What are healthy alternatives to Gatorade? Summer makes many people hot, especially those who do outdoor activities. However, with Gatorade, you can replenish body fluids lost during sweating due to hot weather. But what about when you don’t have Gatorade? Anything that can replace Gatorade to keep the body hydrated.
So, because we think this is important, here we will share several important alternatives to Gatorade. If you want to know the Gatorade recipe, we have made a purple Gatorade recipe, please see.
Key Takeaways
Some important things you should know before reading further about the best substitutes for Gatorade.
– Gatorade is a sports drink created to help athletes replace body fluids lost during exercise. However, this drink is consumed by many people who are not hard workers or athletes, even though Gatorade contains a lot of sugar and this is not good for your health because it can trigger obesity and even other serious diseases.
– For this reason, non-athletes can consume other liquids that can function like Gatorade. So we list several healthy alternatives to Gatorade including coconut water, watermelon water, milk, and superfood smoothies.
– This Gatorade alternative provides good electrolytes to replace lost body fluids without having to consume a lot of sugar which is harmful to health.
– When the body sweats, the lost body fluids must be replaced by other fluids. Even though the Gatorade sports drink is the most common electrolyte drink, you need to pay attention that Gatorade sometimes does not provide anything healthy for you. So, you should look for other drinks that provide electrolytes for the body.
Here we will look at several healthy alternatives to Gatorade so that you can still replace your body’s electrolytes without endangering your health.
What Is Gatorade?
Gatorade is a popular sports drink used by athletes and laypeople alike. Initially, the purpose of making this drink was to help athletes replace body fluids lost during training sessions. The Gatorade drink was discovered by scientists from the University of Florida around the 1960s due to a request from the coach of the Gator football team, he asked that a drink be made that could replace body fluids lost during exercise so that athletes remained fresh and could do their training optimally. Thus, the drink named “Gatorade” was born.
The Gatorade drink consists of a mixture of water, sugar, sodium, potassium, and lemon juice. Over time the Gatorade drink continued to adjust its ingredients and perfect the recipe. Now various variations of Gatorade have appeared which are intended to replace the body’s lost electrolytes.
Gatorade is now no longer used for its intended purpose. It’s not just athletes who drink it, but all groups of people are consumers of Gatorade, even children like it because of its varied taste and sweetness due to the high sugar content.
Indeed, if you pay attention, the sugar content in Gatorade is not as much as the sugar in soda. However, this number is large and can cause obesity in children, tooth decay, and the risk of chronic diseases in youth.
There is a sugar-free version of Gatorade but it uses artificial sweeteners which can also be bad for those who consume it in the long term. So, now it’s worth considering using alternatives to Gatorade. This alternative is a drink other than Gatorade that can replace the body’s lost electrolytes and is free from bad risks. One of the best substitutes for Gatorade is coconut water, which is delicious and certainly doesn’t have any bad effects on your health.
Gatorade Nutrition Facts
A 36-ounce bottle of Gatorade fruit punch provides the following nutrients:
- Servings 2.5
- Calories per serving: 80
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Sodium: 160mg
- Total sugars: 21g
- Added sugars: 21g
- Potassium: 50mg
The nutritional data above is for 1 serving of Gatorade, while 36 ounces of Gatorade is 2.5 servings.
The fact is that now Gatorade is not only consumed by athletes but ordinary people also like to drink it. Ordinary people who are not trainers or manual workers, don’t need electrolyte drinks like this because the body doesn’t excrete much fluid. This can be a consideration, drinks that are rich in sugar like this or contain artificial sweeteners can be at risk of worsening health in the future, especially if consumed continuously.
Consuming foods high in sugar and drinks rich in sugar can cause serious health problems in the future. According to the American Heart Association, added sugar should not be consumed in large quantities and should be limited to 25 grams per day for women (6 teaspoons) or 36 grams per day for men (9 teaspoons).
A diet high in added sugar can cause obesity or being a higher-weight person and this can lead to the risk of type 2 diabetes and can be a risk of heart disease.
Healthy Alternatives To Gatorade
Why should we look for a substitute for Gatorade? The high levels of added sugar or artificial sweeteners in Gatorade are worrying and can have negative health impacts. So, like it or not, we have to find a solution. So then several alternatives to Gatorade emerged that could be useful for replacing lost body fluids.
Here are some of the best substitutes for Gatorade. For those of you who exercise or work hard and sweat a lot, you can keep your body fresh and hydrated by consuming one of the following health drinks.
1. Coconut Water as Healthy Alternatives To Gatorade
The best alternatives to Gatorade include coconut water and this is great because it is natural. Coconut water is a clear liquid from coconuts that tastes delicious, sweet, and refreshing.
Coconut water contains lots of electrolytes sodium, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium. Naturally, it is also low in sugar and calories. One cup of pure coconut water contains around 45 calories, 6 grams of sugar, 60mg of magnesium, 48 mg of phosphorus, 252 mg of sodium, and 600mg of potassium. Coconut water contains much more sodium and potassium than Gatorade.
You can find coconut water in traditional markets or supermarkets packaged in bottles. But look for coconut water that is still pure and has not been mixed with various other ingredients. Look for 100% coconut water, without added sweeteners or flavorings.
2. Watermelon Water
Another natural alternative to Gatorade is watermelon. Watermelon water is the liquid from ripe watermelon with red or yellow flesh. Watermelon water contains potassium and magnesium. Also, it contains a small dose of phosphorus, calcium, and no added sugar.
Apart from watermelon, liquid from other fruits such as lemons can also be a substitute for Gatorade with its electrolyte content. For example, lemon juice, and cherry juice, contain potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus. Fruit liquids like this are rich in essential vitamins and minerals.
3. Superfood Smoothies
Superfood smoothie is one of the alternatives to Gatorade that also provides many nutrients like other fruit juices. Apart from containing electrolytes, it also contains additional fiber so it is good for gut health and blood sugar management.
Superfood smoothies are smoothies made from superfood ingredients, namely by using vegetables and fruit that are rich in nutrients.
4. Milk
Furthermore, cow’s milk can be an alternative to Gatorade or other sports drinks.
Cow’s milk provides lots of calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and a great mix of carbs and protein for fuel and for recovery during training sessions. Even cow’s milk is a cheap liquid compared to other sports drinks which is not necessarily healthy.
Recommendation:
Bottom Line: Healthy Alternatives To Gatorade
Gatorade is an energy drink designed to replace electrolytes lost during exercise. However, this drink is worrying because it is high in added sugar and artificial sweeteners. So, fortunately, there is an alternative to Gatorade that is much healthier, natural, and provides additional nutrients.
Among the substitutes for Gatorade are pure coconut water, cow’s milk, watermelon water, and superfood smoothies. Fluids from nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables are great for replacing electrolytes lost during exercise, and they’re also low in sugar and carbohydrates.
