How do Creative Gourmet Smoothie Cubes™ fuel up an active body?

Creative Gourmet Smoothie Cubes™ make a delicious drink which can be used by sports people of all levels during training and competition. This gluten free, low GI energy drink is high in carbohydrates and protein, low in fat, and rich in vitamins and fibre. Add a scoop of protein powder or skim milk powder for an extra protein hit. Creative Gourmet Smoothie Cubes™ can help the sports enthusiast maximise training output, improve event performance and it will aid recovery, rehydration, refuelling and repair.

Creative Gourmet Smoothie Cubes™ are 99% fat free, made of all natural ingredients with the nutritional benefits of whole fruit. One serve provides on average 300kj to a glass of milk which will give you energy from protein and carbohydrates, the added fibre benefit of the breakfast cubes or antioxidants from the antioxidant berry cubes helps athletes and busy people stay regular and eliminate free radicals from their body.

Fuel Up

To perform well, the body needs adequate carbohydrates to fuel the muscles and brain. It is essential to always fuel up before a training session or competition. Without adequate food, the body’s stores become depleted causing fatigue and loss of concentration, thereby impairing performance. As a guide, the athlete’s pre-match meal should be easy to digest, high in carbohydrate, low in fat and include plenty of fluids.

By fuelling up on Creative Gourmet Smoothie Cubes™, the athlete is able to top up their carbohydrate stores to ensure they have enough energy to complete the session. Being a low GI food, Creative Gourmet Smoothie Cubes™ provide a slow release of energy throughout the session, but is digested in approximately 30-60 minutes.

Recovery

Nutritional recovery is an integral part of training and competition. During recovery it is important that four nutrition goals are met:

• Restoration – restoring blood glucose and muscle glycogen stores so that training or competition can continue that day or the next day.
• Replacement – replacing the fluid and electrolytes that are lost in sweat.
• Regeneration – regenerating, repairing and adapting, following the catabolic stress and damage caused by exercise.
• Refreshing – eliminating waste and toxins following oxidative stress on the body.

For most events, the emphasis for an athlete should be placed on replacing carbohydrates and fluid, whilst protein should also be a focus to repair any muscle damage which may have occurred.

The inclusion of Creative Gourmet Smoothie Cubes™ in an athlete’s recovery plan provides enough carbohydrate for restoration of blood glucose and muscle glycogen levels, and enough protein for muscle repair and glycogen resynthesis, whilst also assisting with rehydration. The added benefit of fruit particularly the Berry Antioxidant Smoothie Cubes™ provide antioxidants to help eliminate free radicals following oxidative stress caused by exercise. A liquid recovery snack is also a more tolerable option for those athletes that find it difficult to stomach solid food and additional liquid soon after exercise. Additional protein powder can be easily added when blending the Smoothie.

Muscle Gain

Clinical research suggests the consumption of carbohydrates and protein, immediately before and after resistance training can optimise gains in lean body mass. With the convenience of Creative Gourmet Smoothie Cubes™, athletes can enjoy them as pre or post exercise snack or between meals to assist glycogen storage and muscle growth over the day.

Weight Control

Creative Gourmet Smoothie Cubes™ are a low fat, nutritious product that could be used as a supplement for promoting muscle gain and easy to portion control. When making a traditional Smoothie, it’s hard to know how many kilojoules you are consuming with the bananas, honey, malt, bran you might add. Furthermore, as Creative Gourmet Smoothie Cubes™ are low GI, it will help minimise excessive changes in blood glucose levels, which clinical research has shown to be beneficial for controlling cravings and snacking, thereby assisting in weight loss.

Suggested usage

Fuel Up – Creative Gourmet Smoothie Cubes™ should be consumed 1 hour prior to commencing training or competition. If athletes find it difficult to consume solids prior to exercise you can double or triple the quantities to provide a larger pre event meal.

Recovery – To optimise refuelling of muscle glycogen and rehydration, Creative Gourmet Smoothie Cubes™ should be consumed within 30 minutes after exercise. For extra protein, add 1 scoop of protein powder or 2tbspn skim milk powder and an additional 100ml of reduced fat milk.