A new study that has revealed that a spoonful of mashed potato is as good at providing energy as fancy gels will come as no surprise to endurance athletes. In a long race, there comes a point when the body runs out of glycogen and needs something else for fuel. The research – which comes with the caveat that it is “supported by the Alliance for Potato Research and Education” – found potato puree compared favourably with energy gels or water in topping up energy levels in long-distance cyclists.
But while potato, or a nice slice of toast, might seem preferable to sickly, synthetically flavoured gels, solid foods are hard to carry and even harder to digest when you’re 15 miles into a marathon. Hence the energy gel: a 20-40g shot of carbs wrapped up in an easy-to-open package. Yet nature, too, has carb-rich foods in handy packages – here are four natural alternatives:
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