Are Sports Drinks Pumping your Kids Full of Sugar?

With Summer is approaching, kids in Southern California will inevitably be participating in sporting events when it is hot outside. Hydration choices play a vital role in ensuring our children are safe and healthy after any type of activity in high heat and humidity. Unfortunately there are a daunting number of hydration drinks that all claim to provide vital nutrients lost through sweating so choosing the right drink requires some label reading and an understanding of who these drinks were developed for.

Elite Athletes vs. Your Child (or You)

Well known drinks such as Gatorade® were developed for professional athletes who play sports or train for extended periods in extreme heat. Think  of a 240 lb linebacker or a marathon runner. These athletes deplete their electrolytes and use a tremendous amount of calories each time they practice or participate in their sport. Their bodies need the calories and electrolytes that these drinks provide. When they come to Flintridge Family Chiropractic for care from a top sports medicine chiropractor in Pasadena we will usually steer them toward less sugary drinks such as electrolyte enhanced water.

Because these drinks are colored to look like fruit and contain some necessary minerals parents feel they are doing the right thing by providing them to their children. The problem is that these drinks contain as much sugar as soda and many chemicals that do nothing to rehydrate.

These drinks are aggressively marketed to the general public with the message that if they are used by Olympic athletes and professional athletes, somehow this will boost the performance of anyone drinking them. We often speak to concerned parents who come to us for the best chiropractic therapy Pasadena has available, as well as nutritional advice to keep their family healthy and hydrated.

We believe that the best choice for hydration for children is plain water and fruit. The American Academy of Pediatrics counsels us that we should restrict the amount of sugar containing sports drinks and that water, not sports drinks, should be the main source of hydration.

Fruit and Water for Sustained Energy

Water with an orange or a banana or any number of fruits high in potassium (grapes, peaches, cantaloupe, and apricots to name a few) is undeniably a better choice for your young athlete. This combination will provide sustained energy and hydration without the sugar hangover that often results from drinking high sugar sports drinks and soda.

Yes, kids will usually ask for these drinks due to the high sugar content and the advertising hype that is intentionally placed where they will see it. Just know that it is rare for any child or adolescent to need immediate replacement of electrolytes through a sports drink.

Stick to water and a good supply of nice cold fruit for your active child athlete and yourself during these upcoming hot days of summer. If you want to treat yourself to a sports drink, do so in the knowledge it is a treat and not a vital part of your outdoor activities! If you have any questions we’re always standing by, working to deliver the best chiropractic care Pasadena and La Cañada Flintridge have available.