Help me try and help my 18 year old son and G2
My 18 year old son, a baseball player, (serious and very good), lean, and intelligent, drinks G2, (one of those Gatorade products). He will drink this, (as do many other players), before, during, between games and practice.
I believe that the high fructose corn syrup is not good for him. Personally, the HFCS gives the drink a lousy taste.
Does anyone know of a drink providing energy, hydration, that might be a good substitute?
Mind you, G2 has Vit C, Vit E, Niacin, B6, Pantothenic Acid.
Also, the HFCS imparts a seemingly desirable sweetness, and a little flavor and good calories are desirable.
Gatorade was originally marketed to be a source of electrolyte energy drink, was it not? Perhaps there exists an organic, non HFCS energy drink?
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18 Comments:
You can make your own "Gatorade" using a kool-aid packet, sugar, and some salt. A mix of sea salt and plain table salt usually has the right mix of potassium and such that you need. Very little else is needed or would be better delivered via a vitamin pill once a day. Just google homemade Gatorade and you should find plenty of stuff.
Seina at 1:08PM on 08/08/09
Water
mhurst826 at 2:54PM on 08/08/09
Water is yummy, but it's not going to give him the salt/sugar to keep the water in (he'll lose salt in his sweat so it needs to be replenished).
I found this recipe for a mix online:
2 packets Kool-Aid mix (unsweetened)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt substitute (for the potassium)
Mix it well and store it in a jar.
Stir 2 Tbs. mix in 16 oz. of water or use all of the mix and make 1 gallon.
I've also heard of it being made with juice instead of Kool-Aid. There are lower calorie options of Gatorade but they still have corn syrup.
gingercookiewithlime at 5:29PM on 08/08/09
Try googling vinegar shrubs. I don't know about the electrolyte balance, but I do know these were traditional thirst quenchers for summertime haying, so they might fit the bill.
lemonfair at 5:31PM on 08/08/09
Glaceau makes Smart Water which has electrolytes and they also make a line of flavored Vitamin Waters that seem to be pretty good as far as I know. I'd be inclined to do the Smart Water and a mulitvitamin, but if he wants some flavor, try the Vitamin Water. Good luck. I know what's its like to have an athlete hooked on G2.
dhorst at 7:10PM on 08/08/09
The HFCS is not going to kill the kid. He is an athlete and I assure you, there are far worse things he could be putting into his body than some G2. It gives him what he needs to replenish and realistically, PRO athletes drink original and G2 all day, every day, so it cant be all that awful. Give the kid a steak and a salad and it will round it all out.
ChelleyD01 at 8:05PM on 08/08/09
Coconut water.
Earlier this summer, I made a trip up to Phoenix on a day where it was 115. I made the mistake of not consuming enough fluids during the days prior and ended up with palpitations, extreme lightheadedness, and nearly blacked out. While driving, mind you...
So, upon returning to Tucson, I began consuming G2 on a regular basis. However, since I have been avoiding HFCS for almost a year now, drinking it made me feel horrendous. I wanted a better way to keep myself hydrated, and so far coconut water has been the answer.
Here is the nutrient information:
Calories: 60 per 11.2oz Tetrapak
Potassium: 670mg
Magnesium: 25mg
Sodium: 60mg
Sugars: 14g
Protein: 1g
Phosphorus: 17mg
Calcium: 40mg
Vit. C: 10% DV
Riboflavin: 10% DV
The only major downside is that coconut water can be expensive. That said, I love it, it tastes great, keeps me well hydrated, and is completely natural.
missvenuz at 8:51PM on 08/08/09
Run him to the doctor since he is an athelete and tell him your family history. Have some general health profile blood work taken (if he has not had this done in a few years it is a good thing to do it) and taking all information into consideration then decide what he can drink. Most times kids check out fine. Sometimes you find out something which is indicative of future health concerns. I would never feed my kid anything with HFCS because I know it confuses liver function but that is me.
