"Sports drinks"

[Storker]

For most of us, replacing electrolytes on a day when we are not working very hard is simply unnecessary.

It can happen, though. Some years ago I rode a few rounds in the Atlanta GA Olympic MTB track. On a hot Georgia July day. I quickly lost count of how many times we refilled our water bottles, but I kept decently hydrated (judged by the color of my urine). However, in the evening I felt pretty slack, and I woke up in the middle of the night felling rather crappy. Fortunately, I guessed what was wrong, went out into the kitchen and swallowed some plain table salt from the kitchen drawer. That did the trick, and after a little while I started feeling better and could get back in bed.

My wife had a similar experience when she, as a student, worked in an aluminum mill in the summer. That electrolysis hall was so hot that the workers wore long wool underwear to keep the heat out...

Given the taste of the things, and the horrible amount of sugar in them, I'd opt for water or even soda, and a bag of potato chips, myself.

Totally agree. Or perhaps a plain sandwich with salami or cured ham. Salt, protein and some medium-fast carbs in a single package



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[morey000]

Are they ok to drink before and after diving ? Are they better than water ?

They are made up of Water, Sugar and Electrolytes.

You need the water part.

You probably don't need the sugar part. If you're hungry- eat food. Sports drinks are a great way for athletes to take in needed sugar (I'm talking endurance cycling/running kinda' stuff), when your exertion level is so high, that it's difficult to actually eat anything and keep it down. I use them for race distances (running) over 15-20miles. If you're on a boat and have a queasy stomach, sports drinks are certainly an easier way to digest some calories if you need them. So- a possibility here.

the electrolyte (mostly salt) is important if you've been sweating... a lot... for a few hours. Pretty unlikely in scuba? although I guess that depends on where you are. I've you've been spending a long time perspiring, then sure, take some in. I've found that for the endurance running I do, I need to take in between 400mg to 1,0000mg of salt an hour (depending on conditions). For long (ultramarathon distances) runs, there's no way for me to get enough from sports drinks or salty food. I pretty much need to take S-Caps (salt tablets). But- I don't really worry about it for any run under 3-4 hours.

When it really matters (i.e. a 50mi run- yeah, I'm crazy), I need to manage my water, food and salt intake separately. When it doesn't matter, and I'm thirsty after a few hours of sweating... a Gatorade mixed with a lot of ice.... tastes great. I like the Lemonade flavor (not the more common Lemon/Lime)

If your alternative is beer or soda, you're probably better off with a little gatorade. It's far from perfect- but there are worse things you can drink.

 

[rick00001967]

Are they ok to drink before and after diving ? Are they better than water ?

didn't read the other responses but i bring a blue powerade with me for after my dives when ever i can. when diving in a drysuit i have to be careful not to take in too much fluid before diving so afterwards i love sucking back that powerade. i can buy them pretty cheap

 

[dmaziuk]

I think this $90 price is some company trying to exploit an unfortunate situation

I know. Every time I see that, like a $25/bottle appolinaris or $1,500 force fins I can't help wondering a) do they expect any buyers and b) do they actually get any. Not sure which "yes" is more depressing.

... electrolytes ( not sodium) ... cramping

Potassuim (K) is involved in transmitting muscle relaxation signal. Bananas and coconut water are good sources of that. Leg cramps are common when swimming, though in a diver they're probably more likely due to tight fins and/or poor shape of leg muscles. So swimming laps in zoomers with a kickboard and stretching would be a much better remedy for leg cramps.

This made me go look at the label on my gatorade powder: it has 7 times less potassium than sodium and zero magnesium. Definitely ditching it for emergen-c if it ever reappears and doesn't cost more than powdered gold.

 

[Sandie7]

BTW, a big glass of plain chocolate milk is a great "restitution" drink after excercise and a lot cheaper than those powder formulas. It's got water, carbs and high-quality protein in pretty nice proprtions...

Storker, I am quoting this again to thank you once more. Yesterday I went for my AOW "deep dive" and took milk with powered cocoa (and some bread with cheese and ham lol ... but that is usual)... I can tell you I loved it. It worked fine before and after the dive. Next time I will mix the cocoa with oats milk, home made.

After everything I read here, and especially after the "milk and cocoa" discovery, I don't think I will use "sports drinks" ... except maybe for the Emergen-C, if I can find something similar here in Portugal.

 

[Storker]

Yesterday I went for my AOW "deep dive" and took milk with powered cocoa (and some bread with cheese and ham lol ... but that is usual)... I can tell you I loved it. It worked fine before and after the dive.

That's great.

Back when I was doing the occasional 90-100k bike ride, the best nutrition advice I ever got was "don't eat unfamiliar stuff right before the ride". Go for the tried and proven.


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[Searcaigh]

A common drink here in the Middle East is Pocari Sweat as well as Pokka Sports Water along with several litres of water plus a banana or two and a chocolate chip cookie (or three), appears to sustain me reasonably well for two dives and a few hours out on a boat in temperatures currently at 40C.

Sometimes if I remember I pack a cheese and tomato sandwich, the cheese can get a sweaty though if left out of a cool box for too long

 

[Storker]

Practically the only occasion when I drink soft drinks is just after a dive. The sugary taste of the soda is more effective at washing away the salty taste in the back of my throat than water is. Otherwise, I prefer water, preferably carbonated mineral water, coffee or beer according to the occasion.

For me, a normal breakfast with a good balance of complex carbs, protein and fat (basically a whole wheat bread open sandwich or two and/or a bowl of oatmeal porridge with raisins if I'm anticipating a long and strenuous day), a huge glass of skim milk and enough coffee to dilute the blood content in my caffeine system is my standard pre-dive diet. After the dive, it's another sandwich (easy on the fat) if I'm hungry. If not, I usually go for a granola bar. A cup of hot chocolate is great for thawing frozen fingers if the water was cold, and I prefer it with a pinch of chili, or as a mocha chocolate.

I like some complex, slow carbs to keep my blood sugar at a decent level for a decent time, particularly if it's cold outside.

 

[cwoco]

I suspect the guy who started this thread was actually referring to energy drinks like Red Bull or Monster (stuff with caffeine and other strange chemicals in it). Which I suppose might be slightly more contentious than sports drinks like Gatorade.

As for those who vilify sports drinks, it's really not much different from a soft drink in terms of sugar content (good thing, or bad, depends on your preference for sodas). When I cycle, I bring 2 bottles, 1 with a sports drink and 1 with water, and simply go with what I feel like -> your body tells you what you need, so listen to it. Usually that amounts to sipping both, although more of the sports drink.

Here's my question, related to diving - typically, on dry land, cramping occurs due to a) lack of water, or b) lack of electrolytes. Muscle fatigue is usually not an issue. Simply fuel up with a sports drink/water/food and the cramps go away quickly, before there can be muscle recovery. And cramping is a fairly common issue among divers, I myself have felt a twinge or two sometimes.

Given that a) even a tiny bit of sea water ingested would amount to a large amount of electrolytes (and we surely ingest a bit), and b) I frequently find myself running to the loo after dives and peeing clear pee (indicating a decent level of hydration), why do I/divers still get crampy sometimes? Hope this doesn't come across as being too daft.

 

[Steve_C]

I used to do a fair ammount of small boat fishing on the open ocean. Usually did fine but every once in a while on rougher days I would feel queezy. Nothing worked better at calming the stomach than a cool chocolate milk drink like yahoo. Always had one in the cooler.