One of the most common questions we receive is if you can use e-Gel and e-Fuel together. The answer is that you CAN, but you will also want to incorporate some plain water into your nutrition plan.

e-Gel (and all energy gels) are designed to be rapidly absorbed through osmosis. In order for the osmosis process to occur the fluids in your gut (the gel and what ever else you have consumed) have to be diluted down to an equal or lower concentration than your body fluids. e-Fuel and other good sports drinks are already the concentration of your body fluids (isotonic) so you need some water to properly dilute the gel. If you just consume energy gels and sports drinks, the combined solution will be too concentrated which can slow absorption (and delay the benefits) as well and possibly cause stomach distress.

When each pack of e-Gel is absorbed it will carry about 14 ounces of water along with it into your cellular system. If you are using e-Gel and e-Fuel (or any energy gel with any sports energy drink) and no water then you may end up with a solution in your gut that is too concentrated which will slow the absorption rate, delay the benefits of the product and possibly start to cause sloshing in your stomach and/or gastrointestinal discomfort.

So if you want to use both products together we recommend that you plan on consuming a sports bottle of plain water for every two gel packs. Obviously you don’t have to drink the entire bottle at once, what’s important is to maintain the proper ratio of gel to water over time. You can then use gels and water early then switch to e-Fuel, or the other way around. Or you can alternate between e-Fuel and e-Gel/water. Either way you will want to intake 16 to 32 ounces of fluids per hour depending on intensity, heat and humidity.