I’ve been delighted with the recent trend towards no-sugar electrolyte replacement drinks – I have diabetes, so most isotonic drinks were off the menu thanks to their alarming sugar content.
A free sample of High5 Zero was taped to the front of a magazine recently, and I saw Nuun tabs for sale in Leisure Lakes when I paid a visit to buy my new Endura MT500 top (review to follow). So I decided to run a quick back-to-back test for your delectation.
What Are These Electrolytic Hydration Tablet Thingies, Then?
When you exercise, you lose water. But when you sweat, you also pump out salts which your body needs to replace to function at its optimum. You might have read about people who’ve done a hard event, then drank lots of water, then dropped dead. Over-simplifying things grossly, this can be because their body’s systems are watered down too much by plain water – we need to replace the other good stuff that’s lost by sweating, too.
These tablets are made to combine a cocktail of useful salts and things into a soluble tablet. This saves space & reduces packaging thereby helping to save the planet, and it means the tabs are easy to store at home or in your pack/pocket out on the bike.
Doing away with sugar not only reduces bulk, it works better with your body: sugar-rushes are almost always followed by a post-sugar crash which isn’t much fun. If you’re diabetic like me, sugar rushes are just a no-no unless you’re going hypo, in which case you should have a gel and suitable snack handy anyway – but that’s a different issue.
Price
£6 of your hard-earned might seem steep for a few tabs, but think of it this way: Depending which option you choose, the packs work out between 30p and 50p per 500ml of drink, which is bloody good value when compared with a full bottle of juice from the shop.
High5 Zero vs. Nuun
I tried the Pink Grapefruit flavour High5 Zero, because that was the freebie I got with my magazine… but I’d probably have bought that one anyway. It tasted light and refreshing and I’d have no hesitation buying that flavour again. For the Nuun version, I bought a tube of Tri-Berry tabs: once again, the flavour is refreshing without being overpowering. In both cases, you expect a slightly salty taste but I couldn’t detect any saltiness. Just to be sure, I asked our girls (aged 9 and 10) to try them and they both thought the taste was great: so much so that they keep asking if they can have one when we’re at home! So that’s a hit on both counts, flavour-wise.
For me, the main consideration seems to be that for a similar price per tube, High5 supply 20 tabs whereas Nuun only give 12. If you’re prone to getting quickly bored of the same flavour, maybe 12 tabs is enough. If not, then I’d recommend High5′s tubes of 20 as it equates to only 30p per bottle.
If you’re wondering how the stuff mixes, have a quick look at this video.
Want Some?
You can probably buy these from your LBS but if you’re looking to compare or buy online, then visit the following links and make your own mind up. I particularly like the Nuun 4 Tube Variety packs, since I’m one of those people who likes a change. But don’t forget, High5 are cheaper per drink. The links show you the range of different flavours available – there’s something to suit everyone, even you.
1. High5 Zero at Chain Reaction Cycles
2. High5 Zero at Wiggle Online Cycle Shop
3. Nuun at Chain Reaction Cycles
4. Nuun at Wiggle Online Cycle Shop
5. Nuun 4 Tube Variety Pack at Wiggle – shows quite a saving over buying one at a time.
Tell ‘em Phill sent you 
But +Chris McGovern , +Rick Horsfield and I wondered how banana flavour would taste in a watery thing, particularly an electrolyte and salt-containing watery thing.
So, I ordered some BananaNuun from Wiggle.
And let me tell you, folks: the taste is… well… not all that good.
I’d stick to the citrus or orange & berry, if I were you.
But hey, FREE HARIBO!
