a question about gatorade, powerade and other sports drinks

United States
May 17, 2010 9:31am CST
Okay, I have usually been drinking sports drinks for a few weeks now. The reason for it? I am physically ill and notice along with illness, you have to keep fluids into your system. I have been drinking alot of gatorade and powerade. The glucose and electrolytes and potassium is really good for your body
6 responses
• United States
17 May 10
That's all true and I love the sports drinks. However, they have very little of the actual nutrients in them! Orange juice has lots more potassium than any sports drink. They are loaded with sugars. But.. they are great for keeping hydrated which is very important!
@lmurdock (56)
• United States
17 May 10
I have a couple of different takes on sports drinks. My trainer has told me that unless you work out at a competitive level, such as the swim team participant listed below, or run extensively or sweat profusely, you probably do not need to replenish electrolytes and glucose as much as you need to replace water. (Defering to the same mention above.) However, if you need the extra energy it may be that you need to re-evaluate your dietary intake. IDEALLY (not always) we should get the energy we need from real food - despite the variety of power bars, energy bars, energy drinks, etc..... As for a quick pick-me up for glucose. Gatorade and Powerade are good. G2 is too. It still has a lot of glucose. I like Powerade Zero, because it has potassium and a little sodium, which I do tend to sweat out. The best thing is water. Try adding some lemon or lime juice or even one or two packets of artificial sweetener to an entire gallon. (I don't like Nutrasweet, but it may be a tool to help you work toward more diluted water, in this case). I find if I don't get a gallon of water a day, I feel fatigued. (That is a lot more than some people drink, but ideally, most people should drink more fluid - It is the main component of blood and keeps other body systems functioning properly. Remember, a lot of the instant energy from energy drinks (the non-caffienated type) is from glucose. It is a quick energy, quick burn. Shouldn't hurt you, but again, maybe not the best for hydration and not the best for me for calories. Good luck. Good question. I hope you get some helpful responses. Good luck.
@allamgirl (2140)
• Philippines
17 May 10
i drink a lot of energy drinks when i'm tired. the most i drink in a short period of time i think is about 5 or 6 bottles in 2 days. i usually drink just 1 in a day because i don't wanna be dependent on it. but during my last out of town with my friends, i was really tired because i was not feeling well, i was starting to get my fever back too. i was worried that i wouldn't enjoy the trip and my friends didn't want me to go swimming because i was sick (they're all nurses so they were pretty strict about it). so even at 5am when we left, i've already finished half a bottle. i just kept drinking it 'til i felt better. and all weekend, i was this ball of energy. they were all tired from swimming in the beach but i was still pumped up so i was the only one who still went for night swimming then table tennis. so i guess those energy drinks really do work on me :)
• United States
17 May 10
Gatorade is your best bet for this. My neighbors son is a football player and is very good too. Thing is he will not drink the powerade, one he says it has an after taste in it and second it doesn't give him what Gatorade does for him. He can feel the difference when exercising between the two. Seems gatorade replenishes him quicker and more efficient than the other one. He will not drink powerade, would rather drink water instead. Just thought I would give you what experience we have had here. Myself I perfer Gatorade and water. There are others out there that can help you with this or maybe some vitamins if you can take them.
• American Samoa
17 May 10
gatorade is really good for our body, it can also make us recover from dehydration.. ne thing happened in my life that i was dehydrated from a 10 kilometer walk (when our car broke down and left in the middle of the road), my brother bought me gatorade and recovered from the long journey. gatorade really helps
@brylle454 (606)
• Philippines
17 May 10
Oh, good to hear that, i also always drink energy or sport drinks whenever i go to the gym and workout. It keeps your body active and less tiring :)