Gatorade VS. Water?

[foerestedwarrior]

Diluting gaotrade is something that alot of people do. Most of the problems though that cause diluting is due to the strong tase if it is mixed at the recomended level. Though at the risk of less elecrolytes per L then intended. It is a trade off, just have to make it work. The key to anything like this though, is train with it, that way during a race/deployment, you know it will work for you.

 

[paracowboy]

Diluting gaotrade is something that alot of people do. Most of the problems though that cause diluting is due to the strong tase if it is mixed at the recomended level. Though at the risk of less elecrolytes per L then intended. It is a trade off, just have to make it work. The key to anything like this though, is train with it, that way during a race/deployment, you know it will work for you.

No. The problem is not taste. It is the influx of carbs and sugars when your body wants water. The key is to understand glycogen and water intake. Which I'm trying to impart in this thread:
http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/33109.0.html

 

[COBRA-6]

http://www.gookinaid.com/

 

[CF Doc]

If you want my 5 cents worth (given this recent heat wave)-

Rehydration always depends on the nature of the "water" loss.

During exercise you loose a lot more water than you do "electrolytes", so you should replenish with mostly water... mostly.  You body (as long as you are healthy) will regulate these electrolytes, that's just what the kidneys do.

Losing fluids from vomitting or diarrhea can severely deplete your electrolytes.  A dilute Gatorde is much closer to the world Health Organization (WHO) recommended solution of: (roughly) spoonfull of salt, sugar and bicarbonate to 1 litre of water (also known as the Cholera rehydration solution).

The sugar and the salt in Gatorade (and the WHO solution) help "drive" water into the bowels and therefore increase water absorption.  Anymore salty or "surgary" and you can actually dehydrate much quicker (osmotic effect) as the water is actually sucked out of your body to dilute the salty (or sugary) drink.  that's why you can't live on sea water.

Anyway... all that to say that I always recommend that if you are going to rehydrate using Gatorade you should cut it with water.  By cutting it with water, you are also probably taking in more fluids which is infinitely better than not enough.  (also works well for Kids - 50/50 or better Gatorade/water instead of the ridiculously priced Pedialyte for a kid with diarrhea or significant water loss... don't forget to see the Docor though!!!!)

 

[Mike Baker]

wow, I never knew I would get this many comments. 

 

[Gunnerlove]

The http://www.hammernutrition.com.au/2_hydration.pdf

 

[rogsco]

Going slightly off topic here, but has anyone here tried a protein-carb drink during their training?


http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1173228

A good mix is 15g of protein with 30g carbs in 500ml of water. I tried this during soccer practice and gym workouts and noticed an improvement over just Gatorade. This may have just been the placebo effect though.

The website I listed also sells supplements so take what they say with a grain of salt as it is in their best interest to sell you their supplements. I have found though, that their articles are usually quite informative and useful.

I'm glad that you mentioned to take the info with a grain of salt since there is a definite bias in the information provided on the website as part of one great big advertisement for "SURGE - The Ultimate Post-Workout Drink." I have a good friend who is a clinical researcher who likes to say: "when something new shows up in the research, you don't want to be the first one to implement it nor the last." He means that you should be a bit skeptical until results are found consistently and and shown to be beneficial not harmful.

For example, there have been some studies indicating that adding protein to a carbohydrate drink may improve performance, but there have also been some follow-on studies showing that there is no added benefit. The internet provides a wealth of information, but we as consumers of that info need to be careful and be sure that the source is credible and unbiased. Remember that commercial ventures who fund research have a vested interest in the results and sometimes only publish research that shows a benefit from their product.

 

[newrecruit]

  Water. Definitely. I think that it was created just to make money from people. For me Gatorade doesn't work. I even feel dehydrated probably because of the saturated sugar in it. Water doesn't have any and tasted better. Before it was created athletes were able to perform as well on water eh? And also I don't think that I will get Gatorade in training. So I stick to water. It's cheaper also.

 

[TangoTwoBravo]

I'm no athlete nor a doctor nor a nutrionist, but when the guys are operating out the door they drink prodigious quantities of water.  If you're dismounted you'll be carrying too much water and yet not have enough.  If you're mounted you'll go through cases of water in a day as a section.  You can run out of water and ammo in a heartbeat.