During-effort fuel · drink mix · reviewed 28 Aug 2026
Hammer Nutrition HEED 43
Sweetened with xylitol, stevia and monk fruit instead of sugar, HEED carries just 2 g of sugars in a 28 g carbohydrate scoop — the lowest sugar share of any drink mix in this catalog, even below Skratch's low-sweetness Cluster Dextrin mix at 4 g of 50 g.
Score breakdown
The overall score is the average of what's below, each measured against every other drink mix we've reviewed.
43
Mixed
Based on 3 of 4 measures ?A dimension a product doesn't declare is left out of its average rather than counted against it -- so this score reflects fewer measures than a product with a full panel.
Carb density ?How much fuel one scoop or sachet carries. 90 g is the ceiling here, matching the top of the range cited for multi-transportable-carb intake.31
Sodium ?Sodium carried by the mix itself, on a scale topping out at 1000 mg — the upper end of what's typically lost to sweat in an hour.15
Value (cost/gram) ?Price of one gram of carbohydrate. Not physiological -- a market-based scale from $0.15/g (0) to $0.02/g (100).83
Cost per gram of carbohydrate
$0.042/g
Glucose : fructose · not disclosed
n/d
Comparison
6 of 14 drink mixes heldPrices per single sachet at the cheapest box size we track. Best in green, worst in red, across the gels shown.
| Measure | Hammer Nutrition Hammer Nutrition HEED | Tailwind Nutrition Tailwind Endurance Fuel | Skratch Labs Skratch Labs Super High-Carb Sport Drink Mix | Maurten Maurten Drink Mix 320 | Science in Sport SiS Beta Fuel 80 Drink Mix | Precision Fuel & Hydration Precision Fuel & Hydration Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CarbohydrateHow much fuel one scoop carries. | 28 g | 25 g | 50 g | 80 g | 80 g | 30 g |
| Glucose : fructoseGoverns how fast you absorb it. More fructose, higher ceiling. | n/d | n/d | n/d | n/d | 1 : 0.8 | 1 : 0.5 |
| SodiumAgainst 400 to 1000 mg an hour typically lost in sweat. | 150 mg | 310 mg | 200 mg | 245 mg | 4 mg | 500 mg |
| ProvenanceWhether that ratio is read off the panel, computed from it, or inferred. | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Stated | Stated |
| Price per scoopWhat one costs. Not comparable across scoop sizes. | $1.19 | $1.03 | $2.62 | $3.64 | $3.87 | $2.13 |
| Cost per gramThe only price that compares across scoop sizes. | $0.042 | $0.041 | $0.052 | $0.045 | $0.048 | $0.071 |
| Scoops for 90 g/hrHow many you open an hour to hold a 90 g/hr target. | 3.2 | 3.6 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 3.0 |
Verdict
what it does · what it costsWhat it does well
- 2 g of sugars per scoop, the lowest sugar-to-carb ratio of any drink mix reviewed.
- 150 mg of sodium plus declared potassium, magnesium and calcium, not just a single mineral.
- No added sugars: sweetness comes entirely from xylitol, stevia and monk fruit extract.
What it costs you
- No glucose:fructose ratio: tapioca maltodextrin is the only carbohydrate source, the same gap as Tailwind's dextrose-only mix.
- $0.042 a gram, slightly more than Tailwind's $0.041 for a similarly single-source carb blend.
- Contains xylitol, which Hammer's own packaging and FAQ warn is unsafe for dogs.
Where to buy
Prices and links as last checked.
Who this is for
the numbers, appliedThe field tells you what it is. This is who should act on it.
Worth the money if
- You want the least sweet, lowest-sugar drink mix in the field.
- You want a fuller electrolyte spread (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium) than a single-mineral mix.
Look elsewhere if
- You want a stated glucose:fructose ratio for a defined absorption ceiling.
- You keep dogs around your gear and want to avoid xylitol entirely.