Sports Products
Sports drinks/ bars/ gels/ liquid meal replacers available in Europe.
Apart from the usual array of possibilities (fortunately not as much as is found in the USA!), health food stores, gyms and other specialist stores throughout Europe do contain other products. Maximuscle and ProGold are two that I'm not as familiar with, and therefore would be hesitant to recommend at this stage. However, the following is a brief rundown of the most well-known and respected products available in the UK and the rest of Europe that I've come across. I hope it may help some sports dietitians resource their athletes.
MOST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES:
POWERADE - is generally the most commonly distributed sports drink. You'll find it everywhere!
GATORADE - a very limited range of the sports drink is available in Europe. The website www.gatorade.com has a link where you can search globally to determine what products are available.
MAXIM - similar to what you'll find in Australia but probably a wider range of gels and bars. Generally found in specialist sports stores (e.g. running shops, cycling shops). Alternatively, most European countries have their own Maxim website (do a web search) where you can purchase the product over the internet.
POWER BAR - the well known range of bars and gels also includes a sports drink and a protein / carbohydrate formulation. www.powerbar-europe.com provides information on the products themselves. There is a link on the website through 'company' to the partners (ie distribution centres) or you can buy direct from Germany.
ISOSTAR - sports drink found in some countries. Available in powder or liquid form in a variety of flavours, and also produce bars and tablets. www.isostar.com has more information. Can be purchased over the internet via Switzerland.
ENERVIT - found in some specialist sports stores and also purchasable over the internet (unfortunately along with a few things we probably wouldn't want our athletes buying!). Italian manufacturers. www.enervit.it orwww.enervitusa.com.
And if all else fails, SlimFast has a liquid meal replacer that can be used as a liquid meal / liquid carb/protein source for athletes. SlimFast is found in especially in the UK and Germany.
SWEDEN:
Vitargo Carboloader. www.vitargo.com (although when I tried the website I couldn't get in. I saw the product in a running shop in Stockholm, and it appears to be a high carb source more so than a sports drink).
UNITED KINGDOM:
HIGH 5 - sports drink, gels, bars (including high protein ones) and recovery drinks (including one that combines protein and carbs both with a milk and a water base). Available by direct order and many outdoor and specialist sports stores. www.highfive.co.uk has a full rundown of all the products.
LUCOZADE SPORT - sports drink is most well known (available in sachets, liquid or cans of powder), but recently added a gel and a bar to the range. Readily available in most shops.
SCIENCE IN SPORT range (sports drink, carbo loader, liquid meal replacer, gels and bars and creatine). Generally only available by direct order from www.scienceinsport.com. Product comes in a range of sizes (500g to 1.6kg for sports drink), and they have their own water bottle with pre-set markings for each main product to make mixing up to the right concentration a little easier.
BUILD UP - liquid meal supplement in powder form (sachets or cans, generally chocolate, banana or strawberry) to mix with milk. 1 sachet with reduced-fat (semi-skimmed) milk provides 33g CHO and 15g protein, 4g fat and all vits / mins. Produced by Nestle, it is available in chemists and supermarkets throughout the UK.
LEPPIN - gels mostly are well known. www.leppin.com has a link to distributors around Europe.
