“The first energy gels made from food, not chemicals.”
In fact, their refined and ultra-processed sugar content has harmful effects. Want proof? Turn over your energy gel, read the list of ingredients, and we challenge you to find a single ingredient that grows on trees...
Raison pour laquelle, chez Baouw, nous avons voulu faire de cette fausse bonne idée, une vraie bonne idée, en lançant nos nouveaux gels énergétiques. Les premiers gels énergétiques issus de la cuisine et non de la chimie. Ces gels naturels codéveloppés avec nos athlètes de haut-niveau et validés en compétition concilient tout ce qui est fondamental pour nous : la quête de performance, la démarche de santé et la gourmandise. Nous sommes donc fiers de te présenter l’aboutissement de près d’un an et demi de travail. Pour tout savoir à propos de nos nouveaux gels naturels, c’est par ici !
"These natural gels, co-developed with our elite athletes and tested in competition, combine everything that is fundamental to us: the pursuit of performance, a healthy approach, eco-responsibility values, and great taste. These are the gels I used most during the World Championships and the UTMB in 2023. The 30g of carbohydrates per gel are of impeccable quality, with agave syrup and organic fruit. From a nutritional standpoint, we know that the quality of the substrates is paramount because the body will use them more efficiently."
HAVE WE CHANGED OUR MINDS ABOUT ENERGY GELS?
No! We have always been and will remain opposed to traditional energy gels. These concentrated mixtures of refined sugars and additives are more like chemicals than real food. Our opinion has not changed: we continue to maintain that they are harmful to health and performance, both in the short and long term.
Glucose syrup and other refined ingredients are carbohydrates derived from the ultra-processing of corn or wheat, which are quickly absorbed by the body. However, the human body is not designed to absorb large quantities of these carbohydrates on a regular basis and over such short periods of time. In particular, our liver cannot process these excess carbohydrates and will store the excess as fat, turning it into a “fatty liver,” similar to geese that are force-fed corn. Rather than fighting against traditional gels, we have gone further and co-developed alternatives with our Baouwers athletes: this is how natural gels were born.
“We have always been and will remain opposed to conventional energy gels. These concentrated mixtures of refined sugars and additives are more akin to chemistry than real cooking.”
WHY DID WE DEVELOP HEALTHY GELS?
Carbohydrates and the number of grams consumed per hour are on everyone's lips.
C’est dans ce contexte dressé par Benoit Nave, notre nutritionniste-fondateur, que nous lançons cette gamme de gels naturels, éveillés par rapport à une tendance de fond observée sur le terrain auprès de nos athlètes et des passionnés : les glucides et le nombre de grammes consommés par heure sont sur toutes les lèvres.
Nous avons croisé cette tendance avec une autre, au moins aussi importante : une demande de produits plus sains et plus écoresponsables. Chez Baouw, nous considérons qu’il s’agit de notre mission : être acteur d’une nutrition sportive qui soit meilleure pour la santé et pour l’environnement.
La fabrication de ces gels naturels s’est donc imposée de façon évidente. Comme depuis toujours, nous souhaitions apporter une réponse à notre façon. Trouver le bon compromis entre performance et santé, s’adapter sans renier ses valeurs, écouter nos athlètes et challenger nos prototypes... Tout cela prend du temps. Nos gels naturels sortent donc maintenant, après un et demi de travail !
Healthy gels: What are they? What are they made of?
« Jusqu’à présent, dans le monde de la nutrition sportive, les gels naturels constituaient un oxymore. »
Jusqu’à présent, dans le monde de la nutrition sportive, les gels naturels constituaient un oxymore. C’est-à-dire deux termes – ‘gel’ et ‘naturel’ – qui ne pouvaient cohabiter car tout les opposait. Chez Baouw, même si notre cœur de métier n’est pas la diplomatie, nous avons travaillé pour réconcilier les gels énergétiques avec la naturalité, et par la même occasion, la performance avec la santé.
Concrètement donc, les gels naturels, qu’est-ce que c’est ? Il s’agit de gels énergétiques qui assurent un apport optimal en glucides, une facilité de mastication et une légèreté de transport mais sans contenir de sucres raffinés ou autres additifs. Autrement dit, ce sont des gels énergétiques composés uniquement d’aliments que l’on retrouve dans la nature, préparés dans les casseroles de nos cuisines, sans passer par les éprouvettes de laboratoires.
How did we deliver on this promise? With a very clear and healthy composition:
- 60% fruit on average in our recipes
- Agave syrup
- The rest is extra virgin olive oil, for lipids, as well as spices or aromatic herbs, for flavor.
