Ketchup sachets are being used as gels and Heinz is already advertising to encourage this

Have you ever thought of using Ketchup sachets as energy gels? The creative people at Heinz have thought about it and are proposing this use to runners, something that also applies to cyclists, and are launching the Run On Heinz campaign to tell you where you can get these sachets for free. A resource that, as you can read on social networks, more than one person has already used to replace their forgotten gels at home as an emergency.

Ketchup sachets, the unexpected alternative to energy gels

Just when you thought you had seen it all in sports nutrition, something you could never have imagined appears. If a few days ago we were talking about pickled gherkin liquid as a solution to fight muscle cramps, now it's the use of the typical ketchup sachets that accompany orders when we go to a burger, even though it's not one of the places most commonly chosen by cyclists who take care of themselves and train conscientiously.

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Cyclists and runners have found energy gels to be the perfect format for ingesting energy during races and routes. They are easy to open and their contents are just as easy to swallow because of their semi-liquid texture, which also helps them pass through the stomach without causing discomfort and subsequent absorption.

Ketchup sachets have a similar format and their nutrients include a good supply of electrolytes such as potassium and magnesium, as well as a significant calorie intake which, although not very recommendable in our daily nutrition, is not superfluous when we are in full activity.

To promote this use, Heinz has just launched the Run On Heinz campaign, mainly aimed at runners who these weeks are attending some of the most important marathons in the world, in which they offer a guide showing the places where they can get free sachets of ketchup, such as in Burger King establishments. These locations, as part of this campaign, are referenced in applications such as the popular Strava.

Who knows if nutrition brands will follow suit and we won't soon see ketchup flavouring among their options. After all, the tomato, its main ingredient, is still a fruit with important nutritional characteristics.