Top Reasons to Avoid Sports Drinks

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Top Reasons to Avoid Sports Drinks

If you think that the best way to replace lost fluids after jogging, bicycling or playing badminton is drinking sports drinks, think again. Nothing can beat water when it comes to hydrating your body after working out. A lot of sports drinks out there contain ingredients that make these beverages do more harm than good. While it’s true that they have electrolytes, sports drinks also pack a lot of things that you don’t want. Read on to know some of the reasons why you should guzzle down water rather than sports drinks.

They are Loaded with Sugar

A 32-ounce bottle of some of the most popular sports drinks these days pack as much as 52.5 grams of sugar. That’s equivalent to 200 calories! Especially if you like to consume a lot of sports drinks while working out, you may be actually getting more calories than you are burning.

Loads of Sugar in Them Cancel Out Electrolytes

It’s true that sports drinks contain electrolytes. However, experts say that your body may not be able to fully enjoy those electrolytes because the presence of excessive amounts of sugar cancels out their benefits. If you want to replace those lost electrolytes naturally, simply have a healthy post-workout meal and drink natural fruit juices.

Sports Drink Don’t Really Quench Your Thirst Better Than Water

The reason why you feel hydrated more when taking sports drinks than water is you end up consuming lots of them because of the exciting flavors. According to studies conducted on these products, the sheer amount of sodium they contain may in fact entice you to lap up more sports drinks than necessary.

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Consuming Lots of Them Lowers Sodium in Your Blood

The right amounts of sodium help keep your blood pressure normal. Having excessively low amounts of sodium in the blood can cause a condition called hyponatremia, something which could be due to overhydrating your body. As earlier discussed, these products tend to cause you to drink lots of them more than necessary.

They May Ruin Your Smile

One gulp and you will know right away that sports drinks are actually acidic. Experts say that these products are actually more acidic that sodas. It’s for this reason why taking lots of sports drinks can ruin your smile by causing the erosion of the enamel, a hard white substance that protects your teeth.

Sports Drinks Get You Hydrated More Slowly

Because of the added sugar in each bottle of sports drinks, according to the experts, they may actually cause the process of hydrating the cells to slow down. Nothing can beat water when it comes to the replenishing the amount of fluids lost through exercise. Unless you’re a seasoned athlete, better guzzle down water than sports drinks.

Drinking Them Won’t Make You Ripped

Some people have this notion that they will end up ripped by drinking sports drinks. No one can blame them because that’s the image these products are trying to build. However, the fact is majority of today’s sports drinks do not contain any protein, a nutrient necessary for building muscles and maintaining them.

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