Although Gatorade is among the largest brands in the world of sports drinks however its nutritional value is debated. Are you sure it’s a sugar-bomb is best avoided at all costs? Is it a healthy option to drink your water? The answer to this question, as it is of many nutritional debates is not as straightforward. Read more about Gatorade Zero nutrition facts here!
Deciding whether to consume Gatorade (or any other drink that is a sports drink) is dependent on your goals for health and lifestyle of exercise, the quantity and type of exercise you’re undertaking as well as your personal preferences.
Gatorade has calories in sugar, which helps give you energy quickly during your workout. It also has electrolytes and was created to help replenish electrolytes that are lost in sweat. In general, however, it isn’t necessary unless you work all day long or are a professional athlete, you’re unlikely to require a drink such as Gatorade.
Gatorade Zero Nutrition Facts
Although flavourings, ingredients and colors have evolved somewhat since its introduction back in the 1960s nutrients in Gatorade’s Original Thirst Quencher remain fairly the same. According to the site of the brand the 20-ounce bottle is made up of:
- Calories: 140
- Fat: 0g
- Sodium: 270mg
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Fiber: 0g
- Sugars: 34g
- Protein: 0g
- Potassium: 75mg
The sugar, calories, and sodium content of Gatorade might seem excessive at one glance. They are, but these ingredients can prove beneficial in endurance exercises that last for long periods of time.
Gatorade Ingredients
Gatorade is now available in a variety of drink varieties which include the original Flow Fierce, Frost, G Organic, G2 (with less sugar) as well as zero (no sugar). Apart from the different flavours and sugar content they share similar electrolytes, flavors, colors as well as other ingredients.
This is a brief overview of the contents in the typical bottle as in the purpose of these ingredients.
- Water, to aid in hydrating
- Sugar, for fuel
- Dextrose is a different kind of sugar used to fuel
- Citric acid, which is used for flavor
- Salt is used to replenish electrolytes.
- Sodium citrateis the sodium salt that is added to citric acid in order to enhance the flavor
- Monopotassium phosphate, which contains potassium to replace electrolytes
- Modified food starch stabilizer
A notable exception is G Organic drinks which are certified organic and contain only 7 ingredients: water citric acid, cane sugar the natural taste, sea salt sodium citrate, as well as potassium chloride.
Also, read Vitamin Water Nutrition Facts!!
Food Dyes in Gatorade
Gatorade is well-known for its vibrantly colored drinks. However, some people doubt the security of the dyes that make these drinks, causing concerns over the possibility that these ingredients could pose risk, for example, health issues like cancer and hyperactivity.1 However it is believed that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has examined the research and found that the food colorings that are used in Gatorade like Red 40 or Yellow 5 have no risk to consume.2
If you choose to stay clear of these chemicals, but are looking to drink Gatorade however, you should know that not all of Gatorade’s products contain artificial colors. G Organic, its organic sports drink line, doesn’t contain any artificial food colorings.
Sugar in Gatorade
One of the common criticisms against Gatorade can be that the drink is a source of excessive sugar. The typical Gatorade Original Thirst quencher has 36 grams of carbohydrates in a 20-ounce bottle. about the same amount of the sugar content of a twelve-ounce bottle of soda.
The reason Gatorade has the amount of sugar it does is because sugar is beneficial when you’re exercising for a long time. When you exercise your body is usually employing a mix of different fuels for energy and sugar (a easy, sweet-tasting type that is a carbohydrate).
For instance, when you go on an extended run your body utilizes stored carbohydrate and fat to fuel your muscles. But your carbohydrate reserves are less than fat. In the case of many sportsmen, going low on the stored carbohydrate is like “hitting the wall.”
When you drink a sport drink (or consume an energy drink or an additional snack during your workout) sugar can provide the body with carbohydrates that are easily accessible to provide energy quickly. This could lead to greater performance and endurance. This is especially pertinent to athletes who train for longer durations and with greater high intensity.
Sugar in Gatorade for Causal Athletes
What about the people who are sipping Gatorade during the entire day? And all the youngsters (and adults too) drinking the beverage in between baseball or soccer games, or even having a snack in the afternoon?
In these instances it is sufficient to replenish your water. But, Gatorade may be considered as a treat or substitute for water on extremely hot days, when children play sports outdoors.
A casual consumption of Gatorade or other drinks with added sugar could be harmful due to the fact that beverages that contain sugar, such as sports drinks, soda and lemonades, energy drinks and sweet tea have been linked with weight gain, obesity and various health issues.
Research indicates a significant increase in consumption of sweetened beverages in recent decades , and ties this increase to rising rates of obesity and diabetes.3
Salt in Gatorade
Like the sugar that is similar to the sugar in Gatorade Salt is also added to Gatorade to enhance athletic performance. If you sweat your body sheds electrolytes as well as fluids. Although a variety of electrolytes are lost through sweat, the main one to be concerned about is sodium.
sodium is a key ingredient in regulating the fluid balance within the body. Certain people suggest that drinking just water while exercising can cause hyponatremia which is a dangerous reduction the blood’s sodium level. However, this is unlikely to be a problem unless you’re engaged in intense exercise and sweating heavily.
