Today's focus is on "sports drinks". In 2006, sports drinks like Gatorade, Powerade, and Vitamin Water totalled $7.5 billion in sales, making it the third fastest growing beverage category in the United States. (Beverage Digest, 2007)
So why should I be concerned about these drinks?
Well, simply look at the ingredients: water, high fructose corn syrup, and salt...not exactly the healthiest combination. Furthermore, the sugar in these drinks make them very acidic. When you exercise, your mouth gets dry and has less saliva to combat the acidity of these drinks. So what happens? They corrode your teeth!
A study in 2005 actually showed most sports drinks to be 30 times more erosive than water to your teeth. (Journal of the American Dental Association, 2005)
The real problem is the sugar...
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is the most popular sweetener used in foods and beverages today due to its higher level of sweetness and ability to be produced inexpensively. Like other sugars, it disrupts your insulin levels and can lead to "insulin resistance". This has been shown to contribute to or cause NEARLY EVERY CHRONIC DISEASE KNOWN TO MAN, including:
- Obesity and metabolic syndrome (Lancet, 2001 - Children's Hospital, Boston)
- Only 8oz of a sugar-sweetened drink daily increased the risk of obesity by 60%!!!
- Cancer (HPB Oxford, 2007)
- Heart disease (International Journal of Obesity, 2008)
- Diabetes (Physiology and Behavior, 2010)
- Premature aging (Alternative Medicine Review, 2005)
- Arthritis and osteoporosis (Nutrition Reviews, 2008)
(For more information on the dangers of sugar, you may want to read my previous blog entitled "Bitter-Sweet")
So what's the best way to stay hydrated and energized?
I know it's hard to believe...but pure, fresh water is always your best bet! I like reverse osmosis because it filters out most heavy metals and contaminants. The next thing you must do is **EAT CONGRUENTLY**.
What does this mean? Well, over millions of years, our genes have been adapted to consume certain types of foods. They include (and are preferably organic!):
- locally grown fruits and vegetables
- nuts and seeds
- grass-fed beef and free-range poultry
- water
THAT'S IT!!! The closer we stick with this diet, the longer we'll live and more disease-free we'll be...plain and simple! The cool thing is, as difficult as this diet sounds, our bodies are designed to not only consume, but crave these types of foods. Start off slow as you change your diet over to the "Innate Diet" and you will notice you'll start to not only enjoy, but crave these foods more and more! I promise!
Remember, health is your God-given right!
Please feel free to post any comments below...God bless!
