 40 grams/litre; three-hour competition:
55 grams/litre - at approx. 20 degrees outside temperature), the temperature is an even more important criterion for the dosage: the warmer, the lower the maltodextrin content.
For short races, a little sugar in the mixture can do no harm - a maximum of
5 grams/litre. All values are guidelines and should be adjusted individually.

YOU NEED THAT:

- Maltodextrin (available in pharmacies, for example from Lamperts, 2.5 kilos for 24.44 euros)
- still water
- drink syrup
- Sodium (table salt)
- possibly sugar
- kitchen scales
- a measuring jug
- a tablespoon
- a whisk
- a wheel bottle

1. weigh the required maltodextrin according to the temperature or load (see table).

2. add the required amount of water, sodium (approx. 200 mg/l) and possibly sugar (max. 5 g/l) and stir everything well with a whisk.

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FITNESS Lexicon: What is what?

- Glucose or glucose is a simple sugar (monosaccharide). It is the most important source of energy for the body. It tastes sweet and provides immediately available energy.
- Fructose or fructose is also a monosaccharide, but must first be converted into glucose in the body. Fructose speeds up the passage of drinks through the stomach.
- Sucrose or granulated sugar is a disaccharide, which means that two sugar molecules are linked together. It also tastes sweet and provides energy relatively quickly, but more slowly than glucose.
- Polysaccharides are polysaccharides. Here, several sugar molecules are linked together. They are neutral in flavour and provide energy slowly but steadily.
- Osmolarity is the concentration of dissolved particles in one litre of liquid.
- Hypotonic means that a liquid contains fewer dissolved particles than human blood; it has a lower osmolarity. More and more energy drinks are hypotonic. Due to the lower concentration of dissolved particles, they are said to enter the bloodstream more quickly than isotonic drinks with the same tolerability.
- Isotonic Liquids contain just as many dissolved particles as human blood; therefore, the energy of isotonic drinks quickly enters the human fluid circulation - most energy drinks are isotonic.
- Hypertonic means that the liquid has more dissolved particles than human blood; pure fruit juices, milk or undiluted gels are hypertonic - the body finds it difficult to process these drinks during competition, and the stomach in particular is overtaxed.

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Power drinks, mixed by yourself!

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