BY STEVE BORN
Take a look at the main portion of the nutrition facts for HEED and you'll notice a couple very important things regarding the carbohydrate component:
1) Our carbohydrate source is maltodextrin, a complex carbohydrate, and there are 27 grams in one serving.
2) Imbedded within those 27 grams, there are 2 grams of carbohydrates that are classified as sugar, meaning one- or two-chain molecules.
3) There are ZERO (0) added sugars.
Number one, the use of maltodextrin, is undeniably important because:
- Your body can digest more calories with greater efficiency from maltodextrin than it can from one- or two-chain (aka simple) sugars.
- The quick-acting energy supplied from maltodextrin is smoother, more evenly supplied, consistent (no wild energy fluctuations), and longer lasting than sugar.
Numbers two and three are tied in together. They're important because they distinguish whether the sugar - again, defined as a one- or two-chain molecule - is part of the whole like the fructose that naturally occurs in a piece of fruit, or if it's simply been added as a separate ingredient to the product.
The maltodextrin we use in HEED and our other carbohydrate-containing fuels is a starch-like carbohydrate that contains various chains of saccharide molecules, primarily pentasaccharides, which are defined as five-sided complex carbohydrates that have unique properties that allow for maximal conversion to energy. As part of the entire matrix of maltodextrin, there will always be a small amount of one- or two-chain sugars (monosaccharides, disaccharides). However, because they naturally occur as part of the entire complex carbohydrate structure and are not added separately, the body is able to use maltodextrin more efficiently as a fuel source.
Bottom line: The body responds much more favorably to a short-chain sugar when it is part of the entire matrix of the carbohydrate source, versus when it's added as a separate entity to a product.
Take a look at the Nutrition Facts for other sports drinks. Chances are they're either comprised entirely of sugar, or they're loaded with added sugars. Either way, that glucose, sucrose (including cane and coconut sugar), dextrose, fructose, and anything else that ends in -ose' drink cannot possibly supply the quality of energy HEED provides. Plus, all that sugar is flat-out bad for your health.
Sweetened only with healthy sweeteners (stevia and xylitol), devoid of artificial ingredients, containing absolutely no tooth enamel-destroying citric acid, and complemented with a balanced, full-spectrum electrolyte profile (not loaded with sodium, like most of the rest), HEED is the undisputed king of sports drinks.
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. 15 years later, this statement is still 100% true. While other sports drink companies half-heartedly attempt to up their game, they still can't match the quality of HEED, and they 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!
