Gatoraid and poweraid, weight gain, head aches heart risks?

**Darling** · 07-21-2010 07:38 AM

I started drinking them through the day to keep my blood sugar and body from crashing, due to my lack of meals. Many people have said that they are not good for you and i should dilute it with water. I tried this and i thought it tasted horrible. I feel like they are the only drink that takes the dehydration away. my body seems to cringe at the thought of more water? Are the extra carbs and calories a good thing like a thought or could they be a contributor to my resent weight gain? I worry if im just making things worse by drinking them i think they might be addicting. I dont want to drink them if they could be making me sick or gain weight. I have also heard that they are bad for your heart is that true, i have a fast heart rate and cant take certain cold meds could these drinks be a risk?

**KMonte85** · 07-21-2010 09:26 AM

Gatorade isn't necessarily bad for you, it does have a lot of electrolytes and vitamins that help recover your body after working out... however, it packs a pretty gigantic calorie punch! A bottle of gatorade will run you about 310 calories.. which is a LOT for a drink (consider an entire meal should be around 400-600 calories TOTAL). And one gatorade is more than a quarter of your daily carbohydrate needs... so it isn't really worth drinking when you look at it that way...

Water is boring. especially for someone like you.. when you're swimming in it all day long, its in your mouth all the time, and then you need to drink it too... options you could try instead of water and super caloried energy drinks is to add some berries/sliced fruit to a bottle of water and shake (gives it a fruity flavor) any berries or "harder" fruits apples, nectarines, etc will give your water a bit more flavor than just plain jane water. Or brew some tea and keep it cold and drink ice tea instead, although to me tea isn't quite as thirst quenching.

**Shadow38** · 07-21-2010 09:46 AM

One of the big problems with drinking these types of drinks is that they are calorie laden and packed with High Fructose Corn Syrup. Personally, I believe HFCS is a contributor to weight gain. I would rather eat my calories than drink them, so I stick with water, even though it's boring. You could go with Gatorade G2, but it still has HFCS and artificial sweetners.

**Hopeless Dork** · 07-21-2010 10:34 AM

Make sure to check out the sodium content in your sports drinks and make sure that your accumalitve sodium intake from all your drinks isn't more than your body needs. Alot of those sports drinks are loaded with it, to replenish for salts lost sweating in workouts etc... but if you are chuggin em' down all day -- you may be getting more salt than your body needs so always read labels.

**Darling** · 07-21-2010 09:45 PM

Thank you for the great ideas Kmontel85 i love the fruit idea i have some frozen and i'll add them to my water bottle in the morning!
Shadow38- i would rather eat my calories as well, i turned to a gatoraid as an alternative one day when i needed a little more then water, but then i started making a habit of it. i had know idea how loaded it was with ...EVERYTHING, i just thought i would be better than a soda... i didnt think it would be worse.
Thank you hopeless dork! Now my swelling makes more sense! i already have a problem with fluid retention and swell in my hands and feet... and joints, but lately it has been a little more aggravating! All of that extra salt that i really do not need!
Thank you for your replies!

**gymcandy2000** · 07-24-2010 10:29 AM

Yes it is right that it causes some problems for heart and blood pressures, but it is only when you don't know the proper way to take the Bodybuilding Supplements. Have all the supplements under the supervision of fitness expert, he will guide you proper way to take the supplements.

**Darling** · 07-24-2010 03:06 PM

Could it be bad for my heart and blood pressure if in not taking supplements and stuff? I stopped drinking them any way but had a convo with a friend who was far more lost then i. Was i correct that the problem with drinking it is when you are not using it as it is designed. It is meant to replenish your body with salt, calories and carbs. Its made for athletes that are on the go and need to constantly put back in what was lost. I stopped drinking it bc i dont need the extra stuff in it i just need nutrition not supplements!

**ItsASecret** · 07-24-2010 04:08 PM

Was i correct that the problem with drinking it is when you are not using it as it is designed. It is meant to replenish your body with salt, calories and carbs. Its made for athletes that are on the go and need to constantly put back in what was lost. I stopped drinking it bc i dont need the extra stuff in it i just need nutrition not supplements!

Well yes in a way that is correct. Physical activity depletes your electrolytes so in this case it is a good idea to replenish the stores by drinking a bottle. Drinking them without physical activity is not going to cause serious harm or anything, it is just advised more so for when you need to do the re-balance. Gatorade and Poweraid contain a lot of added sugar so that is a main reason as to why they are not recommended in a high amount. It is essentially like drinking a power soda (without the carbination). The nutrients added are already in your diet, they just take the specific one and isolate it then concentrate it to a higher degree. So technically you can still get the same electrolytes and such from your regular nutrition.

**LannieEwing** · 08-03-2010 04:52 PM

Have you heard of coconut water?? 60 calories, 0 fat. considered the "natural" gatorade due to the electrolyes and it has as much potassium as a banana. Stick with the natural stuff... you can't go wrong.