Review: Hüma Chia Energy Gel

I’m still out in the Hamptons on vacation, but thought I’d use the early morning quiet hours to do a quick writeup on a new product I really like.

When you’re running a marathon, you definitely need fuel along the way. I hate “spending calories” on gels and other not-as-tasty-as-real-non-portable foods, but the times I’ve tried to skip the fuel entirely, it just doesn’t work. So once I’ve resigned myself to the face that gels and sports drink are a necessity, that usually drives me to Clif, GU, and other classic brands – but all full of chemicals 🙁

Enter Hüma Gel!

I met the founders of this small startup at the Country Music Marathon expo, and I was really impressed by both their simple ingredients list and passion for the product. It really got me thinking – while I have pretty much an iron stomach and have even done such crazy things as eating sushi or Indian food the night before the race, I have so many runner friends with very sensitive stomachs. They are ridiculously careful about what goes into their mouth – so why are they still eating gels made from artificial ingredients that they ordinarily wouldn’t touch?

The Hüma gel flavors that I tried, strawberry and green apple, honestly didn’t taste that different from a conventional gel. However, they’re made from all-natural ingredients and 100% real fruit. Also, the gel-like consistency is created by the addition of chia seeds – which I love and frequently add to my morning oatmeal or yogurt.

The only thing I don’t love about Hüma gels? The price. Since I run so many marathons and don’t train much in between, I honestly am able to get most of my gels as free samples at expos and in races. I can’t remember the last time that I went out and bought energy gels! However, if you’re like most runners who do need gels for training, the price isn’t that much more than Gu or other brands – they are $54 per box of 24, or $2.25 each.

Short version: if you’re paying attention to what you put in your body outside of races, why aren’t you being more careful about the ingredients you consume during? I’m hopeful that Hüma Gel and other similar brands will soon become the standard for health-conscious runners (which is really to say, all runners).

Note: The Hüma Gel founders provided me with two free Hüma gels to try, but I received no other compensation for this post, and all opinions expressed are my own.