They're everywhere it seems, and it's easy to
succumb the marketing behind sports drinks - that if we exercise, we NEED
sports drinks to replenish ourselves. It makes you wonder how athletes and
exercisers got through a workout without them 20 or 30 years ago?
However,
it's no surprise that there is a healthy dose of sugar in sports drinks. So
what's a low carbing exerciser to do? First, let's look at what sports drinks
contain, and how to approach getting our needs met in a lower carb (and much
less expensive) way.
Water
Of course, the major component of sports drinks
is water. It's important to keep hydrated during exercise. It is possible,
however, to become TOO hydrated. The current recommendation is to let thirst be
your guide rather than "pushing" fluids.
Sugar
Sports drinks have quite a lot of sugar, but
interestingly they have only about half the sugar of most other commercial
beverages. This is because if you load in too much sugar at once, it slows down
water absorption. Sugar is for taste, but also for fuel. For people who's
bodies are used to using carbohydrate for energy, it is helpful to have extra
sugar during heavy exercise. But what about people on low-carb diets?
The
issue of exercise with people who are restricting carbohydrates has not been
extensively studied. Preliminary studies show that when people cut carbs, their
bodies do change from using primarily carbohydrate for energy to using fat for
energy, although it can take 2-3 weeks for the body to make this change. We
know that native populations, such as the Inuit, who traditionally ate a very
low-carbohydrate diet, were and are able to maintain vigorous endurance
exercise for long periods without apparent ill effect. So it appears that over
time, bodies adapt to using fat for energy during exercise.
For any
one person, I think experimenting is in order. It's very unlikely that moderate
exercise would make you need extra carbohydrate if you are used to eating a
low-carb diet. For more vigorous workouts, try different amounts of carb and
see how you feel. However, there's no reason to have to drink a sugary drink.
Why not have a piece of fruit and get some nutrition with that sugar?
Electrolytes
Electrolytes are molecules of certain minerals
that have an electrical charge. Our nervous system runs on the electricity
generated by the manipulation of these molecules, called ions. This means that
every function in the body that is dependent upon our nervous system (muscle
movement, breathing, digestion, thinking, etc.) requires electrolytes, and the
body places a priority on managing them. Electrolytes also are used to regulate
the fluid balances in the body. Electrolytes include ions of calcium,
magnesium, potassium, sodium, and chloride.
How do
our bodies get electrolytes? We get
these minerals through the food we eat, and lose them through excretion in
various ways. Our sweat contains sodium, chloride, and potassium. These
minerals are common in food. Sodium chloride is table salt, and both sodium and
chloride are found in many, if not most, foods. Potassium is found in a wide
variety of fruits, vegetables, meats, legumes, and nuts.
How
much sweating to we need to do before lost minerals need replacement? Under ordinary conditions, it's not a problem. Eating a balanced
diet will supply the body with plenty of minerals for our electrolyte needs if
we are getting a moderate amount of exercise. However, endurance athletes who
exercise strenuously for long periods may need extra salt and potassium, as
they can sweat quarts of water per day. Sports drinks contain small amounts of
sodium and potassium.
Sodium
- 8 oz of a typical sports
drink contains 110 mg of sodium. This is the amount of sodium in a small pinch
of salt. A teaspoon of salt contains 2300 mg of sodium, so basically you need
1/20th of a teaspoon of salt - not much! Half an ounce of salted peanuts (about
14 peanuts) has this much sodium, and also about 90 mg of potassium.
Potassium - 8 oz of
a typical sports drink contains 30 mg of potassium. A cup of tea has 88 mg of
potassium. A small peach has 150 mg. More
high potassium low-carb foods
How to
Make Low-Carb Sports Drink
It turns out that two tablespoons of lemon
juice contain almost exactly the amount of potassium in 8 oz of a typical
sports drink. So, if you want to make your own low-carb sports drink, it's
quite easy. Just mix together:
·
1 cup (8 oz) water (not carbonated)
·
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
·
small pinch of salt
·
Flavoring and sweetener to taste
Flavoring Ideas:
·
Crystal Light Drink Mix
·
Unsweetened Kool Aid (with sugar substitute to taste)
·
Sugar-Free Flavored Syrups such as Da Vinci or Torino
