Gummy Bears / Jelly Babies vs Gels

Assuming you’re familiar with North American candies, they have the consistency of Swedish Fish.

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Got it! Thanks! I actually use Swedish Fish quite a lot on training rides. I pack a small bag with those and peanut butter filled pretzels so I get carbs, protein and fats, and some salt too.

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I like gels on the bike just fine, but this is my issue as well. I will just eat all the candy if it’s there, the gels stick around a lot longer.

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Oh man it’s worth going out training for that snack mix alone never mind any training benefits.

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And is a Swedish Fish sort of a Haribo?

Sorry for all these regional translations.

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Are the candies Isotonic? I’m not sure the composition would allow max carb absorption or what four or five bags over four or five hours would do for your GI system. Probably great for regular efforts, but, long, hard efforts would probably benefit from specific nutrition. Then you open yourself to training and racing w/ different nutrition types.

Jelly babies form a critical part of my Ironman nutrition strategy :+1:

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I think the American’s are the minority on the forum

Yes. It’s kind of like a Haribo, but a little bigger and shaped like a fish. It’s a mixed berry or fruit punch sort of flavor.

Now, let me tell you about how much Americans love peanut butter. :grin:

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No but it’s the closest you can come to a decent Haribo equivalent in most US convenience stores. I love this place but boy do Americans suck at candy! Now, Oreos are something else. :slight_smile:

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Sure. But as a crit racer I rarely eat on the bike. Fueling workouts is a different story.

We definitely have Haribos at least in parts of the US unless the ones here aren’t the same as the ones found over in Europe.

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Oh no, I know. :slight_smile: But Swedish fish are available from the 7-11 on my block so they’re more convenient to fuel workouts in a pinch. :wink: (And I was entirely tongue-in-cheek, I like Swedish Fish just fine).

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I bought my wife a small jar of peanut butter while we were in China once. It was in the exotic products part of the store. She still thinks it was one of the best Valentine gift I’ve ever given her.

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Amazon carries the European version Haribos that have glucose syrup as the first ingredient. It’s about $13 USD for a 5lbs. bag: https://www.amazon.com/Haribo-Gold-Bears-Delicious-Packaging-Packaging/dp/B000EVOSE4?th=1&psc=1

I’ve taken to eating 80 grams of them directly after every hard workout or race after learning about them on another podcast that shall not be named. :wink:

Just don’t leave them on the dashboard on a sunny day…and try to eat them! They melt and become so stringy they’re a choking hazard!? :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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I have a standing order from the family to bring back whatever size Haribo bag will fit in my suitcase every time I travel to Germany for business.

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When I did my staycation/personal training camp this spring, I scored a bunch of Jarritos from work for post-workout recovery. They go down much easier! And they’re Coach @Jonathan approved!

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It’s the best stuff in the world! The worst part of going to Europe is that you can’t find it anywhere!

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Happy that I live in Germany😝
But back to the question of comparing gummy bears to gels, my HIGH5 gels I use contain about 7,4 grams of sugar per 100gram and about 54 grams of carbs in total while gummy bears contain like 45g/100g and 77 grams of carbs in total.
More carbs for the gummy bear:)

But it seems to me that gels, although much more expensive are the more “healthy” alternative.