Should children have sports drinks?
Which sports drinks are best?
As the winter sport season is starting, I thought it was a good time to talk about sports drinks…
Do children need sports drinks? The short answer is no.
Water is the best drink for active kids and the only times sports drinks could be of some benefit is if your child participates in endurance sports (e.g. long distance running) or intense physical activity for periods of one hour or more, especially in hot weather, when we lose more of our electrolytes through sweat.
There has been a lot of very clever marketing by the sports drink industry and I’ve noticed that parents (including myself) are often under pressure from their children who have been caught up in the hype about drinks such as Powerade, Gatorade and now Prime Hydration.
The downside of many sports drinks is that they are generally full of additives and contain large amounts of sugar. Whilst this might give kids an instant energy boost, it plays havoc with their blood sugar levels, causing a glucose spike that is then followed by a crash and associated symptoms such as fatigue, hunger and irritability. Drinking lots of sugary drinks (even if they’re ‘sports drinks’) is also a major factor contributing to weight gain and obesity in children.
Unfortunately the zero sugar options are not a healthier option as they are loaded with harmful artificial sweeteners that have a range of adverse effects, including headaches/migraine, skin rashes/eczema and respiratory issues.
When it comes to sports drinks, some brands are better than others.
Avoid: (sorry, I know this may make me unpopular with the kids…🙄)
❌ Powerade Ion4 or Gatorade (any flavours)
- 35-36g sugar (equivalent of 8-9 teaspoons!)
- artificial flavours
- 1-2 artificial colours
(note: the Berry Ice flavour is particularly bad as it contains sugar AND artificial sweeteners, as well as artificial flavours and colours)
❌ Powerade Ion4 Zero and Gatorade No Sugar (any flavours)
- two artificial sweeteners (950 and 955)
- artificial flavours
- 1-2 artificial colours
❌ Lucozade Original Energy Drink
- 18.5% sugar
- artificial colour
- artificial flavours
- two preservatives (202, 223)
Slightly better (but still not great):
🤔 Prime Hydration
- made with 10% coconut water (naturally high in electrolytes)
- no artificial colours or flavours
- artificial sweeteners 950 and 955 (listed as 'acesulfame potassium' and 'sucralose')
🤔 Powerade Active Water (any flavours)
- artificial flavours
- two artificial sweeteners
- no artificial colours
🤔 Gatorade Sports Drink Watermelon (clear colour)
- 36g sugar (equivalent to 8-9 teaspoons)
- artificial flavours
- no artificial colours
🤔 Gatorade G-Active Electrolyte Water
- two artificial sweeteners
- preservative 202
- no artificial colours or flavours
🤔 Lucozade Orange Energy Drink
- high in sugar (17.6%)
- preservative 202
- no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners
Best:
✅ Water!
✅ 100% Coconut water (e.g Cocobella, Raw C, H2 Coco) - naturally high in electrolytes and no additives.
You can mix it with fruit juice if your child doesn’t like the taste of plain coconut water
✅ Make your own sports drink - this is a great way to reduce sugar and eliminate nasty additives!
Click here if you’re keen to give it a try.
Whatever you do, make sure your kids don’t buy Prime Energy Drink (the one in the can, not the bottle). Prime Energy drinks are labelled ‘for ages 18+’ as they contain 200mg caffeine, which is the equivalent of two cups of coffee or two litres of Coke! These drinks definitely should not be consumed by children. I know if my son had that much caffeine in one go he would be bouncing off the walls and awake all night! Fortunately Prime Energy is not available in Australian shops but apparently it can be bought online...