Gatorade and Kids

[Lemur]

So both of my kids are nuts about Gatorade. They beg for the stuff constantly. I try to restrict them to the basics (water, milk, juice) and allow them soda on special occasions. But what's the deal with "sports drinks"? Should I let them have it more often, or is there some sound reason why this stuff isn't marketed toward kids?

Anybody know of any studies about the advisability of giving Gatorade to kids?

[FactionHeir]

Well, its mainly glucose/fructose, so I don't think its going to be very much harmful. It will make them rather hyper though and of course give them a calorie overload.

[Hooahguy]

gatorade isnt kosher, so i drink powerade, but onl rarely.

sugary drinks like powerade and gatorade shouldnt be imbibed often, on the advice of my wrestling coach, who probably knows more about nature than mother nature herself.

[Centurion1]

Well there is probably nothing wrong with gatorade even though my father calls it gay juice. I cant see any reason why not. Im not a nutrionist though.

I think it is marketed to children somewhat i mean they use their sports heroes to advertise.
But i would recommend milk, water, and juice it definetly is better than gatorade and your kids probably just like it cause it makes them feel their cool i mean its really just flavored water with extra electrolytes (all they do is replenish salt so nothing wrong there)

[RoadKill]

As an athlete myself, I find that gatorade really helps clench my thirst and gives me some energy back. Gatorade and other sport drinks are loaded with electrolytes that help restored the charges lost from your cells due to excessive use of energy. So if you don't want your kids jumping off the walls and going into a blind rage of craziness, I wouldn't feed that stuff to them too much. Instead maybe give them a bottle after a sport game (if they do play) and if not one after school.

[Hooahguy]

im also an athlete, but i find that water really is the best thirst quencher. plus, its free. especially if you wrestle, sports drinks are a no-no.

[Hosakawa Tito]

They are high in carbohydrates*which is why they taste so good*, 60 calories per cup, with little sodium or potassium. Unless your kids are running a marathon they don't have much practical or nutritional value. I think of them as expensive diluted soft drinks. Water is a better fluid replacement at home, but for most it doesn't taste as good as gatorade or soda pop. Kids are all about taste, so if it tastes good they want it all the time which is only natural. I would use it as you do their soda pop ration as a treat and not a staple. Treats for physically active kids aren't a problem. Heck I drank kool aid and soda pop *the real stuff like today's Jolt* by the gallon every week as a kid, but I was an active outdoors kid and burned those calories off.

As usual, everything in moderation is the best course.

[Strike For The South]

It depends how active they are Lemur.

If they want some gatorade before or after outside than thats great, Gatorade has tons of benifits and a managable sugar content.

Even then though for kids there size and age serving size should be small. Gatorade replenishes electrolites and is meant for full grown men who have just expendend tons of energy and need to get there salt-water levels back to normal.

Combine that with the sugar and gatorade can actually mess you up pretty good.

I would limit them to as much as soda, more if they've been out running and jumping.

[Samurai Waki]

Gatorade is essentially Sugar Water... it likes to give you the impression that its good for you because it has 'electrolytes' which, you can actually get the same amount in just a normal glass of tap water. Yes, they are tasty (especially after doing a quick jaunt in the wilderness) but should be approached with as much caution as Soda.

[miotas]

How old are they? If they are young enough to fool, just give them a very diluted mix of cordial in a gatorade bottle. Gatorade doesn't even taste very nice so I bet they are just drinking it because it's "cool".

[Centurion1]

My apologies, after posting i went and looked up whats in gatorade. Well lets just say that it is not good for anyone let alone athletes to drink in excess. Just a little extra info, football, basketball, and swimmer and my coaches never let us drink gatorade, and also in those Gatorade containers at pro sports events they have a special formula that tastes horrible and is really like pure electrolytes, yellow dye, and salt. The gatorade we drink is delicious yes but it is not what pros drink its just a sugary subsittiute for the kids (guilty of this) who dont like drinking water

[Strike For The South]

My apologies, after posting i went and looked up whats in gatorade. Well lets just say that it is not good for anyone let alone athletes to drink in excess. Just a little extra info, football, basketball, and swimmer and my coaches never let us drink gatorade, and also in those Gatorade containers at pro sports events they have a special formula that tastes horrible and is really like pure electrolytes, yellow dye, and salt. The gatorade we drink is delicious yes but it is not what pros drink its just a sugary subsittiute for the kids (guilty of this) who dont like drinking water

yes it is. And if its not then it is gatorade plus protien.

[Lemur]

Talked it over with the wife this evening. Her theory is that they dig on the sports drinks because they're in easy-to-grab bottles in the pantry. She may be onto something. We're going to create a kid drink shelf in the fridge, right on their eye level, and stock it with juice and water. She's of the same opinion as the majority of this thread, that we should treat it the same way we do soda.

[DemonArchangel]

I don't drink Gatorade. If I need to rehydrate, I drink water. If I need more electrolytes, I eat some food.

[seireikhaan]

Unless the kids are doing sports hard core, I would not let them at gatorade- the stuff is addictive like pop. If you're not doing some intensive exercise, particularly competitive, I would encourage water instead. Too much sugar to be consumed on any kind of consistent basis for the average, sedentary American.

[naut]

From a dental perspective it's terrible stuff, not only because of the sugars, but the colours/flavourings are terrible for your teeth as well.

[Fixiwee]

If kids drink too much Gatorade, they go into HYPER OVERDRIVE and get a limit break causing them to crush stuff.

(Hmm, this post did not relate.)

[Cute Wolf]

Reminds me of what my parents did when I drink too much cola.... At that time I think they don't want

[Adrian II]

Well there is probably nothing wrong with gatorade even though my father calls it gay juice.

Nothing wrong with your father either.

[Rhyfelwyr]

I'm guessing gatorade is something like lucozade (sp)?

In which case, get the version that comes in sweets. That is the most insanely wonderful sugary things that ever existed. I'm going to stop thinking about them now.

[Vladimir]

I loves my Gatorade. Lots of sugar and salt, yum. I understand why children would like it so much but too much of a good thing...

[Beskar]

Give your kids diet drinks. Next to no calories in them.

The best thing my parents did was decided to let me overdose on things like McDonalds etc that I got physically sick of it. Now I never eat things like McDonalds ever again.

[Hooahguy]

but diet soda and drinks like that has aspertame, which is very harmful.

[LittleGrizzly]

I think diet pop usually has acidity in it which is not good for teeth or bones...

Though if its a straight choice i guess diet is less unhelthy...

Full sugar for me though... if im drinking pop im going to do it properly!

[Sasaki Kojiro]

but diet soda and drinks like that has aspertame, which is very harmful.

No it isn't..."may cause headaches" is at bad as it gets with aspartame. The rest is hooey.

[Beskar]

I think diet pop usually has acidity in it which is not good for teeth or bones...

Though if its a straight choice i guess diet is less unhelthy...

Full sugar for me though... if im drinking pop im going to do it properly!

But normal carbonated drinks do as well.

All you do is teach your children what a toothbrush is and get them using it regularly.

[Rhyfelwyr]

Just drink Sunny D, it gives you a healthy orange glow!

[Sasaki Kojiro]

As far as teeth go, I think crackers and chips--sugary stuff that gets stuck in the cracks--are by far the worst thing for your teeth.

[LittleGrizzly]

But normal carbonated drinks do as well.

Ohh yeah, I know, just its fairly common for people to assume the diet version is healthy... it is healthier... but still has bad effects...so not really healthy...

[Pannonian]

Try Orangina instead? It's the best tasting soft drink I've tried, and once they're hooked on that, you can try mixing carbed water with various fruit juices.