Is Gatorade good for you?

Is it hype? Is it even necessary to for your workouts…

You probably have heard of Gatorade many times, most likely grew up consuming it or currently have it in your household. It is one of the most common sports drinks and is used by many gymjunkies. However, you must be wondering whether or not this drink is truly effective and if you should even consider drinking it.

I am going to explore the details of Gatorade and what it can offer you and what the heck the fuss is about. I have heard over and over again that it can rehydrate you and it has various electrolytes and other useful components. Of course, your body needs to have the right balance and the electrolytes will allow you to keep your balance intact. In order to ensure that your muscles, body and even your nerves are functioning in the right manner, you will need to have the perfect ionic solution that will give your body the right kind of balance. The kidneys also play an important role as it will regulate the amount of fluids and even the ions and electrolytes which are present in your body.

The kidneys actually make the urine which you pee and therefore they also filter your blood. When the filtering is done, it will help you get rid of urea and ammonia. When your body is in a dehydrated condition, the kidney makes it a point to concentrate the pee and thus it acts as an effective strategy for retaining as much water as is needed by your body. On the other hand, when you are well hydrated, the kidneys will work in a way such that it will permit more water to leave your body along with the waste.

Is Gatorade Good For You?

What Are Electrolytes?

When it comes to electrolytes, there are a lot of different ones but if we about the ones that are actually important, it includes sodium chloride, calcium phosphate and potassium bicarbonate. There are transporters present in our kidney which actually helps in ensuring that the concentration of each one of them stays intact.

Now let’s see how this affects your workout and if it really is needed like all the flashy commercials portray. When you are working out, you will sweat and this will make you lose both fluid and electrolytes in your body. Sodium chloride is the most common electrolyte that is lost and this impacts the performance of your muscles and even our overall performance as well.

Do you really think, you can afford to have performance issues in your workouts?

I mean I don’t like to have any performance issues period, but it’s really contingent upon how intense your workout actually is.

Now, let’s analyze Gatorade a bit closer and see how it works. The electrolytes in Gatorade function in such a way that water will be able to get into your blood stream at a much faster rate. This is because water has a tendency of following the electrolytes and the Gatorade electrolytes will fasten this whole process.

How to Get Electrolytes

If you are wondering as to how to get electrolytes contained in Gatorade, it is because your body will be absorbing it at an exceptionally high rate. When your body already has a depleted content of electrolytes, the ones that are a part of Gatorade will be quickly absorbed.

Gatorade contains a commendable amount of both sodium and glucose. You might not know this but your small intestine loves glucose as well. This is why the little transporters that are present in your intestine will quickie suck up glucose and then pick up sodium. As they pick glucose and sodium, it is logical to grab some water as well, and you know that this is going to rehydrate you further.

So, you may be wondering if I am sponsoring Gatorade and they paid to write this article. Well, I am not done with all the details, here’s the catch. I have to add that all the benefits can only be taken into consideration when you are engaging in extensive workouts. If you only exercise for a short period of time or have a low-intensity workout, water will work just fine for you. Also it’s important to understand that not everything in Gatorade is good for you, let’s take a closer look.

What the Heck is in Gatorade?

–Water (Ok yea that’s probably a good thing)

–Sugar (Not the best for you)

–Citric acid (Provides taste)

–Sodium Citrate/Salt (Electrolytes and Sodium)

–Red 40 (Some could be allergic)

–Sucrose/Dextrose (Basically stored as fat not great for you)

Gatorade vs. Water

Often people have asked me as to which is a better choice among the two. I prefer Gatorade strictly for taste reasons but you have to remember it also comes with extra calories. When I am busy working my body to stay in shape, I would pick a bottle of Gatorade only really when I exerted a ton of energy.

When you are drinking Gatorade for low-intensity workouts your really putting back the calories you burned during your workout. So, what is the solution for this and Is Gatorade bad for you? I wouldn’t say Gatorade is bad for you but it has it’s place only for intense workouts.I do have to admit I prefer Gatorade for hangovers when I am severely dehydrated or I just want something with some taste.

Gatorade is the best solution to choose when your body is severely dehydrated because it will make you hydrated a bit quicker than water in that certain case.The rest of the time, to be honest I would just stick with water because of the additional calories. For even more of an ideal option you can consider coconut water before you grab your favorite Gatorade next time.

Conclusion

The choice is of course yours to make but 90% of the time I stick with good old h20. I have pretty much explained all the details on Gatorade and when and to consider using it. Remember If you exercise for a short duration or low intensity, Gatorade will do more harm than good. It most cases I would recommend just with sticking with water.

-Terry Asher