Comparing Gatorade and Water

Mind is All

The question of whether Gatorade or water is better has seemed to swirl endlessly for the last forty years, fueled by those with strong opinions on either side. After all, does it truly make sense that hydration - one of the most important things for our bodies - can be better achieved from a product bought in the store than from plain old water?

The history of Gatorade itself helps us to understand a bit more about the history of the comparison between the effectiveness of Gatorade and the effectiveness of water. Researchers at the University of Florida first created Gatorade when the Florida Gators' head football coach asked them if there was a way for his players to be less sluggish during long, hot practices. The Gators defeated Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl not long after that - in 1967 - and when the Tech coach was asked why his team lost, he said it was because they did not have Gatorade on their side.

You probably already know that Gatorade is intended to replenish elements in the body that water alone cannot replenish. And this, in fact, is the basis of the answer to the question: Which is better, water or Gatorade?

When the body sweats, it loses more than just water; when Gatorade was created, it was designed to replenish all of these elements lost through sweat that water alone cannot replenish, and this is why Gatorade truly is valuable to athletes. While athletes can stick to a specific diet that will replicate the effects of Gatorade when water is included in the diet, it is much easier to pop open a bottle of Gatorade!

Mix Your Own Gatorade At Home!

On the other hand, when the body is at rest, it does not especially need all the sugars and other elements that Gatorade provides. After all, if a person is sitting on a couch and watching a movie, they are not losing much from their body through sweat, and so, they are not needing to "replenish" any elements they might otherwise be losing!

Athletes should take the following approach to Gatorade: drink lots and lots of water before an event, and then, during the event, drink lots and lots of Gatorade! And try to avoid Gatorade to the same degree that you avoid other sugar-filled drinks such as soda if you are not engaged in intense physical exertion, as you will not be losing much through sweat that you need to replenish!