I Swapped Running Gels for Real Food on My Long Runs. Here’s What I Learned

Let’s get something straight: I used to love running gels.

Every long run felt like a treat thanks to my stash of gooey, dessert-flavored energy bombs.

But besides tasting like a runner’s guilty pleasure, gels are a practical and effective way to keep your energy up mid-run.

Endurance athletes are encouraged to take in 60–90 grams of carbs per hour to keep their performance strong, and gels are a fast, no-fuss way to make that happen especially when you’re in the middle of a trail, a desert, or a mountain ridge.

So when news broke about Spring Energy’s “Awesome Sauce” being tested and revealing way fewer carbs (16g) than the 45g promised, the running world understandably freaked out.

Further tests on other Spring products like Canaberry and Hill Aid exposed similar inaccuracies. Social media exploded with runners wondering which gels they could even trust anymore.

While most mainstream gels tested still fell within the FDA’s 20% margin of error, many of us were left wondering: can we just ditch the lab-made stuff and fuel with real food?

I decided to find out by running my own personal experiment...

What to Look for in a Gel Alternative

Like gels, your nutrition during a long run should cover some basic needs: carbs, sodium, and sugar. Some runners thrive on commercial products, while others prefer to go natural and both are perfectly valid.

Personally, I’m a fan of GU Energy Gels, which pack 100 calories, 125mg sodium, 40mg potassium, 22g of carbs, and 7g of sugar into one little pouch.

So, any real food alternative I tried had to hit similar marks and be easy to carry and digest.

Sodium

If you sweat buckets like I do (seriously, I could fill a kiddie pool), sodium is your top priority.

“We lose the most sodium when we sweat,” says a nutritionist. “Other electrolytes like magnesium and calcium are lost in smaller amounts, so the key is replenishing sodium.”

He explained that if you're drinking around one liter of water per hour, you should aim for about 600mg of sodium.

That’s more than what most gels or foods provide so you’ll likely need a supplement.

If plain salt water doesn’t sound appealing (it didn’t to me), got recommended hydration products like Skratch Labs, which contain at least 300mg of sodium per serving.

Salt tablets are another option for a more natural approach.

Carbohydrates

“Carbs are your fuel,” Nutritionist explains. “We need 30–60g of carbs per hour on most long runs, and up to 90g during marathons or ultras.”

Commercial gels use ingredients like maltodextrin, a fast-digesting carb that helps maintain energy levels.

If real food was going to compete, it needed to offer similar amounts of carbs in an easy-to-digest form.

Sugar

Sugar gets a bad rap, but during long runs, it’s your friend.

“When we’re running, our bodies digest simple sugars quickly... things like maple syrup yes, even maple syrup can be fantastic whole food sources of sugar.”

So with the guidance of a nutritionist, I hit the road to test five gel replacements over four weeks of long runs ranging from 10 to 16 miles.

I also tried some hydration mix, which added an extra 710mg sodium, 70 calories, 17g of carbs, and 15g of sugar per serving to my routine.

My Favorite Real Food Fuel Sources

1. White Bread with Honey

• Calories: 120
• Carbs: 28g
• Sugar: 13g
• Sodium: 160mg

Surprisingly, this low-effort snack was my top pick. I took one slice of white bread, drizzled two teaspoons of honey over it, folded it up, and stuffed it in a plastic baggie.

It stayed compact in my waist pack, and despite getting a little smushed, it was glorious mid-run. No stomach issues, solid energy comparable to my favorite espresso gel.

2. Sweet Potato

• Serving Size: ~4 oz
• Calories: 112
• Carbs: 26g
• Sugar: 6g
• Sodium: 73mg

A sweet potato might sound odd, but it worked surprisingly well. After boiling and cooling one palm-sized tuber, I wrapped it in a paper towel and ate it skin and all during a 10-miler. It digested well and gave me steady energy.

Sodium was low, but my hydration mix covered that.

3. Cereal (Cheerios)

• Serving Size: ½ cup
• Calories: 100
• Carbs: 20g
• Sugar: 1g
• Sodium: 140mg

I poured some plain Cheerios into a zip bag, hoping for an easy munch. Nope. It was awkward, dried out my mouth, and wasn’t quite enough fuel.

Packing more would’ve just meant more mid-run crunching not ideal.

4. Banana

• Calories: 110
• Carbs: 28g
• Sugar: 15g
• Potassium: 450mg

A classic. Bananas are easy on the stomach and loaded with quick-burning sugars.

The only downside? It didn’t fit in my running belt, so I awkwardly shoved it into my jacket pocket. But performance-wise, it never let me down.

5. Dates

• Serving Size: 2 dates
• Calories: 133
• Carbs: 36g
• Sugar: 32g

I had high hopes for dates.

They’re compact, super sweet, and easy to carry. But for me? Total gut disaster. Cramping, bloating, and a shortened run.

Turns out, dates are high in fiber and sometimes contain sulfites, which my stomach clearly did not appreciate.

Will I Ditch Gels for Good?

So, did this experiment turn me into a full-time real-food runner?

Not exactly.

Gels still have their place in my routine they’re reliable, portable, and designed for performance. But now I know I can sub in real food when I want to go natural, save money, or just mix things up.

The key takeaway? Fueling isn’t one-size-fits-all. Gels don’t make you a “less natural” runner, and real food doesn’t make you superior. You do you.