Is Gotorade Good or Bad?

I love hearing from Karen MacKinnon and what she thinks/what she has learned through her health and fitness journey.

Here is a very in depth article about Gatorade. Its been used by athletes for quite some time now, but in more recent times has become more mainstream and its purpose is now just for refreshment rather than replenishment.

But is Gatorade good or bad when it comes to your health and fitness? – Especially if you are trying to shred fat?

Lets see what Karen has to share!

 

Is Gotorade Good or Bad?

Gatorade is a non-carbonated sports drink marketed by Quaker Oats Company, NOW a division of PepsiCo. Originally made for athletes, it is now often consumed by non-athletes as a snack beverage much the same as pop.  The drink is intended to rehydrate and to replenish the carbohydrates (in the form of sugars sucrose and glucose) and electrolytes (sodium and potassium salts) depleted during aerobic exercise, especially in warmer climates… and do it FAST!

Gatorade was created by some really smart people at the University of Florida in 1965 for the school’s football team and given the university’s athletics nickname, the Gators.  One BIG problem.  This product also tasted nasty!  WHY? Because it was based on science. What our bodies need when its depleted!  …carbs, sodium and potassium. AND what is the quickest way to get our cells this stuff. Put it in a liquid.

Only a year after its commercial introduction Gatorade was reformulated, as its initial recipe contained the sweetener cyclamate, which was banned by the FDA.  It still tasted nasty.

The Gators football team used Gatorade officially in 1967 and went on to win their first Orange Bowl title. They beat Georgia Tech, whose coach, when asked why they lost, replied: “We didn’t have Gatorade. That made the difference.”   Gatorade was used officially in 1969 by the Kansas City Chiefs, who attributed their Super Bowl title of that year to the University of Florida sports drink.  KABOOM!!!!  Gatorade sales go through the roof!!  Go figure.

This product now hits Pepsi’s and Coca-Cola’s radar.  They are NOT liking the competition and the market Gatorade has tapped.

Gatorade…Marketed with dramatically perspiring athletic imagery, (the must have just finished a P90X work out), the drink became popular with non-athletes, and dietetic and low-sodium versions were added to the Gatorade product lineup.  WHY?  Cuz the smart makers of Gatorade KNEW that unless you just finished some EXTREME athletic event, you do not need all the sugar and salt.

So yadda yadda yadda  Blah blah blah.  Pepsi finally wins the bidding war and acquires Quaker Oats in 2001.  BIG MONEY!  Cuz along with Johnson & Johnson, Gatorade is one of the founding sponsors of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association.  It is also the official sports drink of the National Football League, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, Women’s National Basketball Association, NBA Development League, National Hockey League, US Soccer Federation, Major League Soccer, and many other pro and college organizations, providing supplies of the drinks to the teams in all flavors available.

AND what was the first thing Pepsi did?  They didn’t have a bowl of oatmeal that for sure.  They made Gatorade taste better… high fructose corn syrup.  🙁  Say it isnt so!  Wait… I haven’t written that article yet.

We DO advise parents to feed their children Gatorade when they are dehydrated from vomiting and “bottom end” issues. It’s a big hit with the teens who have Crohns and/or Colitis. BUT its a short term thing to replenish what has been lost! It’s also cheaper than Pedialyte which is a better therapeutic hydration for child dehydration but is not always easily available.

Anyways, for me who is trying to lose weight and is NOT an elite athlete by any means…I avoid it.

Karen MacKinnon