At Trimarni, we are big proponents of engineered sport nutrition products designed to be used during training and racing in an effort to provide a precise amount of electrolytes, fluids and carbohydrates on an hourly basis in an effort to support the many metabolic processes that can optimize performance and health. We do not prescribe to any extreme styles of manipulating the diet or fueling/hydration methods in an effort to gain the competitive edge.
Sport nutrition products are designed and marketed for athletes but because of the high sugar and calorie content, sport drinks have received a bad reputation from society. This has caused many athletes to fear or worry the usage of sport nutrition products during training and racing. Since many sport nutrition products have been termed "unhealthy", there's been a trend for athletes to forgo the use of sport nutrition products and use real food instead, assuming that a more "natural" real food product will be just as effective than the commercial alternative.
In my opinion, sport nutrition products are heavily misused as athletes are not properly educated on the application of the product. And with so many different products on the market, there's no question that product overload has caused great confusion as to what product is best to consume and when. And when your favorite professional or age group athlete writes a race report, telling you what fuel works best for him/her, it's easy to believe that what works for someone else may work for you. Lastly, endurance sports are extreme sports. Consider the practical investment of hiring a sport dietitian to help you better understand how to fuel and nourish your body for your extreme active lifestyle.
But what it really all comes down to is that you can't outfuel a poorly planned diet. Sport nutrition will only work if you work on your daily diet. Fall short on healthy daily nutrition habits and there's a good chance that sport nutrition products will fail to give you a performance benefit and you may end up with GI distress and an unfavorable change in body composition.
I have spent most of my professional nutrition career studying, using and understanding sport nutrition products geared for endurance athletes. Beyond my title as a Board Certified Sport Dietitian, I am athlete who has completed over a dozen half IM events and 12 Ironman events (including 4x IM Kona). I've raced all over the US and internationally and have experienced a lot of success in the sport over the past twelve years. As an athlete, I understand the needs of the athletes - I get you!
Although I am all for prioritizing real food in the daily diet, I recognize the practical benefits of properly formulated sport nutrition products and how to best utilize those products in training and racing as they are effective, safe and convenient when used properly. There's no question that my success in endurance triathlon is heavily linked to understanding how to time nutrition with training and how to use sport nutrition products properly, all in an effort to optimize performance while keeping my body in good health. I don't consider myself a "fast" athlete but thanks to sport nutrition, my body stays healthy and I have trained myself to be great at not slowing down.
With so many sport nutrition products available to athletes, so many products that you may not have ever heard about and so many questions, concerns and application misinterpretations, I took it upon myself to start a new video/blog series to help educate endurance athletes about the various products that are on the market that may work for you. I didn't want to do this alone so I will be joined with my Trimarni assistant and friend Joey Mock, RD who will be helping me give some practical advice and feedback on various sport nutrition products for athletes and fitness enthusiasts.
A few things to keep in mind with the product reviews:
- We are not paid to promote/endorse any product. This video/blog series idea came to mind many times as I was accumulating a lot of sport nutrition products that I have received for free in exchange for an honest review OR because I reached out to the company to try the product out of curiosity (often because a nutrition athlete of mine was using the product or asked me about the product).
- Each product blog will provide you with information about the company and product. The video review will give you a visual "taste" test and feedback to help you better understand the look, texture and feel of the product. Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter for a sneak peak of the upcoming product review.
- I will never review or support a product that I would not use myself in training or racing. I always want to try a product before I recommend it.
- Energy drinks are not sport drinks. I do not advocate the use of energy drinks or stimulants.
- I look for safe, quality products free of banned substances, chemicals, food dyes and artificial ingredients. The more simple the product, the more I like it.
- My focus is on the proper usage of sport nutrition products, specific to foods, bars, gels, powders and chews. I will not review pills.
- This product review series is opinion-based from two qualified dietetic, licensed professionals. Our views do not reflect the thoughts/feedback of the company and in no way are we trying to misuse a product or misrepresent a company for our own benefit.
- All content is intended for general educational purposes only. Please use products at your own risk. The content provided is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Any products that you choose to try, you are choosing at your own risk and we are not liable for any losses or damages arising from your decision to try products reviewed on this blog.
We hope you enjoy this introduction video and as always, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to send an email.
If you are a company interested in having us review your product, contact me on my website contact page.