MelliGEL relies primarily on organic honey as a natural source of carbohydrates. But why is honey suitable for athletic exertion? What function does the included Himalayan salt serve? And why is a gel alone not enough for long endurance sessions?
Carbohydrates are the most important fuel during intense exertion
The body can derive energy from carbohydrates and fats. However, the higher the intensity of the exertion, the more it depends on carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates are stored, among other places, as glycogen in the muscles and liver. These reserves are available to the body relatively quickly, but they are limited.
During longer periods of exertion, glycogen stores can become increasingly depleted. If no new energy is supplied to the body, performance can drop.
Typical signs of this include:
- heavy legs,
- declining concentration,
- diminishing coordination,
- a distinct feeling of fatigue,
- an unexpected drop in performance.
For athletic activities lasting about one to two and a half hours, approximately 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour are often recommended. For very long endurance sessions and with a correspondingly trained digestive system, higher amounts may also make sense.
However, these values are not to be understood as a rigid requirement. Individual needs depend, among other things, on the type of sport, intensity, duration of exertion, body size, and personal tolerance.
For a light training session of less than an hour, a balanced diet and the body's own glycogen stores are often sufficient in many cases.
What does a MelliGEL provide?
MelliGEL is based primarily on organic honey. Depending on the flavor, a 32-gram pouch contains approximately:
- 24 to 28 grams of carbohydrates,
- around 97 to 115 kilocalories,
- organic honey as the main energy source,
- Himalayan salt,
- depending on the variety, fruits, spices, plant extracts, or caffeine.
The classic varieties usually provide about 27 to 28 grams of carbohydrates per pouch. This allows a single serving to make a significant contribution to carbohydrate supply during longer periods of athletic exertion.
The energy gel is compact, easy to carry, and clearly portioned. It can be consumed without preparation and does not require chewing during exercise.
However, during long training sessions and competitions, it should be used as part of a comprehensive nutrition and hydration strategy.
Why is honey suitable as an energy source?
Honey consists mainly of carbohydrates, specifically glucose and fructose.
Glucose can be absorbed directly into the blood and used by the working muscles for energy. Fructose is absorbed via a different transport pathway in the intestine and subsequently processed primarily in the liver.
The combination of different types of sugars can be advantageous during athletic exertion, as the body can use different transport mechanisms for their absorption. Honey provides this combination naturally.
This generally makes it a good source of carbohydrates before and during longer athletic exertion. Many modern products for endurance sports also consciously combine different carbohydrate sources.
The advantage of honey does not lie in a supposed miraculous effect. Rather, it provides quickly available carbohydrates that, in the form of a gel, are easy to transport, portion, and consume during activity.
Does honey lead to a rapid drop in sugar levels?
Honey also consists largely of sugar. Therefore, it would not be honest to claim that it generally has no effect on blood sugar levels.
However, during athletic exertion, the situation is different than at rest. The working muscles continuously consume energy and can use the ingested carbohydrates for energy production.
How the body reacts depends, among other things, on:
- the amount consumed,
- the intensity of the exertion,
- the timing of intake,
- individual digestion,
- other consumed foods and drinks.
What is crucial, therefore, is not the promise of a perfectly even blood sugar curve. More important is timely and regular energy intake before the body's own reserves significantly decrease.
Why does the body need salt during exercise?
When sweating, the body loses not only water but also electrolytes. The most important electrolyte in sweat by quantity is sodium.
Sodium performs several important tasks in the body. Among other things, it supports:
- normal fluid balance,
- the function of nerves and muscles,
- the transmission of nerve impulses,
- the absorption of fluid and glucose in the intestine.
How much sodium a person loses through sweat is individual. Losses depend on factors such as sweat rate, duration of exertion, temperature, humidity, clothing, and the personal composition of sweat.
Sodium supply becomes particularly relevant during:
- long endurance sessions,
- high temperatures,
- heavy sweating,
- visible salt marks on clothing or skin,
- high fluid intake during exercise.
For shorter training sessions and moderate temperatures, however, electrolyte intake does not need to be made unnecessarily complicated.
What is the function of the Himalayan salt in MelliGEL?
MelliGEL combines organic honey with Himalayan salt. While the honey primarily provides carbohydrates and thus energy, the included salt supplements the recipe with a natural source of sodium.
Depending on the variety, the exact amount of salt differs. The recipes are balanced for taste, consistency, function, and tolerance.
MelliGEL is primarily designed for compact energy intake. The Himalayan salt complements this function without making the gel unnecessarily salty or dominating its taste.