JerzeeTomato at 9:18PM on 08/08/09
Water water water. Sports drinks are bullshit, imo. If you eat a balanced diet you'll have no problems. And didn't someone do a study recently proving that plain old milk is better than gatorade?
sailordave at 9:18PM on 08/08/09
Coconut water was the first thing I thought of also. It's quite thirst quenching, and some come with natural fruit juices for flavor and sugar. The only one I've tried is vita coco, but there are other brands too.
yayfood at 10:07PM on 08/08/09
Low fat chocolate milk is much better as a post workout sport drink.
dmcavanagh at 11:41PM on 08/08/09
I would agree with the water fans... and add a juice watered down.... like pineapple or pomegranite... lots of vitamins and "electrolytes".
blizcheetah at 7:38PM on 08/09/09
This is a recipe that I've made after researching homemade sports drink recipes online:
For 1 liter of sports drink:
1/2 liter (500ml) of fruit juice (any will do, just make sure it's natural, nothing artificial)
1/2 liter (500ml) water, filtered, bottled (whatever you prefer)
1/4-1/2 tsp of sea salt (or lite salt substitute)
Mix until salt is dissolved. Keep in fridge. I like this because it's fruit juice and not some artificially colored and flavored drink. And I get to use blueberry or pomegranate juices which I like. Don't be tempted to leave out the salt, it provides the electrolytes.
AnnieNT at 1:53PM on 08/10/09
Electrolytes are Na and K, right? They are the body's cross cellular transmitters, helping the nerve tell muscles what to do.
Some juices require less salt than others... NaCl causes water retention, so I would try to lower it... I would consider the following...
High in potassium:
Apricots, Avocado, Banana, Cantaloupe, Carrot, Celery, Dates, Greens, Honeydew melon, Nectarines, Potato, Pomegranite, Prunes, Raisins, Squash, Sweet potato, Tomato juice
Good in potassium:
Apples, Grapefruit, Orange, Peaches, Strawberries
High sources of sodium:
Beets, Beet Greens, Carrots, Celery, Celeriac, Dulse/Kelp, Goat milk, Milk, Buttermilk, And, of course, salts...
blizcheetah at 4:04PM on 08/10/09
Water is NOT sufficient to replace the electrolytes that are lost during a tough workout. as a nursing student and an athlete for almost my entire life, any workout longer than 1 hour must be accompanied by some form of electrolyte replenishment. Water is great, but if you drink too much of it without replinishing your electrolytes (or eating too many electrolytes beforehand) can lead to an unbalanced concentration of H20 and additional problems like nausea, headache, dizziness, etc.
Milk is wonderful as a POST-workout drink - protein, fats, natural sugars - but I dare anyone to drink a glass of milk while you're out there sprinting around on a hot soccer field, running, cycling, or any other type of phsyical activity. It's not going to be pretty when your active stomach tries to digest it.
I agree that HFCS is not good for you, but water can't be used on its own. Homemade drinks like AnnieNT's, or the coconut and smart water previously mentioned are your best bets. Or if he can get a good healthy snack in there that's not going to sit on his stomach, like a carrot or banana, along with water, that'd be great.
thuscwspake at 3:52PM on 08/14/09
Yeah, I agree that water's not going to do it. If he's sweating enough, he can risk his sodium dropping too low and ending up hyponatremic. Plus athletes can compete longer and at a higher level when drinking sports drinks than water, since they're replacing electrolytes along with fluid, and also taking in calories. G2 is trash though, IMO. Consider Gatorade Endurance Formula, Accelerade, Hammer HEED, Cytomax, or GU2O, which are all specially formulated towards athletes, rather than the general population.
cycorider at 5:01PM on 08/14/09
Milk works after workouts, but it'll make you hurl during. And water's not enough. Try E-load.
piccola at 1:26AM on 08/15/09
I have a friend who has a medical need for electrolytes and we've turned up some interesting possibilities. If convenience is the biggest issue, Smart Water is a good sugarless alternative. There are also a ton of packets available that you mix with water - the most easily available is Emergen-C, which has the benefit of a fruity taste and comes in a few flavors. It is "electrolyte balanced" although I'm not sure how it compares with the ingrediants in your average Gatorade.
volkstricken at 4:52PM on 08/15/09