For those who are not aware, I attend DeVry University online. I am a little over a year into my three year Bachelors Degree in Business Administration with concentration in Accounting. This weeks assignment for my Health and Nutrition course is to create a handout comparing water, gatorade, and powerade on the following categories:
- Daily recommendations
- Nutrient content
- Varieties/sources
- Cost
- Advantages of consumption (include research reviews)
- Safety levels
- Disadvantages of consumption (include research reviews)
- Conclusion
So you ask, why am I devoting a blog post to write about my homework assignment? Well I want to devote one page of my hand out for, “What Moms Are Saying”, so what better way to get this information than to post a blog asking my mom readers…. what is your opinion on water, gatorade, and powerade?
If you can please leave a comment based on your opinion on these three drinks with your first name and location {state abbreviation is fine} I would greatly appreciate it. Also, if you wish to touch on any of the above categories in your response that would be an added bonus. I am researching on my own for a table comparing the above categories but I really think having one page stating moms opinions would be so wonderful.
I have received permission from my instructor to include this page, so please comment away!
I try to get my son to drink as much water as possible. Powerade and Gatorade have so much sugar in them that they’re almost as bad as Coke. If my son is going to drink sugar, I want it to be in the form of real fruit juice. Even then, I usually mix it with water. We live in a very hot climate, so he needs to drink a lot. But to me, the idea that Gatorade replaces electrolytes is a dangerous myth. No child ever needs Gatorade, unless they’re ill, and then Pedialyte is better.
Water is not only healthier, it’s cheaper too, assuming you filter it yourself, which is rather easy. Finally, I believe that he won’t learn to have a taste for unhealthy sweets if he doesn’t get used to them at a young age.
I try to stick with water as much as possible. My husband prefers powerade. As for the kids when electrolytes are the issue we are trying to stick with “smart water” … no high fructose corn syrup .. and since it is a fairly new product (or a fairly new marketing surge)there are lots of coupons and sales making it close to free 😉
Good Luck!
This is Heather in OH.
Like many moms, I tend to lean toward water as much as possible. The one thing moms don’t often realize is that children are more likely to suffer from ‘water intoxication’ in which the blood is thinned by too much water within a certain period. Larger person= more blood= larger tolerance for water. Smaller person= less blood= lower water tolerance.
I usually stick with water unless the temperature outdoors is hot and my child is playing in a sport. Then, I opt for the Gatorade or Powerade to make sure they aren’t getting too much water and the salt that gets excreted in sweat is replenished. Football season and late baseball season are the times I generally use these products. When my kids play basketball, its water.
I’ll look for a recent article I read that details the amount of sugar in these drinks and pass it on to you. It equals about half of what you would get in a soda, so not terrible.
I “try” to get my kids to drink water. The boys like Gatorade, but unless it’s summer and they are out getting hot, I don’t buy it. One of the boys said at school, unless you play sports they aren’t allowed to have it.
I really can only talk about water and maybe Gatorade (which we only drink when we are sick because of the electrolytes).
* Daily recommendations – I know that you are supposed to drink 8 glasses each day. I am soooo bad at this. I have my kids drink a lot by watering down their juice half and half, but for me personally – I have not been committed.
* Nutrient content – not sure, probably varies between different bottling companies as well as the tap.
* Varieties/sources – There are sooooo many varieties. We buy Poland Spring in bulk from a local store. We buy both gallons and bottles. I HATE our tap water, though I give it shamelessly to the kids.
* Cost – Tap water is free. Bottles water is not. Gatorade is more expensive than bottles water. I would stick with tap if our water didn’t taste so bad. I do like Gatorade, but because we only drink when sick – I relate it to that and don’t usually drink it otherwise.
* Advantages of consumption – can’t do much research now, wish I could – just way to busy LOL. But there are HUGE advantages to drinking water. So many people are dehydrated and don’t even know it (including myself). Water is soooo good for our body. After all, we are made up mostly of water.
* Safety levels – Don’t know about the safety levels. I know that it isn’t good to give some babies tap water because of the chemicals in it. When we mix formula we use bottles water. I am sure Gatorade is fine as far as safety issues. I have never tried Power Aid, so I am not sure about that one.
* Disadvantages of consumption (include research reviews) – There are probably no disadvantages in drinking regular water. I don’t think you can have too much. I think maybe Power Aid would be bad though, doesn’t it have caffeine in it?
* Conclusion – My conclusion is that I really need to get on the ball with drinking more water. I am starting to feel thirsty writing about it. LOL
I wish you all the best with your research! Great subject matter! Hope you get a good grade!
I would rather drink water over Powerade and Gatorade. Even though there is no taste or varieties, water is healthier and cleaner for your body. Gatorade and Powerade are supposed to give you energy, but they are just loaded with sugar to give you a quick boost. I would compare them to energy drinks, you have to keep guzzling them down in order for them to work. But then that is unsafe and unhealthy for your body.
We are made up mostly of water, so if you burn energy, your best source of new energy is a continuous flow of water.
Good luck with your research and your homework assignment.
~Mel from MA
*BTW love the new blog*
Oh and I know this wasn’t part of your assignment, but I would always opt for Vitamin Water over all these given options.
~Mel
Hi Im actually in the same class as you and I just wanted to say this post was a great ideal.
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