Most energy chews are designed so that one full packet equals one serving, giving you about 30 to 40 grams of carbohydrates. For exercise lasting one to two hours, that single packet is typically enough. For longer efforts, you’ll need two or even three packets per hour, depending on your intensity and how your stomach handles them.
The real answer depends on how long and how hard you’re working, because your body’s fuel needs scale with duration. Here’s how to figure out the right amount for your situation.
What’s Actually in a Packet
Energy chews pack quick-burning carbohydrates into small, portable pieces. A full packet of Honey Stinger chews, for example, contains 160 calories and 39 grams of carbohydrates. Most competing brands land in a similar range, roughly 30 to 45 grams of carbs per sleeve or pouch. Individual chews within a packet typically contain 4 to 8 grams of carbs each, so a full packet usually holds 8 to 10 pieces.
That matters because sports nutrition guidelines are built around grams of carbohydrates per hour, not “number of chews.” Once you know your target carb intake and what’s in your specific product, the math is straightforward.
Matching Intake to Exercise Duration
Your body doesn’t need supplemental fuel for short workouts. If you’re exercising for less than 60 minutes, energy chews are unnecessary for most people. Your existing muscle glycogen stores can handle the load.
For exercise lasting 60 to 150 minutes, the recommended carbohydrate intake is 30 to 60 grams per hour. That translates to roughly one packet of energy chews per hour, or about half a packet every 30 minutes. At the lower end of this range, some athletes get enough benefit from simply rinsing their mouth with a carbohydrate drink, which signals the brain that fuel is available. But if you’re running a half marathon or doing a hard two-hour bike ride, eating one full packet per hour is a solid starting point.
For events longer than two and a half hours, such as marathons, century rides, or ironman-distance triathlons, the target jumps to 60 to 90 grams per hour. That’s roughly two full packets of chews every hour, potentially supplemented with sports drink or gels to hit the higher end. Very few athletes can comfortably eat three packets of chews per hour, which is why most people mix chews with other fuel sources during ultra-long efforts.
Why Your Gut Sets the Ceiling
Your small intestine can only absorb carbohydrates so fast. When you eat a single type of sugar, like glucose, your body maxes out at about 60 grams per hour. Eating more than that doesn’t give you more energy. It just sits in your stomach and causes bloating, cramping, or nausea.
There’s a workaround. Your gut absorbs glucose and fructose through different transport pathways. When a product combines both sugars, absorption rates climb significantly, allowing trained athletes to use up to about 90 grams per hour (and in some cases even more). Many energy chew brands use this dual-sugar approach for exactly this reason. Check the ingredient list: if you see both glucose or maltodextrin alongside fructose, the product is designed for higher absorption rates.
Even with the right sugar blend, your gut needs training. If you jump straight to 90 grams per hour without practicing during training sessions, you’ll likely experience GI distress on race day. Start at the lower end and build up over several weeks.
How to Space Them Out
Eating an entire packet at once every hour works for some people, but most athletes do better splitting the serving into smaller portions taken every 15 to 20 minutes. If your packet has 10 chews, eating 2 or 3 every 15 to 20 minutes delivers a steady stream of fuel without overwhelming your stomach.
Timing your first chews matters too. Don’t wait until you feel tired or low on energy. Start fueling 30 to 45 minutes into your workout. By the time you feel depleted, you’re already behind, and it takes 15 to 30 minutes for ingested carbs to reach your working muscles. Staying ahead of the curve is easier than playing catch-up.
Always take chews with water. They’re concentrated sugar, and water helps your stomach empty them into the small intestine where absorption happens. A few sips per serving is enough.
Quick Reference by Activity
- Under 60 minutes: No chews needed for most people. Water is sufficient.
- 1 to 2.5 hours: 1 packet per hour (about 30 to 40g carbs), split into portions every 15 to 20 minutes.
- Over 2.5 hours: 1.5 to 2 packets per hour (60 to 90g carbs), likely combined with gels or sports drink. Use products with mixed sugar sources.
Adjusting for Body Size and Intensity
A 120-pound runner doing a moderate long run burns fewer carbohydrates per hour than a 180-pound cyclist hammering at race pace. The guidelines above work as a starting range, but lighter athletes or those working at lower intensities often do well at the lower end. Larger athletes or those in high-intensity competition may need to push toward the upper limits.
Heat also plays a role. Exercising in hot conditions diverts blood flow to your skin for cooling, which reduces blood flow to your gut and slows absorption. On hot days, you may need to dial back your chew intake slightly and rely more on sports drinks, which provide both fluid and carbohydrates without requiring as much digestion.
The best approach is to experiment during training. Try different quantities and timing strategies on your long workout days, and note what feels good and what causes problems. By the time you reach race day, you should know exactly how many chews per hour your body handles well.