Sports drinks – the very unhealthy, the healthy and the super healthy?
A 12-ounce bottle of Gatorade contains 75 calories, 21 grams of sugar and 165 milligrams of sodium, compared with 150 calories, 40.5 grams of sugar and 52 milligrams of sodium in a can of Coke. If a student consumes a 20-ounce bottle of Gatorade, he/she ingests approximately 275 milligrams of sodium, almost 12 percent of the recommended daily allowance for people ages 14 to 18. Already, more than 75 percent of children consume more than the recommended 2,300 milligrams of sodium each day, according to the Institute of Medicine.
One of the reasons for training or playing a sport is to become healthier and fitter. Don’t undo the good, by consuming the average unhealthy sports drinks. This doesn’t mean you can’t purchase natural healthy sports or power-drinks or make your own sports or power-drinks.
A lot of the sports drinks on the market contain large amounts of HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) for a sweetener, linked to many health problems, and dyes for colouring. The average sports drink such as Gatorade and Powerade are known to increase dehydrate and even increase thirst because of their high levels of concentrated sugars!!!!! They are also acid forming, not a health scenario.
You need to drink more alkaline forming drinks whether you are training or not. This makes it easier for your body to absorb valuable nutrients and herbal extracts essential for electrolyte replacement, which is the whole point of sports drinks after you have been sweating they should replace fluid loss, replace electrolyte and help muscles repair.
Second, health drinks that are formulated with natural ingredients are good for pH balance while most sport drinks are acid forming and create an alkaline/acid imbalance in the blood. With sports drinks that contain all those colourful dyes, “natural flavours”, isolated vitamins and harmful sweeteners found in many of the artificially enhanced vitamin waters and sports drinks on the market today are acid forming.
Want a convenient sports or power drink – choose the healthier options, don’t undermine your training and your health. Of course in our purpose build store we will be selling all sorts of natural and healthy products including healthy drinks in general be they sports, power or normal drinks for convenience. Convenient for times when you are in a rush and don’t have the time or can’t be bothered to make your own.
Coconut water (not the milk) is excellent for hydrating and replacing the electrolytes and more. I will be writing an article on the benefits of coconut water.
Making your own health power or sports drinks.
Good electrolytes are potassium and magnesium for healthy muscles. Fresh or frozen fruits are bursting with potassium and magnesium so make the perfect base for your drink.
(a) Banana and (b) any other fruits (strawberries, blue berries, papaya, pineapple etc) and a (c) protein in the form of a natural yogurt or spoon of protein powder, (d) water and (e) a pinch if you sweat a lot (only a small amount) of sea salt this is optional especially for those of you who are trying to avoid salt.
Place all the ingredients into a blender and zap until smooth. Drink after training.
OR
Bananas, fresh fruits – blend together, and then add fizzy soda water or sparkling mineral water.