QUESTION: Are Sports Drinks Good For Kids?
“My daughter likes to enjoy a sports drink during practice, and I am not sure how to feel about this. I know they offer electrolytes, but I am worried about the sugar content. Is there a better option, or am I overthinking this?”
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Community Answers
The following top answers have been selected by a moderator from hundreds of responses to the original question.
“Are sports drinks good for kids? They can be! Get the sugar-free ones! We do power water or Powerade zero.”
“Gatorade zero is a good alternative. I actually have gestational diabetes so I have to watch my sugar intake and my numbers obviously and with it being so hot I don’t drink water as I should so the Gatorade zero has been a lifesaver for me in this hot summer.”
“Are sports drinks good for kids? Yes. Zero sugar Powerade and Gatorade as well as Propel. It is made by Gatorade but is water with electrolytes with no sugar.”
“My kids love the body armor drinks. They have coconut water and electrolytes in it.”
“My son plays baseball and drinks Body Armor. I find the regular ones with sugar help him in the heat. We live in Florida and the heat can make you feel sick if you knock out things that help fuel you. They do make some that are low calorie and have hardly any sugar.”
“I give my Body Armor, electrolytes without the sugar and dyes that Gatorade and powered has.”
“Maybe fix at home, water down. That way she is drinking the same as other kids. Or make her some fruit water.”
“Water is typically best. However, Gatorade hydrates and replenishes electrolytes that were lost during activity. It’s really more of recovery after physical activity drink. But not to be relied on for general hydration.”
“Body armor is the elite in rehydration. Potassium sugar sodium and magnesium are important.”
“An occasional Gatorade during sports isn’t a bad thing. The sugar is a problem if she is drinking them all the time…”
“Be mindful of the zero sugar drinks…still not good for you. We give my diabetic husband coconut water…great source of electrolytes.”
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Sara Vallone has been a writer and editor for the last four and a half years. A graduate of Ohio University, she enjoys celebrity news, sports, and articles that enhance people's lives.
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