HEED - Still the Superior Sports Drink

BY STEVE BORN

About 14 years ago, Hammer Nutrition turned the world of sports drinks on its heed¦ I mean, head. We created HEED: High Energy Electrolyte Drink, in response to a question we frequently heard - Can anyone PLEASE make a sports drink without all the sugar and syrupy sweet taste?

Upon HEED's introduction, we stated with supreme confidence, It's no great stretch at all for us to say that we believe HEED will literally blow the doors off any other sports drink currently available. This statement is still 100% true all these years later! Sure, plenty of other sports drinks make great claims, but their latest and greatest, technologically advanced offerings aren't very revolutionary at all. They are pretty much still the same formula that's been around forever: artificial flavoring, sugar, and sodium water.

Here's why HEED stands alone amidst the glut of sports drinks available to athletes and active people:

1) No artificial colors, flavors, and sweeteners - There are absolutely no health benefits to be had from consuming these junk ingredients (but plenty of potential negative effects), so it's guaranteed that there aren't any athletic performance-enhancing benefits to be gained either. HEED contains no artificial ingredients, only healthy sweeteners - stevia and xylitol - and natural flavors. That's it.

2) No simple sugars - There are two primary problems with fuels comprised of simple sugars (glucose, sucrose, fructose, etc.), including a so-called healthy sugar like cane sugar, which is simply sucrose (table sugar):

• Simple sugars have severe limitations when it comes to the amount of calories that can be efficiently digested and utilized for energy.
• Simple sugars typically cause wild fluctuations in energy levels, a flash and crash type of energy that you definitely want to avoid.

For ease of digestion, even at a more calorically dense concentration - which means more available calories available for energy production - HEED contains only complex carbohydrates (maltodextrin), with no added simple sugars.

3) No citric acid - When teeth are regularly bathed in a citric acid solution, whether it's added to stimulate saliva production and provide a tart taste, or chelated to a mineral (e.g. calcium citrate), permanent damage usually results. Citric acid isn't necessary or helpful in a sports drink, so it's not in HEED.

4) Appropriate amounts of sodium - Nearly everyone is consuming far too much sodium in their daily diet, and it negatively impacts athletic performance, and, more importantly, overall health. That's why it's a mystery that companies continue to hike up the sodium content in their sports drink mixes, touting that it's replenishing your electrolytes. It's not, and that's why sufficient, not excess, amounts of sodium are included in HEED. Equally as important, HEED contains a full-spectrum electrolyte profile that more adequately and completely replenishes electrolytes.

5) Mild taste - Unlike the strong, sweet taste of many sports drinks (yuck!), HEED is noticeably subtle and pleasant tasting. Courtesy of the maltodextrin, natural sweeteners, and lack of citric acid, HEED easily delivers the calories and electrolytes you want, without overwhelming your taste buds, damaging your teeth, or upsetting your stomach.

6) No unnecessary vitamins, minerals, and auxiliary nutrients - Why put any extras in a product if the amount isn't enough to make a difference? For example: having 2% of the Daily Value (DV) of vitamin C (a minuscule 9 mg) isn't going to provide much of a health benefit but it will increase the product cost. If we include any vitamins, minerals, or other nutrients in HEED, they are in there for specific reasons, and in effective amounts.

BOTTOM LINE: Years ago, when countless athletes and active people cried out, Enough is enough! We want a better sports drink, one that works and actually tastes good! we listened and delivered. Since that day, HEED has been, and continues to be, the deliciously healthy and highly effective alternative to the syrupy swill disguised as sports drinks. Containing only beneficial ingredients (in effective amounts!), and devoid of all the earlier-mentioned junk, HEED is exactly what you want and need!