That’s High Quality Water…Errr, Gatorade…Errr Coconut Water!

Which is really the best for fueling you?

Seems like these days everyone is drinking something different to fuel their workouts. From Gatorade to coconut water, everyone has their own secret mix of high performance beverages. But are they really any better than water? Can a bottle of Gatorade, really make your grueling runs and arduous bike rides more enjoyable? As I am always looking for more something to make me feel less like throwing up during a workout, I looked into the science behind the products and consumer reviews.

Water

Water is crucial to any diet. Think of water as your base, it can help support your body with the other performance beverages that you may be drinking.

There are a ton of benefits to water, here’s a neat diagram from howstuffworks.com showing the most common benefits:

Water can also help you lose weight (makes you feel fuller), Exercise easier, boost your mood, and stave off DEHYDRATION (perhaps the biggest perk of water!) ALSO…ZERO CALORIES! WHAT, WHAT?!

Gatorade

Originally, Gatorade was composed of salt, sugar, water, food coloring, and citrus flavoring. Now every line of Gatorade differs on their ingredients list. Most Gatorade still contains those base ingredients and a few flavor variations contain brominated vegetable oil used as a stabilizer. SCARY! Brominated vegetable oil has been linked to cramping, blurred vision, and vomiting!

On a positive note, they have begun to use stevia sugar to sweeten some of their low calorie drinks.

Stevia has yet to be linked to any major health issues (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatorade)

The beautiful thing about Gatorade is that it contains carbohydrates (Sugar has a place in our diets!). The sugar (or carbohydrates, essentially the same thing in the body) breaks down very quickly and gives us the energy that is in great demand when we work out. Also, the electrolytes (salt, potassium and chloride) found in Gatorade replaces those same minerals we are losing through sweat.

If you aren’t workout, Gatorade should not be part of your diet, unless you are severely dehydrated for some other reason.

Coconut Water

I recently discovered the beauty of coconut water. It is slightly bitter when not mixed with other things. I actually love the vitacoco flavors pineapple and mango. Coconut water has less sugar than other sports drinks, like Gatorade, but you can still drink way too much of the stuff. Again, it’s one of those things that you should only drink if you are dehydrated or need to perform at an optimal level during exercise. It is alos rich in sodium and postassium (replace those electrolytes baby!). Plus, it’s all natural!

So Which is best?

From multiple confirming sources including the Huffington Post and the New York Times, coconut water was better, but not by much, at fluid retention through a workout. For exercise performance, there was little to no difference between water, sports drinks, and coconut water.

A good point to mention that the New York Times stated is that sports drinks (including coconut water) serve a purpose for those who exercise for long periods of time (longer than an hour) but water was probably the best option for shorter periods of exercise.

What’s your favorite way of fueling during a workout?