Gnarly Hydrate is a safe and clean electrolyte mix

By Henry Howard

I like Gnarly Hydrate not only for what it does for me as an athlete but more importantly for what it does not do.

The hydrate mix is packed with electrolytes and vitamin B to replenish me during my long runs on weekends and daily workouts, as well as races. Gnarly Hydrate is low in sugar but has just enough to help power the athlete without causing gut issues.

Gnarly Hydrate is vegan, gluten free, GMO free and caffeine free. It contains no artificial flavors or colors.

I’ve been a fan of Gnarly products for years. Co-founder Eli Kerr, CPO/COO Shannon O’Grady and team lead this innovative company that creates products for athletes by athletes. (Learn more about Kerr, O’Grady and how Gnarly began here.)

The benefits of Gnarly Hydrate

The flavor options for Hydrate are orange pineapple, ruby red grapefruit and raspberry. I like them all; the flavors are mild but present enough for the drink to have a nice taste. Choose your favorite flavor, mix one scoop with 12 to 16 ounces of room temperature water and you are good to go.

Each option has 30 calories, 7g of carbs, 90mg of magnesium, 250mg of sodium and 4g of sugar. For plant-based athletes like me the 10mcg of vitamin B12 is welcome. That’s a whopping 417 percent of the daily recommendation.

And that is not just a benefit for plant-based athletes. Runners, cyclists, climbers and other active people need more B vitamins for energy metabolism and the production and repair of cells, including red blood cells.

Electrolytes, like sodium and magnesium are critical for proper hydration, nerve function, muscle function and body pH.

Gnarly also puts its products under review to receive NSF Sport certifications.

The Hydrate flavors have received NSF Content Certified and the orange pineapple has also received NSF’s Sport Certified designation.

NSF Content Certified Products go through a toxicology review, label claim testing and contaminant testing for heavy metals, microbes and pesticides. NSF for Sport Certified Products must pass NSF Content Certification and are additionally tested for over 270 substances that are banned by professional sports leagues as well as national and international doping oversight organizations.

Part of Gnarly’s lineup

Hydrate is the most recent addition to the Gnarly lineup, including:

• The Vegan Protein, which is recommended as a meal replacement, is a great product that I use after workouts for recovery and sometimes fuel with it during long runs. Here is why it is better than a highly marketed product commonly touting its overinflated benefits for athletes.

• Gnarly Collagen Pro is useful especially for masters athletes who have seen their collagen production lapse with age. Collagen is the body’s most abundant structural protein, providing the structure that builds strength in joints. Athletes who are especially vulnerable to joint-related injuries should take collagen peptides 30 to 60 minutes before training to trigger collagen synthesis, which strengthens tendons, ligaments and joints.

• Gnarly Creatine, which is NSF for Sport certified, is intended to be used daily, before or after a workout. It’s tasteless and I often add it to other Gnarly products like its Fuel20 or, Pre or Vegan Protein. Specifically, Gnarly recommends mixing the creatine with 8 ounces of water or other Gnarly product 30 minutes before exercise or immediately afterward with a recovery protein drink. As an ultra runner, I don’t need the typical muscle gains often associated with creatine. However, I have found the creatine mix speeds my recovery after workouts. And anything that helps me safely recover more quickly, is worth it.