“At Baouw, even though diplomacy is not our core business, we have worked to reconcile energy gels with naturalness, and at the same time, performance with health.”
WHY DID WE CHOOSE AGAVE SYRUP AS THE NATURAL SUGAR FOR OUR GELS?
The added value of our natural gels is that they provide a healthy and reliable source of energy using only natural sugars. We refused to take the easy route by incorporating refined sugars into our gels. Starting from this foundation, we tested several alternatives to glucose syrup and maltodextrin, which are commonly found in most sports nutrition brands. We didn't go with honey, whole cane sugar, or dates because they didn't work for us in terms of energy or taste. But agave syrup* won us over right away for a bunch of reasons:
- Its low glycemic index of 15 allows for a steady energy supply without causing the famous glycemic spikes that lead to reactive hypoglycemia. Reactive hypoglycemia is characteristic of foods or ingredients with a high glycemic index: glucose syrup (100), rice syrup (98), maltodextrin (95), all-flower honey (69), brown sugar (63), and maple syrup (54).
- Its naturalness, since it is extracted from a plant, agave syrup remains a 100% plant-based food.
- Its rich nutritional density, since agave syrup certainly contains carbohydrates, but also provides a range of micronutrients that are essential for the body to function properly, including calcium, magnesium, iron, and potassium.
- Its deliciousness, as it blends subtly with the fruits chosen by Yoann Conte—our two-Michelin-starred chef and recently named “Chef of the Year” 2024 by the renowned Gault et Millau guide—in the composition of his recipes.
*Our agave syrup is organic and pure—meaning it is not diluted with water—unlike what is generally observed with conventional agave syrups.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF OUR NATURAL GELS COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL ENERGY GELS?
“These natural gels will put you in a better position to achieve your goals than traditional energy gels.”
First and foremost, and this is one of our core values at Baouw, these gels—less refined, less chemical, and less processed—are better for your body.
Secondly, they are better for your performance. In other words, they will put you in a better position to achieve your goals. Our natural gels protect you from the problems that regularly occur during exercise when you consume conventional energy gels:
- Hypoglycemia
- Digestive problems and stomach aches
- Empty calories
We detail all these benefits in the following questions...
“Nutrition during training is really important and essential for me. I consume Baouw products during every training session because I know they are high-quality products made with natural, healthy ingredients. I use the gels during my high-intensity sessions or in my water bottle as an energy drink. Not only are they effective, they're delicious too!”
WHY DON'T OUR NATURAL GELS CAUSE STOMACH PAIN?
Among groups of runners or trail runners, this phrase has become a refrain. In fact, you've probably already experienced this mishap yourself. The cause? Overloading the digestive system, which is not ready—or trained—to receive such a large amount of carbohydrates in such a short period of time. This phenomenon is initially amplified by exercise, which, over time and depending on the intensity, inflames the intestine by making its wall more permeable. It is further amplified by refined sugars and ultra-processed foods, which are more difficult to digest and tend to “attack” the already weakened intestine. Logically, natural sugars, which are better tolerated by your body, will soften or even ‘soothe’ these stomach aches and digestive problems.
WHY DON'T OUR GELS CAUSE HYPOGLYCEMIA?
However, the only viable solution for smoothing out this glycemic spike is to consume foods with a low glycemic index, which is why we prefer agave syrup with its remarkably low index of 15!
Traditional energy gels promise you a boost, but often leave you feeling sluggish. The only way to smooth out this glycemic spike is to eat foods with a low glycemic index, which is why we prefer agave syrup with its remarkably low index of 15!
The presence of olive oil in our recipes also helps to limit the risk of fatigue. In fact, beyond its lipid content, which is a particularly valuable source of energy, especially during endurance events, olive oil is rich in antioxidants and acts as a buffer for blood sugar levels, preventing them from spiking every time you consume carbohydrates.
WHY DON'T OUR NATURAL GELS CONTAIN EMPTY CALORIES?
“Natural gels have one final compelling argument in favor of them when compared to traditional energy gels: they provide you with full calories.”
Beyond protecting you from the risks of digestive problems or reactive hypoglycemia, natural gels have one final compelling argument in favor of them over traditional energy gels: they provide you with full calories. Indeed, not all calories are created equal. Empty calories are those provided by processed foods that are high in sugar and fat but contain little or no micronutrients necessary for a healthy, high-performance body. Full calories, on the other hand, offer the complete package: carbohydrates, but also all the micronutrients essential for utilizing them properly, i.e., vitamins, minerals, fiber, and fatty acids.
To put it simply, our natural gels provide you with the fuel you need, as well as all the ingredients necessary for your engine to run smoothly!
