You must have seen various athletes and sportsmen using sports drinks instead of plain water. This makes one question if sports drinks are better than water? Well, it depends on several factors, including your daily physical activity.

Sports Drink Vs Water:

Sports drinks are the main part of athletics around the globe. The drink is enriched with water, electrolytes, minerals like potassium and sodium, along with a number of additional nutrients. So, when an athlete rests after strenuous physical activity, he needs to replenish the nutrients lost during exercise. These nutrients and water are lost via sweat during a workout for an excessive stay on the ground.

Restoration of Energy:

Although drinking water can compensate for the water deficiency of the body, it fails to fulfil the nutrient requirements of the body. The electrolytes lost by sweat must be restored to make the body active and ready again. Here is where sports drinks work as magic elixirs and make you refreshed and energetic.

Sports drinks are equipped with advanced electrolytes which makes up the deficiency of lost nutrients in no time. So, if you are a sports person and you need a drink to replenish the lost nutrients of your body, the sports drink is better for you as compared to water.

Restoration of Body Fluids:

Moreover, if you have had a hungover, diarrhoea or vomiting, you may also face a situation of excessive loss of body essentials. Here again, sports drinks are a better choice than pure water. Sports drinks continuously restore your body fluids to make you feel better.

Substitute For Water:

Moreover, the composition of these sports drinks is mainly water which makes it a good water substitute. It also contains carbohydrates and sugars that are needed for energy during strenuous exercise. Carbs are a source of glucose, fructose and sucrose, all of which add up to create more power for your muscles. Besides, the sports drinks also include minerals and electrolytes, which further make up for the lost nutrients of the body. All these aspects of sports drinks make it a perfect choice to make to replenish your lost energy.

Are Sports Drinks Good For Diet Conscious People?

However, if you are calorie conscious or want a sports drink that is sugar-free, there are some sugar free sports drink in the market as well. These sports drinks have minimum calories with no sugar at all. Some of the renowned and trusted sports drink brands are Gatorade, Powerade and All Sport etc.

Thus, if you are spending most of your day involved in excessive physical activities or if you are an athlete who has to stay on the field most of the day, sports drinks are a better option for you. However, if you are someone who exercises less than an hour or so, and spends most of the day sitting or resting, you may choose water to avoid excessive sugar intake.

Gatorade zero vs water:

Gatorade Zero is a wonderful addition to the sports drink family. The sugar-free sports drink from Gatorade has very little calories and contains no sugar at all. But is Gatorade a good substitute for water?

The answer is not so simple. If you are involved in daily physical activity, and if you are concerned about your health, you may opt for Gatorade. As mentioned above, sports drinks, including Gatorade Zero, are enriched with electrolytes and minerals. Thus, it delivers all the necessary nutrients to your body, which are essential after long term working experience.

However, if you don’t work out much, and if you are not involved in hard workouts, you may want to switch to plain water. Drinking adequate amount of water will also hydrate your body and make you active for the day. However, it won’t contain all the necessary nutrients and flavour that Gatorade Zero will.