In high temperatures, heavy sweating, or multi-hour exertion, you should also pay attention to individually appropriate fluid and electrolyte intake.
Why an energy gel does not replace complete nutrition
An energy gel fulfills a clearly defined task: it provides the body with compact and quickly available carbohydrates.
During long periods of exertion, however, the body needs more than just energy. Fluids, electrolytes, and—depending on duration and intensity—possibly other food sources are just as important.
For a multi-hour bike ride, marathon, or triathlon, the entire supply should therefore be considered:
- How many carbohydrates are consumed per hour?
- How much fluid is required?
- How heavily does the person sweat?
- What is the outside temperature?
- Are additional electrolytes useful?
- Are other gels, drinks, or solid foods being used?
MelliGEL is a practical component of sports nutrition, but not a complete supply solution for several hours of exertion.
This is not a unique feature of MelliGEL, but applies in general to energy gels: they primarily handle the task of quick and uncomplicated carbohydrate intake.
Should MelliGEL be consumed with water?
Honey-based gels are concentrated carbohydrate sources. Therefore, especially during intense exertion, it makes sense to consume the gel with a few sips of water.
How much water is needed depends on the outside temperature, duration of exertion, and individual tolerance.
When is an energy gel useful?
Training under 60 minutes
With a normal meal before exercise, a gel is usually not necessary. The previously consumed meals and the body's own glycogen stores are often sufficient.
Additional energy intake can still be useful if:
- the last meal was some time ago,
- training is performed at a particularly high intensity,
- two training sessions take place in close succession,
- the goal is to consciously start with readily available carbohydrates.
Intense exertion of 60 to 90 minutes
For more intense sessions, a gel can help support carbohydrate supply. Depending on the training, it can be taken shortly before the start or during the exertion.
The additional energy can be particularly useful if the last normal meal was several hours ago.
Exertion of 90 minutes to 2.5 hours
Starting from this duration, planned carbohydrate intake becomes increasingly important.
As a guideline, 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour are often mentioned. Since a classic MelliGEL provides about 27 to 28 grams of carbohydrates, one pouch can make a significant contribution to the hourly energy supply.
Depending on intensity, individual tolerance, and overall nutritional strategy, about one to two servings per hour can be used.
In this, carbohydrates from sports drinks, bars, or other foods must also be taken into account.
Before, during, or after exercise?
Before exercise
A MelliGEL can be useful shortly before the start if a full meal is no longer possible or quickly available carbohydrates are needed.
Those who have eaten sufficiently two to four hours before exertion usually do not need an additional gel for a short training session.
During exercise
The most important area of use is during longer or intense exertion.
It makes sense to start energy intake before a significant drop in performance occurs. Anyone who only consumes carbohydrates when their legs are already heavy may be reacting too late.
Regular intake of smaller amounts is often better tolerated than a large amount at once.
After exercise
After intense exertion, glycogen stores need to be replenished.
A gel can provide initial carbohydrates immediately after training. For complete recovery, however, a balanced meal should follow.
After exercise, the body particularly needs:
- carbohydrates,
- protein,
- fluids,
- depending on sweat loss, also salt and other electrolytes.
Individual tolerance is the deciding factor
Even a high-quality energy gel only works well if it is tolerated by the body.
Therefore, you should test the following before a competition:
- Which variety tastes pleasant even under exertion?
- How much water is needed with it?
- How often is the intake tolerated?
- How does the stomach react?
- Are caffeine-containing varieties tolerated?
- How can the gel be combined with drinks or other food?
The digestive tract can be trained just as the muscles can. Anyone who regularly tests their planned competition nutrition during training reduces the risk of unpleasant surprises.
Energy intake as part of thoughtful sports nutrition
MelliGEL provides around 24 to 28 grams of carbohydrates in a compact form, predominantly from organic honey.
The natural combination of glucose and fructose generally makes honey a suitable energy source during longer and intense athletic exertion. The included Himalayan salt supplements the recipe with a natural source of salt.
As an energy gel with organic honey, MelliGEL can specifically support carbohydrate supply. For long periods of exertion, however, it should be combined with sufficient fluid and—depending on duration, temperature, and sweat loss—an appropriate electrolyte strategy.
Good sports nutrition is not created by a single product. The decisive factor is the coordinated interaction of energy, fluids, electrolytes, tolerance, and the right timing of intake.
Discover MelliGEL
Discover the various MelliGEL varieties with organic honey and find the right version for your training, your competition, or your next athletic challenge.
