All NAtural Energy Drinks

[1ADAM12]

Has anyone ever tried these? If so is it better than gotorade?

The last hiking trip I went on I had a horrible time with cramping in my legs. The gatorade worked some but not totally.

Thanks,
Adam

 

[nartreb]

Personally I won't do business with a company that claims their product contains no sugar, when the first ingredient is dextrose.

Sugar cubes are all natural too, and cheaper. Not that "natural" has anything to do with "safe" or "nutritious"...

 

[Viewseeker]

I think you just needed more hydration, from what I've read gaterade is more than needed, i some times cut it in half. or drink somemore before you start.

 

[Little Rickie]

Drinking a lot (not that you would do this ) the night berfore can have a profound affect on you electrolyte balance and metabolism. It get worse as you get older. I save my drinking for the night after.

 

[islandside]

Hydration

I usually try to hydrate as best I can the entire day before a big hike. Then on the ride up to the trail, I also drink electrolytes, and usually skip any caffinated drinks that morning too, as caffine may make it harder for one to stay well hydrated.

 

[Maddy]

Personally I won't do business with a company that claims their product contains no sugar, when the first ingredient is dextrose.

Sugar cubes are all natural too, and cheaper. Not that "natural" has anything to do with "safe" or "nutritious"...

That is an "amazing" claim.
Check this out. http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=7040

 

[1ADAM12]

Thanks everyone for the great tips! There is more to ALL NATURAL than meets the eye

 

[DougPaul]

Energy drink? Hardly. The specs say a tablet contains 7 calories. (Energy is measured in calories, not flashy advertising words...)

One might call it an electrolyte drink plus some vitamins, but the specs give no information about the quantities.

The primary ingredients of electrolyte drinks are sodium chloride (table salt), potassium chloride, and sugar (any of a variety of types--chemical names end in "ose", eg sucrose (table sugar), glucose, etc). The first two are electrolytes and the sugar improve absorption and add a few calories.


This game is quite a racket: Take a few cents worth of chemicals, package them, add hype, and sell for ~50 cents/tablet.

If you want an inexpensive electrolyte drink, you can make it yourself:
Recipie:
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showpost.php?p=54650&postcount=21
Additional info:
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=4914
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=7093
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=7351
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=11541
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=6133
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=16598
http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=18975

(Yeah, its another shameless plug for my homebrew electrolyte... )

Doug

 

[The Hikers]

Yeh, they're all out there, looking for suckers. My Doc says Gatorade works better than just water, so when I'm really concerned I throw one or two in the pack.

 

[Hobbitling]

I like the gatorade "pocket packs" which are enough for a full strength batch when mixed with 16 oz of water.

since I like about half strength, it's perfect when mixed with a full nalgene (32oz).

I'll try that homebrew hydration mix though.

 

[grouseking]

I have the nuun tablets, and they work great as an electrolyte replacement drink. This is probably the same thing, plus a few unnatural ingredients.

grouseking

 

[Michelle]

Have to agree with you grouseking!
Nuun tablets don't leave that sugary aftertaste either, I'm a fan of them, esp the Wild Berry and the Kona Cola! (cola sounds gross, but it's actually pretty tasty!!)

 

[BorealChickadee]

I used the regular Nuun tablets all of 2007 and early 2008. I gave up on Gatorade as my allergies got worse.
I used to make my own electroylyte mix because of my allergies but decided to try the Nuun for convenience.

No allergic reaction and I was very happy with them. What really sold me was the idea of getting my sugar through my penchant for chocolate. Even at home I tend to drink hot water with freshly squeezed lemon and no sugar. That way I can still eat my chocolate.

The tablets are also very easy to split apart. I got pretty good at estimating the strength I would need for that point in the day.

The berry flavor was my favorite.
Those are pretty funky flavors in the natural line. I'd be interested in hearing how people like them.