Eurosport Nutrition came on the market a few years ago. An already saturated market. So the question is; does Eurosport Nutrition add something to that?
I’ll be honest, I know people behind the brand, so I hope they will be very succesful. But still I also want to be objective. Honesty is my middle name;-) so, even though I wish the people from Eurosport Nutrition all the best, I’m being as honest as always.
So here we go…
Oat Bar
The Oat Bar is a bar with slow and complex carbohydrates for short and medium term effect. So you can use them for longer days in the saddle. It’s easy to unwrap the bar, and the bar stands out in how easy it is to swallow. That’s a game changer, because that allows you to keep breathing while eating. As I’m trying to be as vegan as possible, I like the fact it’s vegan and they use real fruit in the fruit flavoured bars. The Oat Bar gives a saturated feel and they taste great.
Energy Bar
This Energy Bar is all about the clever 2:1-ratio between glucose and fructose. Glucose (also known as dextrose) is the most important source of fuel for the body. With normal nutrition you can convert a maximum of around 60 grams of sugar to energy per hour. With a 2:1-ratio between glucose and fructose the conversion rate can increase to 90 grams.
A big mistake that most cyclists (still) make is they eat as little as possible during their trainings to lose or not to gain weight. That’s such a big mistake! If your training takes more than 2 hours, it’s most important to fuel as much as your body is able to convert every hour. This makes you able to stay as fresh as possible till the end of your training. It makes your training so much more effective and it also prevents binge eating after your ride! Don’t exaggerate your intake before training, so, after the first hour, you’re ready to digest your first intake. It’s better to eat a little less the rest of the day, after your ride when you want to lose or not gain weight.
Just as the Oat Bar, the Energy Bar also consists of naturally based ingredients. This bar melts in your mouth, so swallowing is even better than the Oat Bar. I love the cherry flavoured ones.
Energy Gel + Caffeine
I didn’t use energy gels, because I thought bars would be better for my stomach. But there I was wrong, because gels are a good way to prevent your stomach is getting overfilled. This is when you find the correct ones, that your stomach holds. So nowadays I try to find a good balance between gels and bars during Cyclosportives. It’s important not to use products you’ve never used before, so during racing you can be sure that you don’t upset your stomach. So I also use gels during training.
The package is very easy to open with your teeth thanks to the tought out design. The flavour is good, and they are not too sweet. You can wash away with a sip of drink, but it’s not especially needed. It has the right amount of caffeine for me, that might be a help at the end of the day.
Isotonic Sports Drink
The Isotonic Sports Drink also uses the 2:1 ratio between glucose and fructose. Because of all the added essential minerals it’s a bit salty, but I like it and I think it might help not to make it too sweet. Like a few other brands it has a low pH value and therefor does not upset your stomach. I love the strawberry flavour. You only need one scoop per bottle, so that speeds up your preparation a little.
