¦or refined sugar, artificial ingredients, citric acid, or excess sodium
BY STEVE BORN
It's been nearly a decade and a half since we introduced HEED: High Energy Electrolyte Drink. And to this day, HEED remains unsurpassed in the world of sports drinks. To be honest, it wasn't that hard to get to the top spot, not when you consider that sports drinks haven't evolved much for decades, if at all. They're generally still loaded with sugar, salt, and citric acid, and some still contain artificial sweeteners, which are as bad or worse for you than sugar. Hardly state of the art.
Fueling your body with this sugar/citric acid/excess salt combination is kind of like trying to put out a fire by throwing gasoline on it, the end results being seriously poorer-than-expected results or even a full-blown DNF.
Thankfully, there's HEED, an undeniably healthier and more effective alternative to the liquid junk food constantly peddled to active people like you. Here's why - HEED has:
1. No simple sugars. Instead of sugar, we use long-chain complex carbohydrates (maltodextrin). Digested as a starch rather than a simple sugar, this carb source raises blood sugar and energy levels quickly but doesn't have the corresponding crash that's characteristic of sugar. Maltodextrin also allows you to easily and efficiently digest higher amounts of calories for energy production, about three times more than your digestive tract can process from simple sugars. Bottom line: While prolonged use of simple sugar is all but certain to eventually lock up your GI tract, maltodextrin can be absorbed efficiently all day long.
2. Balanced electrolytes. Other sports drinks equate electrolytes with salt. While sodium chloride (salt) is essential for exercise performance, it doesn't do the job alone. That's why HEED also contains potassium, calcium, and magnesium in appropriate, balanced amounts. They work synergistically with sodium chloride to help maintain the optimal performance of many important bodily functions, including smooth muscle contractions.
3. No citric acid. If you add a whole load of salt to a drink, it'll taste¦ well, salty. In order to cover that flavor up and give a little kick to satisfy your taste buds, most drinks include a healthy dose of citric acid. But your taste buds don't digest your fuel, your stomach does, and a bunch of extra acid is about the last thing it needs during performance. When sports drinks burn your throat, cause acid reflux, and otherwise upset your stomach lining, this ingredient is usually to blame. We preserved HEED's pleasantly mellow and smooth flavors by omitting citric acid, an omission which also eases digestion and spares your teeth an enamel-ruining acid swish.
4. No junk. HEED has no artificial ingredients, dairy, gluten, or anything else bad. Enough said.
5. Key auxiliary nutrients, like:
- Chromium (we use the highly bioavailable polynicotinate form) is considered by many nutritional scientists to be the "master nutrient" for controlling blood sugar (meaning stable blood glucose levels during exercise). Chromium also plays a vital role in energy production and the synthesis of glucose, fatty acids, and amino acids.
- L-carnosine. Excess lactic acid accumulation during prolonged or intense exercise creates numerous undesirable effects, including premature fatigue, decreased circulation, and increased muscle soreness. L-carnosine (aka carnosine) has been shown to effectively buffer lactate buildup, so it is a powerful ally against excess lactic acid. Additionally, carnosine is a potent antioxidant.
Like all of Hammer's products, HEED was designed to address a tangible problem that athletes were facing, in this case the tooth-rotting, gut-wrecking, health-taxing impacts of sports drinks that are really soda pop masquerading as something useful. Upon HEED's introduction many years ago, 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 today. While other sports drink companies have half-heartedly attempted to up their game, they still can't match HEED and never will.
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 added sugars and the rest of all the earlier-mentioned junk, HEED is exactly what you want and need!
