Saturday, January 22, 2011

Little tab of competition

I have worked with Outside PR several times. It has been a very nice experience each time. They have been generous in letting my try out GU products and I was met with a surprise package in the mail two days ago.

  As you may know I work for and love nuun active hydration.  I am a brand ambassador, Iowa Team Lead, and sponsored athlete.  That said I am a contractor.  The beauty of contract work is that I have freedom to come and go as I please and be honest regardless of my ties to a company.  I stay with nuun because I  believe in the idea as well as the product.  I do however love to try all kinds of products and write about them here.  I want to see whats out there that could help me on my journey and then share that info in hopes that it will help you along your path.

 Now on to the package....GU has come out with the new GU Brew Tabs.  From the letter that was sent with the tube there are only 26 tubes out there and I got one of the golden tickets.  Ah competition!  It breeds innovation and creativity.  It lights a proverbial fire under a the arse of stagnation.  I commend GUs efforts.
The tabs have 320 mg of sodium and 55 mg of potassium.  The sweetener is Stevia and the tabs yield only 10 calories each so you are free to hydrate and fuel based on situation and individual needs.  

They will be initially available in Orange, Lemon Lime, and Peach Tea flavors and will be released to specialty run, bike , and outdoor specialty retailers in March 2011 and retail for $6.50 per 12 tab tube.
I get to try the Lemon Lime!

  I like that it is sweetened with Stevia Leaf. For the price I would still choose nuun over GU considering nuun includes calcium and magnesium to make a balanced blend of electrolytes  where as GU only has sodium and potassium.   Most people are dehydrated and don't know it.  There are many factors involved when considering dehydration including climate controlled environments, dry winter air, illness, exertion, foods we eat as well as exercise.  I like that I have many options to choose from to stay hydrated.

Both nuun and GU's  tablet and tube design are brilliant.  The tubes are convenient and easy to take on the go.
The GU hinged tube beats out nuuns unhinged lid.  The nuun tablet has the advantage of being scored for easy splitting to put in a smaller mouthed bottle.

I would use the GU brew tablets when I have them.  In the mean time they have made a fantastic effort to move in this direction and I hope that their second generation will include calcium and magnesium.   I do love GU gels and Chomps and this will be a nice addition to the GU lineup!

11 comments:

Leah F said...

My friend turned me on to nuun last year and I'm a big fan (got me through a 5 hour tattoo session!). But I also am a devotee of GU Brew so it will be nice to try the new GU Brew tablets when they are available to the rest of us!

Jess @ Blonde Ponytail said...

You are going to Willy Wonka's factory!! :)

That is so cool that you recieved one of "The Tubes"!

Love your suggestions for Ca and Magnesium to be added!

Penny said...

I think that is pretty cool that Gu sent you a Gu tube to try knowing you do contract work for NUNN. They must value your review. That is awesome Angie.

Anonymous said...

Love it when competition leads to good products!

Unknown said...

The Golden Tube. How precious!

I still haven't tried GU or Nuun. I keep thinking I should and, then, something stops me. Maybe this year.

Caratunk Girl said...

I love Nunn...curious to see how the GU product stacks up.

Alyssa said...

Okay, I officially know 4 people who got one of those 26 tubes... I have a feeling that I'm either really special for knowing these people, or maybe there were more than 26! Still kinda envious you got to try it, though. :)

I am a diehard nuun user through and through, but will be interested in trying the new product since I use GU for nutrition. I love your suggestion of adding calcium (especially as a vegan runner, I sometimes lack this element in my diet -- every little bit helps!)

xoxo,
A

misszippy said...

I was thinking of you when I got mine! I think it's great that you, who knows Nuun so well, could compare and contrast the two.

shel said...

Hammer has some fizzy tabs now too.... looks like nuun's idea caught on

OrangeBlossom said...

Thanks to you all I drink now is Nuun!

You should do a table comparison. Nuun has more sodium and potassium than GU Brew tabs.

Me, I like more bang for my buck!

Maybe recommend to Nuun to go the stevia route.

Brian said...

Hey Angie... just reading all these comments and surprised no one has heard of ZYM tabs. Send an email to info@gozym.com and we'll send some samples to you. Also, here's our latest review if you'd like to know more.

http://reviews.mtbr.com/blog/zym-electrolyte-review/

Cheers,
Brian

I provide Bradley Method childbirth education, doula, belly casting, placenta encapsulation, and post partum doula services.
I serve families in Kitsap County, Bainbridge Island, Poulsbo, Bremerton, Silverdale, Kingston, Port Townsend, Bremerton, Port Orchard, and the greater Seattle area. email me atangiebeehotz@gmail.com with any questions you might have
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