Cherry,
orange, blueberry, lemon…. There are so many different flavors and brands of
sports drinks to choose from nowadays. They are perfect to drink instead of soda
and also water sometimes when people want some flavor and sugar rather than no
taste at all. They come out in so many different pretty colours which attract people to drink them. Many teenagers like to
chug sports drinks right after fitness. They are very
popular because they are tasty and also healthy…at least that’s what everyone
thinks. Are they actually healthy for us, teenagers? There are some pros and
cons about sports and energy drinks and we are here to find out!
The most popular or common sports drinks that people drink are Gatorade and PowerAde. Like the name, the drink is supposed to give power and keep people hydrated after exercise. Through sweat, the body can lose a great deal of vitamins and fluids. By drinking a sports drink, it can refill the body with many of the vitamins such as sodium, magnesium, potassium, and calcium, and sugar. Also, sports drinks contain electrolytes which help greatly with hydration. These drinks hydrate the body enough to sustain throughout the work out. Unbalanced electrolytes can lead to heat strokes or circulatory collapse so it’s very important to keep them balanced with these drinks. Furthermore, electrolytes and carbohydrates help reduce muscle cramps and amount of tiredness during exercise. They allow muscles to be smooth and flexible so people can exercise for a longer period of time. Carbohydrates maximize peoples’ performance more than water does and keep lots of energy in the body. Carbohydrates with protein make it even better and allows much better performance than athletes who drink sports drinks with just carbohydrates.
The most popular or common sports drinks that people drink are Gatorade and PowerAde. Like the name, the drink is supposed to give power and keep people hydrated after exercise. Through sweat, the body can lose a great deal of vitamins and fluids. By drinking a sports drink, it can refill the body with many of the vitamins such as sodium, magnesium, potassium, and calcium, and sugar. Also, sports drinks contain electrolytes which help greatly with hydration. These drinks hydrate the body enough to sustain throughout the work out. Unbalanced electrolytes can lead to heat strokes or circulatory collapse so it’s very important to keep them balanced with these drinks. Furthermore, electrolytes and carbohydrates help reduce muscle cramps and amount of tiredness during exercise. They allow muscles to be smooth and flexible so people can exercise for a longer period of time. Carbohydrates maximize peoples’ performance more than water does and keep lots of energy in the body. Carbohydrates with protein make it even better and allows much better performance than athletes who drink sports drinks with just carbohydrates.
Another
advantage of sports drinks is that they are good replacements for food. Many
people do not recommend athletes to eat junk food or even just regular food
before competitions or exercise because it could lead to throwing up and
getting cramps. Sports drinks are very easy to digest without getting any symptoms
and they contain all the essential elements and nutrition that it needs for a healthy body. Moreover, sports or energy
drinks are very easy to carry around. They are mostly in hard plastic bottles
with caps that prevents from spilling. They are transportable and the bottles
can be reused for other things too if wished. Sports drinks are easily found
everywhere like the gas station.
When there are pros, there are always the cons. A lot of the teenagers think that sports drinks are very healthy and beneficial for them. They choose them over soda because it makes them feel healthier when they actually aren’t. It depends on when and where they drink them. Sports drinks contain a lot of sugar. They contain as much as 14g of sugar per 8 ounces and 224 calories. It might sound alright for people who drink them when they work out and can burn them off easily but a lot of the teens these days drink them at lunch and at home when they aren’t actually exercising. They simply drink them because they think it’s healthier than soda and also because they don’t want to drink water when it could actually be more harmful than soda if it's overdosed. The drinks would not help for anything if they don't work out and sweat. It could lead to obesity. According to a research, it has been found that teenagers who drink sports drinks tend to eat more unhealthy food such as, snacks and desserts just like the teenagers who die for soda. But, they also tend to eat more vegetables and fruit more than the soda drinkers. This fact could be a pro AND a con.
One of the biggest issues about sports drinks is that they are very bad for peoples’ teeth. The chemicals in the drinks are very acidic. The highly acidic substances damages a part of our teeth called enamel. It is the hardest substance in the human body and when it gets damaged and disappears, it doesn’t come back and teeth are known to be easier to decay than anywhere else in the body. Researchers have found that teen girls who consume highly acidic drinks are three times more likely to have softer bones than girls who don't. It makes the bones softer which could lead to weak bones and muscles in long term. If people MUST drink high acidic drinks like sports drinks, it may be helpful to chew gum, or even rinse out their mouth afterwards because it activates saliva production and brushes off the acid.
