Great Taste Winner 2026OrganicFive ingredientsNo refined sugarPleasure that performsGreat Taste Winner 2026OrganicFive ingredientsNo refined sugarPleasure that performsGreat Taste Winner 2026OrganicFive ingredientsNo refined sugarPleasure that performsGreat Taste Winner 2026OrganicFive ingredientsNo refined sugarPleasure that performs
The Science
This isn't justa MessyDate.
Five whole ingredients doing three jobs: fuelling your training, feeding your gut, and closing the fibre gap most of us live with. Here's how.
151kcal per date
15.9gcarbs per date
2.7gfibre per date
3.1gprotein per date
0grefined sugar
Almond & Cacao Date, per 35g date. Full nutrition on each product page.
01Fuel
Nature's energy.
Carbohydrate is the body's fastest fuel for hard exercise, it's why runners and cyclists carry gels. Each MessyDate delivers 15.9g of carbohydrate from whole Medjool dates: the same fast glucose-and-fructose blend sports gels are formulated to imitate.
The difference: the sugars are natural, wrapped in fibre and slowed by the fats and plant protein in slow-roasted nut butter, so they're absorbed steadily instead of dumped all at once. Whole Medjool dates score low on the glycaemic index for exactly this reason. No additives, no sweeteners, no nasties.
The result: fast fuel without the crash.
Illustrative curves.
MessyDate vs an energy gel
MessyDate
Typical energy gel
Carbohydrate
15.9g, from a whole Medjool date
≈22g, usually maltodextrin and glucose syrup
Fibre
2.7g
0g
Protein
3.1g
0g
Ingredients
5 organic wholefoods
Often 10 or more
Additives & sweeteners
None
Preservatives, flavourings and sweeteners are common
Tastes like
Dessert
A gel
MessyDate figures: Almond & Cacao Date, per 35g date. Gel figures are typical values for a standard single-serve sports gel; brands vary.
The line-up
Only 5 ingredients.
Nothing in MessyDate is a filler, every ingredient has a purpose.
King Medjool datesthe caramel-soft heart of every date
SportPowers your session: fast, natural energy your muscles can use within minutes, plus the potassium they need to keep working.
Health2.7g of fibre per date for your gut microbiome.
Nut butteralmond, peanut or pistachio
SportHelps you recover: plant protein to rebuild muscle, and slow-burning fats that keep the energy coming.
HealthKeeps you full: just slow-roasted nuts. No palm oil, no seed oils.
100% cacaoPeruvian, single origin
SportHelps fight tiredness: naturally rich in magnesium, the mineral your energy metabolism runs on.
HealthOne of the richest sources of polyphenols on the planet. Zero added sugar.
Chopped nutsthe crunch on top
SportAdds staying power: extra protein and good fats in every bite.
HealthMore fibre, and unsaturated fats, the good kind.
Sea saltjust a pinch
SportReplaces what you sweat out: sodium, the first electrolyte your body loses.
HealthLifts every other flavour, and that's all it's there for.
02Feed
Your gut is a garden.Fibre is what you feed it.
01
Feed
Fibre is the one part of your food you can't digest. It travels all the way down to your gut, where trillions of friendly bacteria are waiting for it. Fibre is their food, not yours.
02
Ferment
As your gut bacteria feed on that fibre, they release compounds that fuel and strengthen the lining of your gut. The polyphenols in 100% cacao give them even more to work on.
03
Flourish
A well-fed gut is linked to better digestion, a stronger immune system and, scientists now believe, even your mood. It all starts with what you feed it.
What you leave out matters too.
Many sports fuels and "better-for-you" snacks still lean on emulsifiers, additives, artificial sweeteners and preservatives. Researchers are now studying closely how they affect gut bacteria. MessyDate contains no nasties: when you're feeding your microbiome, what you leave out matters as much as what you put in.
03Fill the gap
The 10g most of usare missing.
UK guidance says adults need 30g of fibre a day. The average adult manages about 20g — a third short, every single day.
0g10g20g30g — recommended daily fibre
What the average UK adult actually eats — about 20g a day
One MessyDate — 2.7g of fibre, closing a quarter of the gap. Officially high in fibre, at 7.6g per 100g.
What's left of the gap to the 30g guideline
A MessyDate a day closes a quarter of the gap, before you've changed anything else about how you eat.
Sources: UK government dietary recommendation (SACN, adopted by the NHS) of 30g fibre per day for adults; National Diet and Nutrition Survey average adult intake of roughly 20g per day. Fibre figures for the Almond & Cacao Date.
Get messyNo nonsenseNothing artificialHealth starts in the gutGet messyNo nonsenseNothing artificialHealth starts in the gutGet messyNo nonsenseNothing artificialHealth starts in the gutGet messyNo nonsenseNothing artificialHealth starts in the gut
No nonsense.Only five ingredients.Nothing artificial.
