GU Energy recently announced that all of its energy gel flavors are now certified vegan. This does not include their roctane energy gels. Their newest “regular” gel flavors are Big Apple and Maple Bacon. Always excited to try their new flavors I tried Big Apple first and was pleasantly surprised. It tastes like a sweet apple but not too sweet. It took me back to when I was a kid eating Jolly Rancher candies. (Okay maybe it only took me back a few months). But I really do think that it tastes just like an apple Jolly Rancher with just a little less sugar-perfect! Similar to some of their other fruity flavors, I like that it isn’t too sweet. It doesn’t contain caffeine which is always a plus for those of us with a sensitive stomach.
Then it was on to try Maple Bacon. I was pretty excited for this one. I could taste the maple flavor right away but kept waiting for the bacon flavor to kick in. Except it never did. Instead I tasted a smoky flavor. Unfortunately I was disappointed with it. I think it was misnamed for sure. Maybe my high expectations contributed to my disappointment, or maybe they didn’t have a supertaster try this one out during testing. (I’m available by the way GU Energy Labs if you are reading this). Because taste and preferences do vary from person to persoon, I recommend you try it for yourself. I think people who enjoy maple taste will like this gel, just don’t expect too much from the bacon flavor. Unlike the Big Apple flavor, Mable Bacon does contain 20mg caffeine, which is less than an 8 oz. serving of coffee or caffeinated tea.
Both of these flavors contain 100 calories per gel packet as well as sodium and potassium which are much needed during training. They also contain branched-chained amino acids which could help reduce mental fatigue and muscle damage.
Big Apple GU on Amazon
Maple Bacon GU on Amazon