In my opinion, I think it’s perfectly fine to drink sports drinks ONLY if you are planning to exercise. I don’t think there would be a big issue with consuming Gatorade or PowerAde when you are working out. If people are responsible for when they drink them, it could be very beneficial and wouldn not do much harm. I wouldn’t suggest for teenagers who are inactive and stays at school or home a lot because it wouldn’t do anything for them except gain weight and have unhealthy teeth. The whole point of drinking sports drinks and energy drinks is to help and support your body when working out. They aren't made to drink on a daily basis instead of water. The best choice for a healthy lifestyle would be drinking water and eating healthy food everyday. Just ask yourself the next time you go grocery shopping and when you are about to pick some sports drinks out. Are you responsible for it?
When there are pros, there are always the cons. A lot of the teenagers think that sports drinks are very healthy and beneficial for them. They choose them over soda because it makes them feel healthier when they actually aren’t. It depends on when and where they drink them. Sports drinks contain a lot of sugar. They contain as much as 14g of sugar per 8 ounces and 224 calories. It might sound alright for people who drink them when they work out and can burn them off easily but a lot of the teens these days drink them at lunch and at home when they aren’t actually exercising. They simply drink them because they think it’s healthier than soda and also because they don’t want to drink water when it could actually be more harmful than soda if it's overdosed. The drinks would not help for anything if they don't work out and sweat. It could lead to obesity. According to a research, it has been found that teenagers who drink sports drinks tend to eat more unhealthy food such as, snacks and desserts just like the teenagers who die for soda. But, they also tend to eat more vegetables and fruit more than the soda drinkers. This fact could be a pro AND a con.
One of the biggest issues about sports drinks is that they are very bad for peoples’ teeth. The chemicals in the drinks are very acidic. The highly acidic substances damages a part of our teeth called enamel. It is the hardest substance in the human body and when it gets damaged and disappears, it doesn’t come back and teeth are known to be easier to decay than anywhere else in the body. Researchers have found that teen girls who consume highly acidic drinks are three times more likely to have softer bones than girls who don't. It makes the bones softer which could lead to weak bones and muscles in long term. If people MUST drink high acidic drinks like sports drinks, it may be helpful to chew gum, or even rinse out their mouth afterwards because it activates saliva production and brushes off the acid.
In my opinion, I think it’s perfectly fine to drink sports drinks ONLY if you are planning to exercise. I don’t think there would be a big issue with consuming Gatorade or PowerAde when you are working out. If people are responsible for when they drink them, it could be very beneficial and wouldn not do much harm. I wouldn’t suggest for teenagers who are inactive and stays at school or home a lot because it wouldn’t do anything for them except gain weight and have unhealthy teeth. The whole point of drinking sports drinks and energy drinks is to help and support your body when working out. They aren't made to drink on a daily basis instead of water. The best choice for a healthy lifestyle would be drinking water and eating healthy food everyday. Just ask yourself the next time you go grocery shopping and when you are about to pick some sports drinks out. Are you responsible for it?
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Nice, long, and detailed Alice. I can always count on you to make the group look good! Honestly, I am pretty sure I have never had a full sports drink before. Maybe I did once at a school basketball tournament. So I can't exactly relate to how they taste or how they affect me physically and mentally. I did my project on Sports drinks as well, and some of my information was different than yours. For example, you gave a different amount of sugar and calories than I did. Perhaps we were talking abour different brands? Oh well! I enjoyed reading your article because you gave lots of examples that helped me connect.
ReplyDeleteA few suggestions so that you can improve even more next time are to watch your grammar and plural again. I know, I know; grammar can be tough! So don't worry too much about it! I also noticed when I was reading this last night that you said "I think" once or twice. They can be a challenge to avoid, but once you have mastered the art of not using them, your article can sound a lot more professional!
Thanks for being so reliable!
Oh my gosh. That was so good. So much facts. Now i know how these drinks are for us.
ReplyDeleteGood post Alice, it was very informative and detailed! I like how you organized your post, made it very easy to read and understand. The first paragraph really catches the readers attention! I agree with your final statement, sports drinks should be consumed in moderation.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post Alice, I see you've done your homework in the way that it should be. For a grade 8 student I would say this was quite impressive, you yourself have actually taught me a few new facts there is to know about energy drinks, and what was even more surprising is the part where they could be able to replace foods. Aside from a few repetition issues, I don't believe I see anything else flawed on this essay.
ReplyDelete