CanadianBiker32

Like some suggestions of a more healthier Sports DRink. For my electrolydes . I been using Gatorade for the last many years. Works well, but wondering about the sugar and what harm it may be doing. or am i still quite safe using Gatorade?

Suggestions of a more healthier brand of sports drink? would Hammer be better for you?
Suggestions please and thanks

Machka 

1. Water
2. Electrolyte tablets

digibud

Take a look at HEED and Cytomax. Each are good but do different jobs. Heed has more in the way of complex carbs so it is "food" to drink and most folks would use it to replace snacks. On long rides I may take one bottle of heed and a bottle of water. Cytomax may be particularly useful for hot rides where electrolyte replacement is especially important. I avoid drinks with pure sugar. I really like how HEED works but it is very hard to dissolve and it's not as tasty as Cytomax to me. I never take both bottles with sports drinks. One sports, one plain water and I only use them for rides lasting more than two hours. One hour rides I take nothing. Two hour rides I take a single bottle of water or two if it's hot. For more than two hours I choose between HEED and Cytomax. I haven't tried a lot of drinks so I'm not recommending these over other drinks but they were both recommended by other cyclists and seem to be very helpful.

Myosmith

Weak lemonade or limeade made with a minimal amount of sugar and a generous pinch of



for potassium and sodium. Green tea with a shot of lemon juice and honey, and a pinch of the Morton lite salt works as well.

Alternatively, you can just drink water and get your electrolytes from food sources. A combination of lightly salted almonds (Blue Diamond has a lite sea salt roasted almond that is quite tasty) and some dried fruit like raisins, craisins, berries, dates or figs will give you all the sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium you need as long as you maintain appropriate hydration. You can buy commercial, or make homemade, granola that includes the almonds, fruit, and some coarse rolled oats. Even oatmeal raisin cookies provide everything a cyclist needs as far as electrolytes and carbs.

In this age of sports gels, drinks, blocks and beans we seem to have forgotten that real whole foods are still a perfectly acceptable source of nutrition, including electrolytes.

Wesley36

https://www.skratchlabs.com/

Allen Lim and Co FTW. If you want a pre-mixed powder.

Looigi

I'll often take 100 cal of fruit juice, dilute to 24 oz and add a level 1/8 tsp of Mortons Lite Salt for some additional Na and K if I'll be sweating significantly. No better or worse than Gatorade, SkratchLabs, or anything else, IMO.

midschool22

THIS. Check them out. Seriously.

Fat Boy

[h=1]A more Healthier Sports Drink then Gatorade[/h]
Contestant for the dumbest thread title of the year?

gregf83 

If Gatorade doesn't bother you it's safe and fine to drink while riding. There aren't really any 'healthier' carbs available in sports drinks.

campagnolo80sr

Guinness

1748357

I drink this sometimes... https://www.vitacost.com/emergen-c-el...ral-lemon-lime

It tastes good and seems to work.

thecyclingadmin

Yup

10 Wheels

I don't think so...Go back to sleep.

look566 rider

Orange juice. 50-50 with water. Or start with a bottle filled with ice cubes then pour OJ over.

I don't buy gel shots anymore. Squeeze bottle with lemon & lime juice, again about 50-50.

Fat Boy

Behave...I'm not trying to be the grammar police, but that title is about as mangled as one could make it.

StanSeven

About the only thing bad for you in Gatorade is a very, very small amount of things like modified food starch, red 40, glycerol ester of rosin to provide coloring, emulsifiers and taste. The quantity doesn't make enough difference at all. Gatorade is water with glucose for carbs and electrolytes.

spdntrxi

Amino Vital
or half coconut water with water.

If I carry 2 bottles^^^ this is what I do… one bottle its the coconut water mix.

sprince

Milk

Pic

On a ride I asked a tri-athlete what he took. It was Carbo-Pro. It's not the cheapest. I've been using this and does a great job of supplying energy throughout my ride. It's pretty tasteless as I just mix with water. Hugh difference in performing on the bike vs. not drinking it.
I would definitely recommend.

peaches123

I like HEED.

Louis Le Tour

He shudda just left out the "more".

Dudelsack 

He's Canadian. Cut him some slack.

Shimagnolo

+1

Carbonfiberboy 

Ask your dentist. The most important difference between sports drinks is their effect on your teeth. Cytomax = $10,000 in tooth repair. HEED contains a large quantity of xylitol, which helps prevent tooth decay. No problems since switching to it about 5 years ago.

It should be mentioned that in spite of Hammer's claims, Hammer products including HEED do not contain "complex carbs." They contain maltodextrin, which is a long chain of glucose molecules. It has a higher GI (about 130) than sucrose. Which is all good, because on the bike what you want is the fastest, most easily digestible carb you can get. So they're right to use it but massively hyperbolic about what it is. OTOH, you probably wouldn't use it unless they did this, so I suppose they're right to do that, too. They do say what and why if you dig into their literature. It's probably the best thing on the market. Try the melon flavor.

RaleighSport

Curious what type of gatorade you use? I've also been wondering if there's different sugar levels in the different flavors.. I exclusively use the lemon-lime one as it tastes the least sweet to me of the gatorade flavors I know of, and has never caused me a sugar rush/crash so I find it ideal for riding.