What Are Your Thoughts About Sports Drinks?
A little while back I was contacted by someone asking if I was interested in trying some Powerade drinks *.
To be honest, I’ve never had a sports drink in my life. I’ve always been firmly in the “the best drink is water” camp. But I figured if they were willing to send me some to try, I’d be happy to try them.
I started with the red one because I like red (not as much as pink of course but red drinks tend to be my favourites).
It was WAY too sweet for me. I couldn’t even drink it all. I was a bit surprised actually because I find the healthier my diet, the less well I tolerate sweet things. So if these are targetted at those who are most active (and therefore hopefully consume a reasonably healthy diet), why make them so sweet?
The second bottle I tried was Powerade Recovery.
I tried this one on the day of the netball carnival. It was nowhere near as sweet and with a full day of physical activity and made a welcome change from drinking water to stay hydrated. I noticed that I didn’t have any trouble with cramp after the carnival which was a nice change.
This quote from the website might explain why it didn’t have as much trouble with cramp:
Protein is required for muscle repair and helps promote muscle recovery and rebuilding after exercise. Protein may be better utilised when combined with Carbohydrates. Including protein in the recovery period may also help in reducing muscle soreness after exercise.
So I guess you could say my experience with that one was quite successful.
The third bottle they sent me was the Powerade Isotonic. In terms of taste, this one was my favourite. I couldn’t say for sure that I noticed any difference in my performance by using it and I still had trouble with cramps that night.
To be honest, I’m still not 100% sure what I think of the “need” for Sports Drinks. The day of the netball carnival was the day I noticed the most difference from using them. Perhaps because the one I took focused the most on recovery - which is the area I seem to need the most help with (with getting cramp and delayed muscle soreness). I probably should experiment with that particular one a bit more.
What Do You Think?
So that’s my very limited experience and experiment into the usefulness of sports drinks.
I’d love to know what your thoughts are.
Do you drink them?
If so, what do you drink and why?
Are they worth the money?
Are they better than water or do they have a more limited place (in addition to water)?
* While Powerade sent me 2 bottles of each of these drinks to try, I have been under no obligation to post about them. That choice was completely up to me and no payment (other than the free drinks) has been made for this article. I’ve chosen to write about my experiences because I want to know what your thoughts are on the benefits of sports drinks. Are they worthwhile or a marketing gimmick?
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Hi Lighteneing
I bought two bottles of powerade on hols as there was nothing else available (stuck at the airport waiting for my parents to arrive several hours late with no access to a tap.)
Over priced (7.5 euro per bottle - I was so tired at 3am that I didn’t notice the cost until my sons bottom jaw hit the deck!)and tasting disgusting. I can imagine a circumstance when any of it will pass my lips again!
this topic seems to be a constant debate for us as firefighters as dehydration is a MAJOR issue at big incidents.
service policy is that we don’t use them. We stick to water.
That said, as individuals, we sometimes find that we need to replace electrolytes so we have sachets in our kit bags that we can make up ourselves should we feel that we need them.
But they certainly aren’t something you need all the time - we would only use them during prolonged, heavy activity.
If you are getting muscle cramps you might simply need to be drinking more water during exercise and perhaps try some MagPhos - it’s a bichemical tissue salt that is very good for muscle cramps - you should be able to get it at any chemist in the supplement section.
My husband goes biking a lot.
Do you know what one of the rest stops gave him….pickle juice.
He was disgusted, but said it worked.
He had cramps and could barely move. He drank the pickle juice and was then fine.
I’m not sure I could stomach it.
Hey, but at least you wouldn’t have to worry about it being too sweet ; )
Scott loves them and would choose to drink them all the time if I let him. When he had his braces (put on? installed? inserted? fitted?) the orthodontist said the biggest no no of all was sports drinks, even worse than coke, because the colours stain, the sugar causes cavities and the acid eats away.
So, my advice to you is that if you want to use them, be sure to clean your teeth!
I don’t drink sports drinks, just don’t have any reason to.
For those who play a lot of sport, or have been unwell or the elderly these drinks are great, in moderation. I use the powered form for my Dad in Summer.
Ditto what Bettina said - cramps can be sign of magnesium deficiency.
I was a bit surprised actually because I find the healthier my diet, the less well I tolerate sweet things.
I’ve noticed that this gets worse the more weight you loose (at least for me).
We live in the desert, it’s about 45C right now, and as much as Mister and I try to stay hydrated, we still get dehydrated now and then. I tend to keep a bottle of Gatorade on hand, especially during the summer months, and we drink on an as needed basis. Neither one of us likes the newer, fancier formulas, so we try to get the old fashioned stuff just for electrolyte replacement. Mister likes Red Fruit Punch and I like purple Grape flavored.
Other than the constant risk of dehydration here, I wouldn’t bother with sports drinks like this.
I think they’re the biggest marketing hype since…. well, whatever. I think they’re a huge waste of money. It’s just tying into the desire for teenagers to be hip and cool. Poison coloured, wasteful and ridiculous!!
(Um…. maybe I’ve been a little unclear in how I feel about them. I don’t like them….)
I Certainly think they have their place as a ‘once in a while’ sports drinks. How for how they taste, yes they certainly are sweet, but each to their own; there is a market for those with a sweet tooth.
Regarding them being nearly $4 in price…. well that is whole another story. Don’t get me started!
I’ve never tried them and don’t intend to. I’d say based on your experiment the recovery one could be useful to you when playing netball, but as a daily drink I think they should be avoided. When stuff like this appears on the shelves I read the labels to see what’s in them and that’s often enough to put me off.
Lightening,
I drink them when Ivy is in the hospitlal, when I know that my fluid intake is reduced. I find they help.
I like the red one. Not sure what flavour it is but I find they are good for hydration.
They are certainly better than energy drinks, which destroy the enamel on one’s teeth (I can personally attest to this having for many years directly converted V energy drink into finished book chapters).
I drink them when I get tummy upsets and need to rehydrate - usually I go with the gastrolyte and stuff first but after a while I need to drink something that tastes better.
Hey girl,
Being a runner, I’ve had lots of sports drinks. They are loaded with sugar (even the low-cal ones). I’m not a big fan. You said it right, “water’s the best drink.”
Love you blog…
They help if you are prone to cramping due to the levels of salts in them (but in the same token be careful if you have high blood pressure as high lots of salt is not a good idea)
They are only used in our house when sport is being played in very hot conditions at a reasonably high standard, the level that most people play at water would be enough.
Some people seem to be addicted to these they was some people are to coffee or coke and I assume it’s to do with the amount of sugar in them ???
i drink lucozade- i take a bottle with me to school everyday because i never get enough sleep and so am always low on energy. it really boosts me, but when it wears off the crash is really NOT GOOD. sometimes i take coca cola or pepsi instead, and the effects are the same.
i know this isn’t good for me, but its either that or fall asleep in every class…
so yeah, they work, but maybe not for the right reasons