You would think that the market for nutritional energy drinks would be completely saturated by this point in time as they have been available for decades now. Every time I turn around there seems to be a new one popping up though. A few months back I received a few packs of the new "Tailwind Nutrition" powder which claims to be "complete energy and electrolytes in one easy to mix drink". I am always skeptical of pre-packaged over manufactured "nutritional" products and this one was no exception. Sure it came with a catchy marketing name and a nicely designed logo and package but would it be any better than the rest?
The theory behind most sport drinks is that water is just not good enough these days for anyone who is active for long periods of time (i.e. backcountry skiing). Water will hydrate you but your body's electrolytes are not replaced, this is where a product like Tailwind comes in. It has Magnesium, Calcium, Potassium and Sodium in powder form along with some calories and flavouring. It does provide the electrolytes that you need and if you are on a day long mission then this is an ideal product to keep your energy up.
I have been using Tailwind for the past few months now and have found that most of the products claims are true. Yes, it is super easy to mix, just add it to water and give it a shake. And, no it doesn't foul up your hydration-pack with any gunky film or residue which is key. Yes, the ingredients are in fact natural and organic and very easy on your stomach. Tailwind is basically made up of dextrose (glucose), sucrose, citric acid, sea salt, organic flavour, potassium chloride, calcium carbonate, magnesium citrate. These are all things I can pronounce and understand what their role is in the product – I like that. The list is also surprisingly short and thats a good thing.
So would I use this product again? Yes, under certain circumstances. I like the ingredient list and the convenience of the powder for backcountry trips but if I was just going on a day trip then I typically make my own. Lemon juice, sugar and salt with a heap of water make up a very economical and simple energy drink for day trips. It's when I go out into the backcountry on multi-day trips that Tailwind comes into play. Throw a pouch into your pack and you have enough to keep you going over the long haul. I like the flavours they are very subtle and the sugar content while high is not out of the stratosphere (2.6% of daily recommended value per .95oz serving).
It would be nice to see Tailwind expand their organic thinking to their packaging though and produce some sort of recyclable packaging as the pouches are pretty beefy and not recyclable as far as I could tell.
If you are interested in the product the single use pouch is $3.50, a medium bag is $19.99 and makes 25 servings and the large bag makes 50 servings and is $34.99. I have to admit it's a bit pricey when compared to my lemon, sugar and salt recipe but there are times when that just won't do. Check out http://www.tailwindnutrition.c.....m for more info.