It should also be mentioned that the most important risk reason for hyponatremia is excessive fluid.
A few athletes may also link loss of sodium to cramping. The majority of research suggests the cause of cramps is neurological fatigue can be beneficial to increase your electrolyte intake to determine whether it eases your issues with cramps.
Therefore, the sodium content in Gatorade can be very beneficial when exercising, particularly in hot weather, where sodium and sweat lose more quickly. rate. But from a daily water intake perspective, it’s very healthy to consume sodium-rich drinks that you consume during your exercising. In reality, inhaling excessive sodium from these drinks could be connected to health issues such as high blood pressure.
Is Gatorade Bad for Kids?
While Gatorade can be beneficial for adults who are active and extremely active kids, the majority of youngsters do not need regular sports drinks.
Marketing campaigns from sports drink manufacturers–including Gatorade–have often been targeted towards children. For instance, in the early 1990s Gatorade’s “Be Like Mike” commercial was a huge success that encouraged children to be as Michael Jordan and drink Gatorade. Similar campaigns featuring celebrities have been seen since.
Drinks for sports are now a staple in the household and are usually distributed at sporting events. A study published in Pediatrics in 2018 found five-seven percent of teens were consuming an alcohol-based sport drink at the least within the past week. Nearly 14% of them drank the drink daily.4
But, the majority of children don’t perform exercise to a degree of intensity or for a length of time that would require ingredient that boosts performance found in drinks for sports.
For the majority of children, an ordinary bottle of water is enough to provide the necessary hydration in a game of basketball for youth or a high school field hockey competition.
Drawbacks of Excessive Gatorade
For adults and children who don’t really require an athletic drink for reasons, but are regularly drinking them, negative health risks can develop. Here are some to think about:
Weight increase: Some research has suggested a tiny but statistically significant rise in the body mass index (BMI) for children who drink drinks that contain sugar.
Dental issues In sports drinks, the acidic drink has been found to degrade tooth enamel as well as the sugars in the drink could contribute to the formation of cavities.
Food dyes exacerbate behavioral problems in ADHD The 2018 policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics was developed for the purpose of “highlight emerging child health concerns related to the use of colorings, flavorings, and chemicals deliberately added to food during processing.” One issue that has been raised concerns artificial food colorings like Red 40 or Blue 1 Both of which are present for Gatorade drinks. Certain studies link artificial colors with an increase in the behavior of those suffering from ADHD.
There isn’t a conclusive evidence that food dyes or synthetic food coloring can cause ADHD. The FDA is still claiming that these substances are safe.
Usefulness as a Sports Drink
Alongside the evidence from anecdotes of that of the Florida Gators’ success while using Gatorade Many researchers have researched the relationship between sporting drinks and the performance of athletes. Gatorade and other sports drinks have been proven to aid in hydration and energy levels during prolonged or intense training.
However, the majority of individuals (even those who train often) don’t perform at a rate that calls for a drink. They are most effective when you exercise vigorously for longer than 60 to 90 minutes.
In these cases there is a good chance that not only will the drink aid in the hydration process, but it can replenish some of the electrolytes that are lost due to sweating. Certain studies have proven that sports drinks are also able in keeping athletes hydrated by tasting good and can prompt the drinker in their thirst to drink even more.
In addition, once you’ve completed more than an hour of strenuous training, research has proven that the consumption of carbohydrates for energy enhances your performance. If you’re working out in less than half an hour but, drinking water is enough.
Drinking sports drinks in situations where they’re not needed (like during a brief exercise or in your office) is part of sweet treats (similar as eating candy) instead of a healthful drink.
It’s certainly acceptable to decide to drink Gatorade just because you like drinking it. However, doing it only often is unlikely to trigger any adverse effects. If you drink a glass of Gatorade daily is, however and not making any changes in your eating or exercise routine, could lead to a few pounds more over the course of a year. The extra 140 calories from Gatorade every day (51,100 throughout the year) multiplied by the 3500 calories required to gain a pound amounts approximately 14.6 pounds.
Gatorades With Less Sugar
As a response to the concerns of the amount of sugar in it, Gatorade now offers Gatorade Zero that is free of sugar and just 10 calories G2 contains half the sugar and 50% of the calories as Gatorade Zero. It is also half the calories of. These drinks use sucralose, an artificial sweetener (best known under the Splenda brand Splenda) and Acesulfame potassium instead of sugar.
Many studies have suggested the safety of artificial sweeteners to consumption in small quantities, some research has identified potentially negative consequences. For instance the 2017 review article found that artificial sweeteners could alter the microbiome of your gut as well as be associated with weight gain, and may alter the satiety cues.5
Further research must be carried out to establish the causality. As of now the FDA confirms the integrity of this ingredient, and has approved its use in food products.
These low and no-sugar products offer the same electrolyte refueling without the extra calories, and could be a great middle ground for those who need an endurance boost but without any sugar.
