HEALTHY HYDRATION FOR KIDS IN SPORTS
What is your child athlete drinking to stay hydrated? There seem to be many choices; however, for health-conscious parents, there really aren't. Sports drinks are loaded with sugar, and energy drinks are loaded with sugar and caffeine. Considering how much a thirsty kid can drink, neither of those options are good for their health.
When your children watch television, they see commercials for these drinks that show athletes performing at peak athletic performance supposedly as a result of these sugary drinks. The ads don't talk about the sugar, caffeine, and artificial ingredients that these drinks have and how that can lead to weight gain and increased risk of type 2 diabetes in adults and children.
They also don't talk about the energy and sugar crashes resulting from drinking them during games and sports practices requiring the need for more sugar and caffeine. That is not a healthy cycle to get into, especially at a young age. Sports drinks really aren't OK for children.
WHAT ARE THE HEALTHIEST HYDRATION DRINKS FOR KIDS IN SPORTS
Water - Plain water is often underestimated when it comes to hydration. Especially natural spring water, because spring water still has nature’s minerals in it. Other types of water strips the minerals. The truth is, unless your child is running a cross country marathon or participating in a sports event that will last for hours, water will do the trick.
If your child doesn't like the taste of water, you can always add some berries, cucumber slices, citrus slices, or melon for flavor. Adding a splash of 100 percent fruit juice to your child's water bottle will contain less sugar than a sports drink.
Oral Hydration Solutions - Oral hydration solutions are designed to maintain or replace electrolytes lost during vigorous exercise, periods of excessive sweating, or vomiting and diarrhea. These solutions replace the salt and minerals that aren't present in plain water when excessive body fluid is lost. The key is to replace the salt and minerals without adding excess sugar or artificial ingredients. Let's take a look at some of the popular over the counter solutions.
- Pedialyte Organic - Pedialyte has 9 grams of sugar per serving, which is 12 ounces. There are 2.8 servings per bottle, which is 28.2 grams of sugar in a liter-sized bottle. The directions state that one to two liters may be needed to rehydrate your child. Total sugars: 28.2 to 56.4 grams.
- Pedialyte Advanced Care Single Serving Powder Packs - These single-serving packets contain 24 grams of sugar per pack mixed with 16 ounces of water. The directions state that 32 to 64 ounces may be needed to restore hydration. Total sugars: 48 to 96 grams.
While using these solutions to hydrate children during sports games or practice, it isn't unusual for them to drink the higher amounts of these drinks as they are likely to be hot and thirsty. A 32-ounce bottle of Gatorade sports drink weighs in at 56.7 grams, so these oral hydrating solutions are no better at controlling the amount of sugar that we are giving our children when they are playing sports.
If drinking 96 - 112 grams of sugars while playing a sport doesn't affect their athletic performance, it is sure to affect the way they feel afterward.
IS SUGAR NECESSARY IN THE HYDRATION PROCESS
If you Google "hydration", at first glance, it will appear that sugars are a necessary element in the hydrating process. That is not true, and if you take a look at our blog post, THE TRUTH ABOUT "NO SUGAR" HYDRATION & SPORTS DRINKS, it explains in detail why it's not true.
Sugar is a cheap ingredient in making hydration solutions, not a necessary one. Unfortunately, the sugar-free options of these supposedly healthy drinks aren't a good option either. The above-referenced blog post explains that also.
THE CREATION OF A SUPERIOR ALTERNATIVE TO THE HEALTHIEST DRINKS FOR KIDS
So what is the best hydration drink for kids in sports? HYDRATE beats sports drinks and energy drinks by a landslide when it comes to restoring electrolytes in the healthiest, most organic way possible. There is no comparison.
Parents looking to maintain the long term health of their kids, provide energy during vigorous play, and sporting events need look no further than HYDRATE.
Who better to educate parents on the long term effects of high sugar sports drink consumption than a former Olympic athlete. Kris Buchanan, who personally suffered severe health problems after years of consuming these drinks, created HYDRATE with only 1 gram of sugar from organic lemon juice.
HYDRATE has all real, organic ingredients and the purest, whole food electrolytes and minerals you can find. Now a Holistic Nutritionist, Kris did exhaustive research to find the purest ingredients on the planet to create HYDRATE, and as parents, that's what we want to give our kids.
HYDRATE comes in three resealable pouch sizes that you can add to your child's bottled water. It's easy to take along, healthy, and, most importantly, keeps your kids hydrated. It has a light lemonade taste that your kids will love, and the best part is they can drink it all day. The best way to keep your kids from getting dehydrated is to send them off the sports practice or games well hydrated. With the resealable pouch you can mix the electrolyte powder at the game.
WRAP UP
Don't be fooled by "pediatrician recommended" Pedialyte or "performance-enhancing" sports drinks like Gatorade. They are laced with tons of sugar and other artificial ingredients, and they are not suitable for your kids now or in the long term. If your kids play sports or just play hard, they will need a lot of fluid to keep them hydrated throughout their day.
Reach for water and HYDRATE to provide the purest hydration that nature intended. With only one gram of sugar, kids can enjoy HYDRATE all day long to stay well hydrated and feeling their best with no adverse long term effects. Avoid dehydration by keeping them hydrated with HYDRATE.