School is starting and that means so are sports practices.
Fall football is one of my most favorite times of the year. That said, the nutrition nerd in me can’t
help but cringe every time I see an athlete reach for the neon green or yellow
Gatorade that is ever-so-popular. Sure,
it tastes great, but how great is it, actually, for you?
The earliest versions of Gatorade consisted of a mixture of
water, sodium, sugar, potassium, phosphate and lemon juice. All relatively decent forms of
electrolytes. In 2010, however, the
original Gatorade was re-branded as “Gatorade G”. G2 contains a whopping 18 grams of sugar per
32-oz bottle. It may claim to be “low
calorie”, but as you have probably heard Dr. Maxfield and I mention, calories
are not the most important factor in determining if a food or drink is healthy
for you. While 18 grams of sugar is
definitely less than in an equal amount of soda, it is still more than half of
the recommended daily allowance of added sugars for a male (37.5g) and more than the RDA for kids (16g). All of this is reason enough to search for a
healthier alternative and we haven’t even touched on the food colorings,
additional artificial sweeteners, and chemicals that are also found in the
drink.
While in school, we learned a great Gatorade alternative and
it has become a favorite of mine and my husband’s. It may not be bright blue or as yellow as the
sun, but it tastes great, is full of electrolytes, and has NO added sugars! Feel free to play with the flavors a bit and
have fun with it! Enjoy!
Gatorade Alternative
1 quart of filtered water
3 Tbs high quality fruit concentrate (we like the
pomegranate flavor from Whole Foods)
2 tsp high quality powdered electrolytes or 1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp D-Ribose powder
- This will add a touch of sweetness, but most importantly, it is key to the body’s energy making process and so it helps to restore energy to the heart and muscles
Enjoy!
Becca Potter
To schedule online with Becca click the link below
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