Do you need the sweet sports drinks for energy?

[teawoman]

Like RunningMommy, I've been trying to go back to low sugar all week. I have a long ride on Sat (about 5 hours). I've been using gatorade for the longer rides (plus pb & honey sandwiches) for energy, and I would rather skip the sugar. I don't want to screw up my week!

Can I just use something like electrolyte tabs in my water, or do I need something sweet too?

[OakLeaf]

Sugar helps with absorption too, so make sure you stay on top of hydration and don't get behind.

You do need to eat on longer rides, but there's no reason it has to be sugar as long as it's something that your body can process while you're riding. It depends a lot on how hard you're riding and your own body.

There've been a couple of threads lately on this topic:

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...ighlight=elete

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...ighlight=elete

I've never tried eLete, but I use EmergenC pretty often - it's easy to get anyhow.

[lauraelmore1033]

I've found gatoraide to be a godsend on longer distance or strenuous, hilly rides. After 45 miles or so(or even sooner if the route is hilly), I completely lose my appetite--in fact the thought of eating becomes downright repulsive. That is the point when it becomes most important to eat. I can force myself to suck down some gatoraide more easily than I can force myself to eat solid food.

[bluebug32]

I've been making my own iced tea and adding freshly squeezed lemon as well as honey and a little salt. I get really sweetened out on some of the sports drinks so this is a welcomed break.

[aicabsolut]

I also can't really choke down real food during the hot months. I hate Gatorade, but I can tolerate the Clif drink and some non-food food (bloks, sport beans, etc.) When I'm eating on the bike, I need fast energy. Some sugars are a bit better than others I guess. I don't think that having some simple sugars on the bike affects your body (and your diet) negatively like eating too much sugar off the bike. (provided you're not diabetic or something)

[GLC1968]

Another thing to consider - when you are glycogen depleated (or starting to be), you don't get the same reaction from ingesting pure sugar that you do when you are just hungry. Even those who low carb (by choice, not because they have too) can eat simpler sugars when riding hard without adversely affecting blood sugar. Basically, your body uses it so quickly that your insulin does not have to 'rise' to accomodate it.

If you want to read more about this, The Paleo Diet for Athletes explains it much better than I can!

[teawoman]

Another thing to consider - when you are glycogen depleated (or starting to be), you don't get the same reaction from ingesting pure sugar that you do when you are just hungry. Even those who low carb (by choice, not because they have too) can eat simpler sugars when riding hard without adversely affecting blood sugar. Basically, your body uses it so quickly that your insulin does not have to 'rise' to accomodate it.

If you want to read more about this, The Paleo Diet for Athletes explains it much better than I can!

Oh good! I was hoping someone would say something like that. Gatorade really works well for me on long rides. There's no technical health reason that I am going low sugar except that I discovered experimentally that it works for me for losing weight and side benefits include lessening food cravings and amazing general overall well being (less anxiety being a big one).

Not that I'm paying attention only to what I want to hear.

[Becky]

A couple of lower-sugar options for sports drinks:

Ultima Replenisher- uses stevia (all natural) as a sweetener, so very few carbs but all of the electrolytes. I tried it, but probably won't buy it again due to the taste.

Vitalyte- the stuff formerly known as Gookinaid, and then Hydralyte ERG. My favorite sports drink out there. 10 grams of carbs per 8-oz. serving, and all the electrolytes. The citrus flavor is clear, and very lightly sweetened- nothing like gatorade or similar! It's also very gentle on sensitive stomachs- no cramping or queasiness here.

Camelbak Elixir tabs- These are carb-free and artificially sweetened, but pretty tasty. A word of warning- due to the effervesence, do not put the lids on your bottles for at least 20 minutes! It will make a mess (but at least it's not a sticky mess )

Of these 3 that I've tried, I prefer the Vitalyte, although I'll periodically pick up some Elixir if I need the electrolytes but can't handle the carbs, e.g. post-ride.

Hope this helps!

[alpinerabbit]

But Becky,

sweetness that has no use is pointless on the bike, don't you think? So I would skip anything artifically sweetened.

I'll go with water and gels, bars and dried fruit kinda thing. On long rides we take a break anyway and will have a sandwich, pastry or such, and coffee. Always lots of sugar.

But for liquid I prefer water, the rest turns out to be sticky.

And some of the sports drinks (I believe it's the fructose) have had delayed, negative effects on my digestion (I would describe it as jet propulsion... ... you guess)

[Becky]

But Becky,

sweetness that has no use is pointless on the bike, don't you think? So I would skip anything artifically sweetened.

I totally agree, which is why I don't use Elixir on the bike, and why I prefer the Vitalyte However, I know people who do use Elixir while riding- to each his or her own.

[ny biker]

I'm confused. The point of sports drinks and gels is that you are burning carbs while you ride so you need to replenish them. Anything that is "carb free" fails to do that. So you run low on glycogen and you bonk.

You can get carbs from other sources, like pretzels, fruit, etc., if your stomach can tolerate them. (Unfortunately mine usually can't, especially during hot summer rides.) One benefit from sports drinks and gels over actual food is that the drinks/gels are formulated to be processed quickly by your digestive system so your body gets the benefits more quickly.

Another benefit from sports drinks and gels is electrolyte replacement. But electrolyte replacement alone won't be enough to get through a long ride, you still need the carbs.

FWIW, I know someone who makes his own sports drink. I don't know the full recipe but orange juice and salt are the two ingredients I remember him mentioning.

[teawoman]

I'm confused. The point of sports drinks and gels is that you are burning carbs while you ride so you need to replenish them. Anything that is "carb free" fails to do that. So you run low on glycogen and you bonk.

You can get carbs from other sources, like pretzels, fruit, etc., if your stomach can tolerate them. (Unfortunately mine usually can't, especially during hot summer rides.) One benefit from sports drinks and gels over actual food is that the drinks/gels are formulated to be processed quickly by your digestive system so your body gets the benefits more quickly.

Yeah, I'm not looking for carb free, I'm asking whether a lower sugar drink will give me the same energy benefits as one like gatorade--or if I can just eat a) carbs that are more complex and b) an electrolyte tab in water, thus staying away from the super sweet drinks altogether. Dried fruit is out for me because I'm allergic to the sulfites (and they seem to be even in the ones that claim to have no preservatives).

Sorry for the confusion.

[alpinerabbit]

Yeah, I'm not looking for carb free, I'm asking whether a lower sugar drink will give me the same energy benefits as one like gatorade--or if I can just eat more complex carbs plus an electrolyte tab in water and stay away from the super sweet drinks.

yes? of course, if you can stomach it!

Have a banana!

have some pretzels and even lose the electrolyte tab!

[ny biker]

Consider grapes and orange wedges, too, if fruit works for you.

[aicabsolut]

And some of the sports drinks (I believe it's the fructose) have had delayed, negative effects on my digestion (I would describe it as jet propulsion... ... you guess)

Fructose is not an ideal sugar to have during exercise. It can cause cramps, is harder to break down by the body (convert to glycogen), and it can sometimes slow stomach emptying. So industrial Gatorade with HFCS is not as good as other sports drinks/supplements that have more glucose, sucrose, and maltodextrin.

I see low sugar sports drinks and I think, "What's the point?"