product review: gu chomps

a big fan of gu roctane and it's speedy benefits, i was excited to try their new product: gu chomps. i finally ran long enough this weekend to need on-the-go nutrition, so i left the roctane at home and grabbed a pack of gu chomps, blueberry pomegranate flavor.

i had a very hard time putting those chomps back in the packet
and not eating them for breakfast

as with gu's other products, gu chomps contain amino acids, vitamin c+e, sodium, potassium, and gu's exclusive blend of complex and simple carbohydrates. (more on their ingredients and benefits here.) compared to other chewy-fuels, chomps have the least calories, least sugars, highest ratio complex-to-simple carbs, highest antioxidants, highest potassium, and is the only brand with amino acids.

gu chomps come in four flavors: blueberry pomegranate, strawberry, orange and cranberry apple. the strawberry and cranberry apple flavors are caffeinated, while blue pom and orange provide a caffeine-free alternative. as with all gu products, the chomps are also gluten-free.

one package of gu chomps contains two servings which will last 1.5 to 2 hours of activity (with water too of course). there are eight chomps in the package, and it is recommended to take 4 chomps every 45 minutes of activity. i used them as bait for my long treadmill run yesterday, so i didn't quite take them as prescribed (1 chomp every couple of miles). i believe they still helped maintain my energy levels and kept my legs from feeling tired until near the end of the run. i have not been running long much at all lately, so my legs and i are not quite in long-run shape. the chomps helped keep me going as i ran for twice as long as normal. additionally, i wasn't the least bit sore after my 12-miler, nor was i sore or stiff on sunday when i headed out to run. looks like these chomps do their fair share of enabling a speedy recovery.

it doesn't hurt that gu chomps are delicious; i could eat these things all day long. they're like gushers, but without the juicy, exploding center. so i guess they're really more like gummy bears. i was kind of tempted to just stop and eat them instead of run. the one thing i don't like is the chewiness. they're not hard to chew (easier than sport beans), but i am a bit leary of chewing while running. they were tasty and helped me survive a 12-miler on the treadmill so i'll definitely use them again, but i think i may stick to gu roctane for races.

many thanks to gu and outside pr for stocking me up with running fuel!

purchase your own a sampler pack of gu:
GU Performance Energy Sample Pack