Springing Into Running Hydration | Meghann’s Monthly Roundup

What to Expect

The world of sports nutrition is rapidly changing, which means trends are coming and going, and supplements of all kinds are sprouting up everywhere. Here at Believe in the Run, our inboxes are full of pitches for the newest and most cutting-edge nutrition options for runners — some of it is legit, some is not, and most falls somewhere in between.

As a runner with other life responsibilities, it can be hard to sift through all the nutrition labels and figure out what’s best for you and your body during training and race day. Do I take it before my workout, during, or after? Do I constantly carb load, or just before a big race? Is the liquid in my handheld going to help me or hurt me when I need it most?

Luckily, we have renowned sports dietitian Meghann Featherstun to help sift through all the ingredients, electrolytes, and interesting powder mixes to break down what’s good and what’s not. Our goal is to give you the best advice on whether or not you should consider bringing it along on your running journey or just leave it in the race expo bag from whence it came.

Questions or comments? Leave them below, and we’ll do our best to get back to you.

Stay healthy, stay hydrated, and stay strong.

What’s New in Running Nutrition

Whether you are trying to stay hydrated, looking for some fun new sports nutrition products to try, or want to dip your toes into ketones or pre-workout supplements, we’ve got you covered with a round-up of some of the latest and, dare we say, greatest sports nutrition products and companies. Ok, you decide what you feel is the ‘greatest’ for your sports nutrition needs, but leave the work to us. We’ll try them all and give you our honest rundown.

Another sugar-free, high-sodium drink mix emerges

Another electrolyte drink on the market, oh my! With no added sugar, LTH Hydrate packs the sodium but skips the carbs. In its place, it uses Reb M and Sukre as sweeteners. Sukre — for those not familiar — is a natural, low-calorie sweetener that’s also prebiotic, which means it’s a soluble fiber that acts as food for the good bacteria in our GI tract. However, LTH Hydrate doesn’t list any specific fiber on the nutrition label, so you shouldn’t have to worry that this electrolyte drink will add too much fiber to your run (or your day). By the way, Reb M is another name for stevia.

I think this electrolyte drink is a great pick for replenishing sodium losses from sweat post-run, but it won’t offer the calories or carbohydrates you need during long runs — just something to keep in mind. Anyway, the real question is, how did it taste? My tiny humans and I tried all three flavors in a taste-off, and we unanimously agreed that the peach mango was our favorite flavor, though we picked out a slightly bitter undertone, likely from the low-calorie sweeteners. However, when we added a little extra water to the mix, it met our needs and tasted clean, crisp, and refreshing.

The curated fuel box you didn’t know you needed (but ya do)

Last fall, I met two upbeat, friendly, and well-fueled ladies surrounded by impeccably well-curated boxes of nutrition products. If you know how to grab my interest, it will always be fun, new nutrition products tied up with a bow. Ok, maybe there was no bow, but I was immediately drawn to how thoughtfully they put together these curated fuel boxes for runners. They have pre-made boxes for purchase, or you can build your own. Boxes contain a combination of performance-fueling products like gels, chews, hydration, fun, balanced snacks, and high flavanol chocolate. They also have performance supplements like collagen and recovery products like balls, rollers, and protein.

Last fall, I met two upbeat, friendly, well-fueled ladies surrounded by impeccably curated boxes of nutrition products. If you want to know how they grabbed my attention, I have to say it was the presentation, obviously. You give me a bunch of new products tied up in a bow? I’m in. Alright, maybe there was no bow, but I was immediately drawn to how thoughtfully they put together these running-specific fuel boxes.

Fuel Goods also sells pre-made boxes, but I think it’s kind of fun to build your own. The boxes contain a combination of performance-fueling products like gels, chews, hydration, and fun, balanced snacks. Oh, and maybe a little high-flavanol chocolate for good measure. Fuel Goods also includes performance supplements like collagen, recovery products like rollers, and protein. If you’re looking for a gift for the runner in your life, you must check out Fuel Goods.

Remember: you always deserve a ‘gift’ or a fun box, too! Also, it’s possible I worked with them to create a box with all my favorite things, which you can grab here or build your own box below.

Ketones that taste good

We all know that ketones haven’t entirely panned out to be the performance-enhancing goods that some athletes once thought they could be. However, many endurance athletes still trust them for potential recovery benefits and to boost their mental focus. Personally, I hadn’t been able to get past the horrific taste of ketones until trying Kenetik. I was told that the blackberry lemonade tasted like Sweet Tarts, which isn’t too far off, and it quickly became my preferred flavor.

Kenetik contains pure ketones from D-beta hydroxybutyric acid and R-1,3 butanediol. It’s also sugar-free and sweetened with allulose and Reb-M. If you’re looking to give ketones a whirl, I’d absolutely start here.

Stimulant-free Pre-workout

Let’s be honest. The pre-workout supplement aisle is flooded with options that contain 200-400 mg of caffeine and a side of undeclared ingredients that, combined, are enough to make your heart race and your feet tingle. When we’re looking to push our cardiovascular system to the max out there on the run, this sports dietitian is very nervous to see people using some of these pre-workouts.

Cue our friends over at RNWY developing a stimulant-free pre-workout for people looking for some of the ingredients in a typical pre-workout without all the jitters and cardiac concerns. This is a solid option if you’re in the market for a pre-workout to help you work harder for longer, and I totally recommend the sour watermelon flavor.

Use code FEATHERS15 for 15% off your first purchase.

Bubbles, whenever and wherever you want ’em

We recently learned that carbonated water after a run may help us recover faster, which caused many bubbly water lovers to rejoice. I mean, our fizzy habit might actually be helping us — how cool is that? Enter a product we didn’t know we needed: carbonated water on command.

Aerflo is a reusable, personalized water bottle that can fizz up your water anytime, anywhere. It uses a small cartridge in the lid of the bottle to dispense carbonation, and it only takes a couple of pumps (two or three) and a quick shake to make a perfectly carbonated bottle of water. Each capsule makes about four bottles of sparkling water if you want ’em real bubbly, or you can get more than four bottles if you like your fizz a little lighter. Once you’re done, you can return the capsules for recycling and get a pack of refills. It’s just that easy — and that bubbly.