FitEgg.com Multisport Reviews
In the second installment of our Recovery Drink Review Series, today we turn to Fluid Recovery drink. A special thanks to Richard at LiveFluid for the samples.
Background on Fluid and NEHP:
Fluid Recovery is manufactured by Nutritional Energetics and Human Performance, LLC, founded in 2006. NEHP doesn’t try to be everything to everybody, they product only the Fluid Recovery drink and target athletes of all varieties. Fluid sponsors Olympic Track and Field athletes, BMX champions, AVP volleyball players, and a professional triathlon development team. The founders, Dave and Richard, are experts in nutrition with degrees in Nutritional Science, Nutritional Oncology, Kinesiology, and are trainers, coaches, and athletes. Fluid Recovery has been named the Best Nutrition Product of the Year by TriFest and Competitor Magazine named it the Best Sports/Recovery Drink of 2008.
Ingredients and Nutrition:
Fluid prides itself on using all natural ingredients in the Fluid Recovery drink. There are no artificial ingredients, flavors, or colors. No Gluten, no lactose, no stimulants, and, according to their site, nothing trendy or unhealthy. A serving of Fluid Recovery has 128 calories, no fat or cholesterol, 250mg of sodium, 25g of carbs, including 8g of sugars. A serving also contains 7g of protein, 166% of your DV of Vitamin C and 2500mg of L-Glutamine. In place of inexpensive sweeteners and carbs, Fluid uses maltodextrin and fruit sugar. They also use whey protein isolate and natural fruit flavors and beet root as a coloring agent in the Berry version. The complex carbs provide energy for muscle recovery, while the lactose free protein helps repair and generate new muscle tissue. L-Glutamine also assists with muscle repair and reduces inflammation, while sodium and potassium restores electrolyte balance.
Use, Flavor, and Consistency:
Fluid does not recommend using their product before exercise since the protein is difficult to digest before and during an intense workout. Fluid Recovery is best used in the 30 minute window immediately following exercise. This window is essential because your body is primed to absorb nutrients for recovery.
We have tried both the Berry and the Tropical version of Fluid Recovery. Tropical has a bit of a coconut flavor while the Berry version has a strong raspberry flavor. Following the directions, we mixed the product with 12oz of water. Our initial impression was that the natural sugars and natural flavors are a bit strong and acidic, so we added a bit more water to tame the flavor. As mentioned, we really partial to mild flavors, so depending on your palate, you might want to tweak the amount of water you use to mix the drink. Adding a bit more water really toned down the flavor and improved the taste for us.
The powder dissolves very easily in water, requires no stirring, just a little shaking in your water bottle. There was a small amount of product that didn’t dissolve, but it was only noticeable when looking at the drink; we didn’t taste the product and didn’t notice the undissolved product when consuming Fluid Recovery.
Performance:
Our first use was after a 2250 meter endurance and recovery swim. As mentioned before, we’re in the middle of a Half Ironman training program, so we’re working out seven days a week, four days are double workouts. After the swim, we consumed a serving of the Fluid Recovery drink. After working out our flavor preference, we didn’t have any issues with stomach irritation. The Fluid Recovery drink really curbed our appetite, a nice added benefit. We have a regular 9 to 5 job and proper nutrition between workouts can be a challenge.
Our afternoon workout this day was a 6 mile run. After swimming, consuming Fluid Recovery, and spending some time at the office, we felt pretty good as we headed out for a run. Our run pace was quicker after using Fluid Recovery versus without a recovery drink.
Overall:
Again, it’s much too early to make any broad statements about Fluid Recovery. We noticed a distinct improvement in our run time and believe that Fluid Recovery drink was an important component of this improvement. The flavor is a bit strong for us if mixed according to the directions, but adding a bit more water solved this issue. We experience no digestion or stomach issues when using this product as directed.
