You run to the store and you notice you’re a bit thirsty. You know you had a long stressful day so you know you want something sweet. Then you come across the refrigerated section and notice a bright colored juice that catches your eyes. It’s the popular sports drink you see all the athletes drinking these days: Gatorade. I mean if Lebron James drinks it why can’t you, right? All of the ads suggest that drinking this drink will quench your thirst, after all you are thirsty.
Should we be so quick to pick up this attractive drink that appeals to use in so many ways? In our mind when we are deciding to purchase Gatorade, our thought process brings us to a seemingly false positive. We think nothing bad is going on but indeed there is something going on. Studies are currently showing that drinking Gatorade is not healthy for those who aren’t relatively active.
According to LiveStrong.com, drinking gatorade is more detrimental and damaging to your teeth than a carbonated drink such as Coca-Cola(this is due to its very high sugar content). A shocking yet true fact that should be one reason to not consume this drink. In addition to Gatorades high sugar content, it also lacks nutrition which is essential in a healthy diet. Let’s not forget to mention the additives in Gatorade such as mono potassium phosphate which is the same additive in things we wouldn’t even imagine consuming such as fertilizers and fungicide. Alex Friedman, one who is against this sugary sports drink, adds ” Bromine, which is used in flame retardants” is also used as an additive in Gatorade. It’s scary to think that we could be drinking the same ingredients used in such toxic substances and fertilizers. These things should not be going into our bodies.
The horrors in these sports drinks are very scary when looked at under a microscope. Drinking these sugary drinks could lead to diabetes or obesity. As we know obesity is already a known problems in today’s society. Although I already made may argument shinning Gatorade in a negative light there are SOME certain instances when Gatorade is okay to consume.
If you are an extremely active athlete that sweats a lot at practice and work outs vigorously, Gatorade may be the drink for you. Considering it is high in electrolytes, you can lower your chances of cramping up while playing your sport. You can also be sure that you will stay hydrated consuming Gatorade. This is probably the only exception when drinking this sugary drink is okay; given the fact that when sweating you lose a lot of essential things that your body needs(Gatorade can replace these things such as: salts, glucose, etc.)
In the end, I personally believe drinking gatorade should be avoided as much as possible for those who are not very active. To solve the problem of being thirsty stick to what those in the past stuck to, water. No sugars, no additives, just straight hydration.
http://prezi.com/vkdiybhl7bg5/why-you-shouldnt-drink-gatorade/
http://healthycancerchick.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/gatorade.png
http://www.livestrong.com/article/75345-pros-cons-gatorade/
Always involved in sports and staying active, I believe gatorade is a huge aspect to an athletes life. When I find myself in need of something to drink while being active, my go to drink is gatorade. Yes don’t get me wrong I love water but I prefer gatorade when I am running. When I am thirsty during a practice or at the gym, I find that I can drink a whole water bottle and then I get a water belly. When I choose to drink gatorade instead I find myself only needing like one sip and I can keep going. I agree with you 100% that gatorade really shouldn’t be consumed unless needed because it is high in sugar which is detrimental to our health. But I believe it is just like drinking iced tea and other things like that that are also high in sugar. They have actually came out with G2 which is gatorade with half the carbs and calories, a good alternative that should be chosen. Gatorade is also good for people who get low blood sugar, my friend who has diabetes usually carries a gatorade around with him in case of emergencies where his sugar levels drop. Although gatorade can be bad for you, so can anything else; like iced tea and coffee. Do people really think about how unhealthy that large dunkin donuts iced coffee is that they get every morning? Probably not
I like this post because I definitely find myself drinking the occasional bottle of Gatorade after I work out, however I think it’s very important that it should not be considered the drink to drink after every time or before every time you workout. It’s no surprise that there is a lot of sugar in Gatorade, so of course if you consume it in mass quantities there are going to be bad health effects. I liked too that you did show that there are some positives to drinking Gatorade because it is definitely very high in electrolytes. One thing that many of my coaches used to emphasize to me is that it is better to drink water throughout a workout or game and then drink Gatorade after and/or before. Gatorade is pretty thick so it has the tendency to slosh around in your stomach, but going back to preventing cramping if you drink it after a workout or a little while before you workout it can definitely prevent those post and during cramps that athletes oftentimes get. Here’s an article to better explain this idea, http://www.livestrong.com/article/399104-is-gatorade-good-to-drink-after-a-workout/
I suffer from a condition called “POTS” (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome” where i get dizzy suddenly and my heart rate fluctuates. Whenever i feel dizzy or disoriented I am supposed to drink gatorade or pop a salt tablet (literally a pill that is %100 salt) and i feel better within minutes. I am a firm believer in electrolytes and I think gatorade is a necessity for athletes or anyone lacking electrolytes or energy. Do I think it should replace water? Absolutely not.
here is a little more about POTS
http://www.dysautonomiainternational.org/page.php?ID=30
I think this is very interesting and pointed out some cons to Gatorade I had never even known! You should research and see if there is a study of Gatorade on athletic vs. non-athletic kids and see what exactly the effects might be. That way we can definitely tell if there is a downside or not to drinking it besides the potential health risks.
Throughout high school, my coach always used to tell us to drink water before and during game or practice and then drink Gatorade after. This goes along really well with what you said about restoring electrolytes. Gatorade is so high in sugar that it restores the body and re-energizes it after a long and intense workout. I was surprised to hear that Gatorade is worse for you and your teeth than sugary sodas are. Whenever I think of sodas such as Coca-Cola I imagine the commercials saying how unhealthy they are and how they cause obesity. I have never seen a commercial saying that about Gatorade. This is really good to know and it makes sense now as to why nutritionists always say your best bet is to just stick to good old water.