The Time for Sports Beans May Have Arrived Now that Major League Baseball is cracking down on steroid use, perhaps Sports Beans may become the performance-enhancing choice of home run hitters. Sports Beans is (are?) a new energy-boosting product offered by the Jelly Belly Candy Company. The idea is that instead of having to lug around bottles of sports drinks, you can enjoy the convenience of easier "portion control" with a small bag of Sports Beans. One ounce of Sports Beans contains 120 mg of energizing electrolytes (which may also help prevent dehydration), traces of vitamins C and E, and a whopping 25 grams of carbs. In an interview with NutraIngredients-USA.com, Lona Sandon (spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association) pointed out that a banana or an orange would provide the same energy boost as an ounce of Sports Beans. She also notes that fruit contains water, and underlines the obvious advantage: "You can't get water out of a jelly bean." Something to remember when you're running up Boston's Heartbreak Hill, or swinging for the bleachers at Wrigley. Nevertheless, no matter how many advantages whole foods may have, the time for Sports Beans may have arrived. According to the Nutrition Business Journal, sports "nutrition" producers racked up sales well over $15 billion last year. In a market like that you just might be able to move a mountain of Sports Beans. Sources:
"Jelly Belly Makes Sweet Entry Into Sports Nutrition" Jess Halliday, NutraIngrediens-USA.com, 6/15/05, nutraingredients-usa.com | 
