Can You Drink Too Much Gatorade?
Since its development, Gatorade has become a popular drink with athletes and people who live an active lifestyle. It contains ingredients that help to replace fluid lost during exercise and supply energy. Does this Spark an idea?
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History of Gatorade
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Gatorade was developed in 1965 at the University of Florida by Dr. Robert Cade, Dr. Dana Shires, Dr. H. James Free and Dr. Alejandro de Quesada. They developed the beverage to help combat the effects of heat and stress on the university's football players.
Main Ingredients of Gatorade
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Gatorade contains a mixture of simple sugars, sodium, electrolytes and flavorings.
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Benefits of Gatorade
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Your body receives energy from the sugars in Gatorade. The sodium in Gatorade helps you to avoid dehydration. The electrolytes in Gatorade help to maintain the balance of fluid loss and fluid retention.
Nutritional Information
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An average 609-gram bottle of Gatorade contains 158 calories, 238 milligrams of sodium, 39 grams of carbohydrates (32 grams from sugar) and 0 grams of fat, protein, cholestrol and fiber.
How Much Is Too Much?
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Gatorade is a healthy beverage but if you drink too much, you may gain weight and retain water. Drinking three Gatorades a day would provide an addtional 474 calories to your diet. That is almost 25% of your daily calories based on a 2,000-calorie per day diet. Three Gatorades contain 714 milligrams of sodium. This is 30% of the sodium that is recommended based on a 2,000-calorie per day diet. Moderation is the key for healthy living. If you drink Gatorade, be sure that you are taking the calories and sodium into account with your total dietary intake.
Negative Effects
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To date there have been no negative effects from drinking a large amount of Gatorade besides weight gain and fluid retention.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Ellie Van Houtte
