Sports Drinks Vs Banana and Water

My daughter and I arrive at the soccer field at about the same time as her teammates. She runs

across the sweet-smelling grass and drops her bag among the others, and I cross the playing field and chat with the parents as I unfold and settle into my chair. We watch the girls stretch, pass the ball in groups of 3, and take turns passing and kicking the soccer ball into the goal.

One of the coaches instructs them to take a quick break prior to the start of the game, and the girls run in unison to their bags. Most girls pull out re-usable water bottles, but a few have plastic bottles filled with liquids of various colors: blue, yellow, red, and orange.

Sports drinks! What do many companies that manufacture sports drinks advertise on their websites? I found pictures of athletes with beautiful bodies accompanied by one or more of the following statements:

• Help replenish elecrolytes

• Are developed by 'sports scientists'

• Fuel your training with 'hydration solutions'

• Take what you need to be your best

These phrases sound impressive. And because we see active children and adults with sports drinks everywhere, it's easy to think they're beneficial to our health.

Read on and decide for yourself if you agree with the above statements.

Since the most popular reason for drinking these seems to be because "My kid plays hard and needs to replace electrolytes," let's review what an electrolyte is, the multitude of ingredients you should avoid when choosing a sports drink, and the SUPER EASY way—if you choose—to replace a sports drink (and your electrolytes) with healthy alternatives that are easy to have on hand and great for your body.

What are electrolytes?

Here are the quick facts about electrolytes:

• Minerals found in blood, urine, tissues, and other body fluids

• Help nerves, muscles, the heart, and the brain work correctly

• Balance amount of water in the body, as well as the body's pH level and blood pressure

• Rebuild damaged tissue

• Move fluids in and out of cells

• Move nutrients into cells and waste out of cells

• Include sodium, calcium, potassium, chloride, phosphate, and magnesium

What's in a typical sports drink?

• SUGAR: A 20 oz bottle of a popular sports drink contains 34 grams of sugar. Do you know that the American Heart Association recommends no more than 25 grams (6 teaspoons) of sugar for a woman and 36 grams (9 teaspoons) of sugar for a man per day? This implies even less for a child, which means by drinking that one bottle, a person has either exceeded or almost reached their daily intake of sugar.

• POTASSIUM: Potassium is prominent on the nutrition label. One popular sports drink contains 80 mg of potassium in a 20 oz bottle. That may sound like a lot...until you compare it to a medium banana, which has around 450 mg potassium! You'd need to drink 5 1/2 bottles of a 20 oz sports drink to obtain the same amount of potassium that's in just one banana. While doing that, you'd consume over 37 teaspoons of sugar (≥3/4 cup sugar). Imagine sitting your child down and having them eat that much sugar? Or even sitting them down and having them eat the amount of sugar in one bottle (over 7 teaspoons). How do you think they'll feel and behave?

• SODIUM: This same sports drink contains 270 mg sodium; the American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 mg/sodium daily, which is about 1 tsp salt. The average American consumes more than enough salt from processed foods.

• ARTIFICIAL COLOR(S): Many sports drinks contain artificial colors to make them appealing. These are a type of excitotoxin, a word to explore and teach your kids. Essentially, excitotoxins are chemical food additives that overstimulate the neurons (nerve cells) in your brain. When this happens, the neurons become overstimulated and die. Some scientists believe that excitotoxins play a role in the development of different neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's. Certain studies link artificial colors with aggravating behavioral problems in those with ADHD. There's at least one popular brand that advertises "no sugar and no artificial flavors" but contains artificial color(s), so don't be misled by advertising. Do your research before purchasing.

• ARTIFICIAL SWEETENER(S): Sucralose is one example. According to studies, sucralose is associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes as well as other conditions, such as body weight gain and leaky gut (leaky gut occurs when your small intestine becomes damaged and particles enter the bloodstream and cause inflammation). Healthy alternatives are organic stevia and pectin.

• NATURAL FLAVORING(S): Often, natural flavorings indicate the use of MSG. It's important to go beyond the label if you see this listed. As an example, a friend told me recently about a specific sports drink on the market. I took a look. No sugar, no artificial colors. However, natural flavoring is still listed as an ingredient. So I went to the FAQ on their website. Their flavors come from fruit and vegetable extracts. I was glad to see this! They also use organic stevia leaf extract as a sweetener. This particular sports drink (Ultima Replenisher Electrolyte Drink Mix) seems to be a decent option if you are looking for one.

What's the bottom line? For our family, it's about eating real food. We aren't perfect, but we do our best. In this case, it's pretty easy and convenient—read on.

Yummy, easy alternatives for replenishing elecrolytes

Our brains are designed to identify, digest, and extract nutrients from truly natural foods, such as vegetables and fruits.

So here are some easy replacements:

• A glass of water with:

  • Medium banana (450 mg potassium)

  • Wedge of watermelon (320 mg magnesium)

  • Pumpkin seeds

• A glass of coconut water

• A fruit/veggie smoothie—a great option if you want to hit all the electrolytes. Below are examples of typical ingredients in a smoothie and the approximate electrolyte amounts.* For items such as almond milk and coconut milk, read the nutrition labels and ingredients lists carefully. For chloride, add a pinch of table salt, or a healthy snack that contains table salt, such as cashew/walnut balls or power balls.

Ingredient/ Electrolyte	Potassium	Sodium	Magnesium	Calcium	Phosphate/ Phosphorus
Almond milk, unsweetened (~3/4 cup) try to buy organic	98 mg (FDA)	118 (FDA)	16.4 mg (FDA)	316 mg (FDA)	38 mg (FDA)
Coconut water (1 cup)	404 mg (FDA)	63.7 mg (FDA)	14.7 mg (FDA)	17.2 mg (FDA)	12.2 mg (FDA)
Almond butter, unsalted (2 tbsp)	230 mg; 248 mg (FDA)		89 mg (FDA)	88 mg (FDA)	169 mg (FDA)
Banana	375 (FDA)-425 mg	<4 mg (FDA)	32.2 mg (FDA)	5.75 mg (FDA)	25.3 gms (FDA)
1/4 Avocado	172 mg (FDA)	2.5 mg (FDA)	10 mg (FDA)	4 mg (FDA)	18 mg (FDA)
Spinach, mature (3 1/2 cup, raw) try to buy organic	460 mg (FDA)	107 mg (FDA)	93 mg (FDA)	67 mg (FDA)	41 mg (FDA)
Baby spinach (2.35 cups, raw) try to buy organic	582 mg (FDA)	111 mg (FDA)	92.9 mg (FDA)	68 mg (FDA)	39 mg (FDA)

*Source: US Department of Agriculture/FoodData Central (https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/)

Final Thoughts

It's awesome that you and your family are exercising! If you or your children are doing an excessive amount of exercise (think long, high-intensity workouts, such as 3–4 sports games in a day, a marathon, etc.), and you would like to still use sports drinks, make sure to read the label and the ingredients list before purchasing. Again, Ultima (mentioned earlier) seems to be a good choice. Our hope is for you to consider the options listed above, such as the water/banana combination or a homemade smoothie with spinach. Another resource is Dr. Josh Axe, one of my favorite experts on basically everything health-related! Check out this particular article: https://draxe.com/nutrition/electrolyte-drinks/. And contact us with any questions/ideas. Thank you!