The most obvious difference between e-Gel and Hammer Gel is the
electrolyte content. e-Gel has all the electrolytes you need right in the
gel and Hammer Gel has virtually no electrolytes at all. Instead, Hammer wants
you to buy your electrolytes serparately in pill form (endurolytes). That makes one more thing to buy, one more thing to carry and one more
thing to figure how and how often to consume. With e-Gel we have
taken all the guess work out and made your life easy, just take e-Gel and
water as recommended and you will get sustained energy along with balanced
electrolyte replacement equal to levels recommended by the American
College of Sports Medicine.
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Carbohydrates
When it comes to carbohydrates, e-Gel and Hammer Gel are both excellent
products as they contain high ratios of complex
carbohydrates and they both use maltodextrin (complex carbohydrate) as the
primary carbohydrate source. In addition to maltodextrin, e-Gel contains a small amount of fructose and
Hammer Gel contains fruit juice concentrates. Fruit juice sounds good on a
nutritional label, but juices actually contain a
combination of fructose, glucose and sucrose.
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Electrolytes
e-Gel is the ONLY energy gel that is designed to provide complete and
balanced electrolyte replacement that is critical for proper hydration and
to avoid muscle cramping. e-Gel has ten times the amount of sodium and
potassium compared to Hammer Gel and approximately 4-5 times the levels found
in traditional energy gels. The sodium and potassium levels in e-Gel are
designed to meet the American College of Sports Medicine's recommendation
for electrolyte replacement during intense athletic activity. Hammer Gel has
virtually no sodium or potassium and the company recommends that you buy an
additional product to get your electrolytes (in pill form).
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Amino Acids
The amino acids in both e-Gel and Hammer Gel are designed to reduce lactic acid
build up, maintain muscle protein and aid in recovery. Most energy gels on
the market today fail to include amino acids because they are expensive
ingredients.
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Citrates
Citrates assist in the carbohydrate to energy conversion process as well as
reduce and slow the build-up of lactic acid in your muscles. Hammer Gel and
most other energy
gels on the market today do not include sodium citrate or potassium citrate.
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Antioxidants
e-Gel is one of the few energy gels that contains antioxidant vitamins C and E
to help protect against tissue damage,
reduce soreness and aid in the recovery process.
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Vitamin B6
e-Gel is the only energy gel to include vitamin B6 which assists in the
energy conversion process.
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Caffeine
While caffeine may give a temporary mental boost, unfortunately it is a
diuretic, meaning that it causes your kidneys to produce more urine - thus
promoting dehydration. Proper hydration is critical to optimum performance,
and in our opinion caffeine should not be incorporated into your sports
nutrition program. Our recommendation has always been that if you feel that
you NEED caffeine, then only use a caffeinated product (there are plenty on
the market) near the end of your
competition when you need the psychological boost the most and there is
little time to cause dehydration. We strongly recommend against relying on a
caffeinated product for the duration of the competition.
* None of e-Gel's flavors contain caffeine. Hammer Gel has caffeine in their Espresso flavor only, all others are caffeine free.
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Pricing
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At retail, a pack of Hammer Gel
cost about 15% less than a pack of e-Gel, however, each pack of e-Gel
contains more than 60% more energy than a pack of Hammer Gel (37 grams vs.
23 grams). On a cost per calorie basis e-Gel is 28% less expensive. Hammer Gel does offer product in large jugs for a lower cost per
serving that is comparable to buying e-Gel by the case.
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Hammer Gel is a trademark of Hammer
Nutrition. The nutritional information shown above for Hammer Gel is for a
single serving packet of their Apple-Cinnamon flavor as published December 2008. Other Hammer Gel
flavors have virtually identical nutritional profiles with the exception
of caffeine that is included in their Espresso flavor.
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