CE May 17, 2012~~~ Are Sports Drinks Healthy for Teens?

         You have just finished playing a tiring match of hockey and you are in the change room. “Aw man, I forgot a drink,” you complain. Instantly, two of your teammates offer you some of theirs. One holds out a water bottle, while the other tosses you a Gatorade. Which one do you take? Most teenagers would opt for the Gatorade; it tastes better and everyone assumes that it give you the energy you need. Plus, it’s such a pretty colour. But are energy drinks as amazing for your health as they are for your taste buds. Most people just assume that they must be super healthy in order for them to be considered a “sports drink.”Plus some of the best athletes out there promote them. But is the whole thing a trick? This is a commonly asked question nowadays. In this article you can read about the main brands of sports drinks, and the pros and cons to drinking them.

           Three of the most popular sports drinks out there nowadays are Gatorade, Powerade and All Sport. Gatorade is used by teens throughout the world and is the most well known sports drink. There are dozens and dozens of flavours out there nowadays, so the calories range from only 25 to over 200. A few examples of Gatorade flavours are Mixed Berry, Fierce Strawberry, Lemon-Lime and even Chocolate! Gatorade doesn’t have very much fat, but it is filled with carbs. Carbohydrates are what give us energy, but can also cause us to gain weight. Gatorade is also filled with electrolytes, which is basically a fancy word for salt, and helps us with the sweating process. BUT, Gatorade contains a lot of electrolytes; 5% of your daily value and more than double the amount in pop.  Powerade is very similar to Gatorade, but is newer. Although Powerade does not have nearly as many flavors as Gatorade, it claims to be the better brand because it supplies kids with more energy. Basically; it has more sugar. Thirdly, there’s All Sport. All Sport is not as well known as the other two drinks; but it still drunk often by teens. It’s a lot more natural and fruity than most sports drinks, but still contains high amounts of acids. Most sports drinks are different from each other, and there are so many different brands out there that it would take forever to talk about each one. Just make sure to reach the ingredients and nutrition info on the back.

         There are several advantages to sports drinks. Kids crave sugar, especially after working their butts off playing a sport. By drinking a Gatorade, they can quench both their sugar craving and thirst at the same time. It’s a better choice to fix their sugar craving by drinking some of a sports drink instead of gulping down a Big Mac and two donuts. When you are playing a sport for a long time, you tend to sweat a lot which results in you losing potassium and sodium. Plus, you burn a lot of carbs. Sports drinks contain lots of electrolytes that help you regain the sodium you need. They also contain carbs, which give you lots of energy to go on with your day. All of the pretty colours and yummy sounding flavors of sports drinks draw kids in and make them want to drink them. This can be good because sports drinks are partly water, which will help keep them hydrated when participating in a tiring sport or activity. Also, sports drinks are usually a better choice than pop because they have a lot less sugar and calories. One can of Coke contains 39 grams of sugar!

          There are many disadvantages too. It’s recommended that teens consume no more than 18-36 grams of sugar a day. A 20 ounce bottle of Gatorade contains 35 grams of sugar alone, which is almost going over the recommended intake. And although you may think that because it isn’t completely over the recommended intake, it’s still a LOT because no one just drinks one Gatorade each day and doesn’t eat or drink anything else. Sports drinks also contain a lot more sodium and sugar than needed to give athletes “energy.” Children are drawn to these drinks because they come in blue, red, purple and even magenta--- so much more exciting than boring old water. Well they may look better, but food colouring actually very bad for you. Food colouring contains lots of chemicals that just haven’t been tested enough for long-term damage. All teens nowadays are picking up Gatorades and Powerades from their local corner shop and bringing them back for movie night with their buds. They sit there chugging down the high energy drinks and then attempt to pull an all nighter. This is abusing and overusing sports drinks! The only people that should be drinking Gatorade are intense athletes that train for at least an hour each day. Sports drinks can also give cravings that lead to people wanting more and more sugar. The large amount of sugar can also damage teeth. People start to think that sports drinks are a healthy substitute for water, which is absolutely incorrect. Water is necessary for EVERYONE to drink lots of EVERY DAY.

           So... are sports drinks good for teens? The answer is YES and NO. If sports drinks are consumed responsibly, then they can definitely boost an athlete’s performance. However, you shouldn’t chug down a Gatorade after going on a ten minute run around the block. Big no no. Personally, I believe that it is best for athletes to just go the old fashioned route; drink lots of water before and after exercising. Sure, water doesn’t taste as fabulous as Gatorade, but it will keep you refreshed and hydrate. Plus, then you can save your sugary craving for something even yummier--- and hopefully not too unhealthy. Water is safe and contains no sugar or sodium at all! You could also have some fruit after exercising to fill up your empty stomach and give you nutrients. This article isn’t on ENERGY drinks, but I would just like to point out that sport drinks are almost always a lot healthier than them. Drinks like MONSTER can be very dangerous to kids and harm them. But, we’ll save that discussion for another time. Just remember, always be aware of what you are eating and drinking, and make sure that if you do drink an energy drink... you’re not superman, so be wary!

For more information, visit the sites I used:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/09/27/health.sports.drinks.teens/index.html

http://www.englishbaby.com/lessons

http://www.gatorade.com/frequently_asked_questions/

http://voices.yahoo.com/is-gatorade-bad-know-about-1621491.html?cat=5

http://www.livestrong.com/article/241331-benefits-of-sports-drinks-like-gatorade-and-powerade/

http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/nutrition-calories/food/gatorade/

http://www.ehow.com/way_5758048_much-sugar-safe-daily-diet_.html