For years, Gatorade was the only sports drink out there.
Developed in the 1960s by University of Florida trainers “” hence that “Gator” in “Gatorade” “” the popular drink held a near monopoly for decades as its popularity soared with professional athlete endorsements, sideline dousings of winning coaches and the “Is it in you?” commercials.
In recent years, other brands have joined the fray, each touting itself as the perfect drink to fuel your workout and each with its own formula. So, which is best?
First, according to experts, it all may be a bit of overkill. If you’re doing a light workout for less than an hour, water is still your best bet.
Take care, though, as the intensity of your workouts increase, water may no longer be your best option. It contains no sodium, which helps the body hold onto water and helps fluid infuse blood and muscle.
For moderate workouts, you could stay natural and go with coconut water, which is high in potassium and helps with fluid retention and prevents muscle cramps.
For high-intensity workouts, though, sports drinks may be the best thing for you. During high-intensity exercise, the average body will lose between .8 to 1.4 liters of sweat per hour, along with the significant amounts of potassium and sodium.
That’s where the sports drinks come in.
Nearly all have varying levels of the replenishing substances, along with carbohydrates to fuel your muscles during your workout.
The best, according to experts, have between 12-20 grams of carbohydrates in an 8-ounce serving, along with 80-110 milligrams (mg) of sodium and around 40mg of potassium while not adding too many calories.
A look at some popular brands (per 8-ounce serving, but keep in mind that most come in 32-ounce bottles):
- All Sport Body Quench: 40g carb, 140mg sodium, 150 calories
- CytoSport/CytoMax: 33g carbs, 55mg sodium, 50 calories
- Gatorade G (the original formula): 14g carbs, 110mg sodium, 50 calories
- Gatorade Endurance: 13g carb, 170 sodium, 50 calories
- Gatorade Recover: 20g carb, 105mg sodium. 110 calories
- Glaceau VitaminWater: 13g carbs, 0mg sodium, 50 calories
- Isostar Fast Hydration: 34g carbs, 240mg sodium, 145 calories
- Powerade Ion 4: 14g carbs, 100mg sodium, 50 calories
According to the experts, there are some types of drinks you should avoid at all cost, so keep an eye on labels. Skip drinks that depend on fructose only for carbs because it cannot be absorbed as quickly as sucrose or fructose-glucose blends.
Caffeine, which works against hydration efforts, should also be avoided, so cool it on the soda “” even if it’s diet.
