Do you need the sweet sports drinks for energy?

[teawoman]

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?"

This sort of info is also what I am after. So what are the better ones?

[aicabsolut]

I think Accelerade uses mostly maltodextrin and dextrose, which is easily converted to glycogen by the body. Clif uses brown rice syrup and similar sugars, which is about 50% soluble carb: glucose (quick to digest) and maltose (an hour or so). You pretty much just have to read the ingredients list. I tend to go more by taste, but I think you'd do fine with those brands or Hammer, Gu, etc.

[jehocu03]

I use the camelback elixir tabs pre-race or ride, then clif electrolyte mix during rides. It seems to work best for me to pre-load sodium, more so than carbs, in a pre-ride drink, otherwise,I just feel lethargic.

[OakLeaf]

Powdered Gatorade is sweetened with sucrose and dextrose only. It's only if you buy the pre-mix that you get the HFCS (and waste all that plastic).

[Blueberry]

Good to know re: powdered gatorade. I always wondered why the pre-mix didn't taste as good to me

[blondiebiker]

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?

You probably know most of this, but this is a summary of what I have learned - it may help!

Using electrolyte tabs and eating sugar are two different issues. Electrolyte tabs help to replace the ions lost through sweat when you exercise. They are crucial because your body has to have the correct balance of these for neurons to be able to send signals to each other and to muscles. You can replace the ones that are lost through a sports drink, through e. tabs, or by eating foods that contain electrolytes, but make sure that you are replacing them somehow!

Carbohydrates, on the other hand, replace energy stores that are depleted during exercise. There are two types of carbohydrates (simple sugars and complex carbohydrates) and the main difference between the two, in simple terms, is how long the body takes to break them down into usable energy (http://www.visionlearning.com/librar...wer.php?mid=61). Simple sugars are broken down much more quickly, so if you are going to need easily accessible energy fast, that's what you need to have. Complex carbohydrates are a slower, steadier energy supply. On a five hour ride I would tend to use more complex carbs, and with that long of a ride I would add some protein in as well, to promote muscle recovery. Btw, the pb & honey is a great mix of simple sugar (honey), complex carboydrates (bread) and protein (peanut butter).

My personal all time favorite is Hammer Nutrition. They sell several different types of drinks and gels, tailored for individuals who are sensitive to sugar. Their sports gels are approved for use by people with diabetes as well. Here is their website: http://www.hammernutrition.com/za/HN...RTICLE.ID=1252

I don't profess being a professional in this area by any means, but I've spent a lot of time learning about it, and it's fun to talk about!

[Triskeliongirl]

I am a type 1.5 diabetic so I eat a very low carb high protein diet to normalize my blood sugars, rather than taking insulin.

It is correct that you need to consume energy on the bike, but it is not correct that carbs are the only fuel source you can use.

I have trained my body to work on protein and fat (i.e. it takes some time to adapt). On the bike, I drink shakes made from Jay Robb's Whey Protein Powder that I buy at our HEB Central Market. The container gives this link JayRobb.com. It is flavored with cocoa and stevia, and contains electrolytes. I make two large bottles with 1.5 scoops per bottle for a 3-4 hour ride. At the rest stop I fill what is gone with ice and continue drinking. I'll also munch some almonds at the rest stop, and as needed on the bike. On a longer ride (like a century) I might add a couple hard boiled eggs, and carry more powder to make more shakes as needed.

[teawoman]

Just an update. Thanks again! You're right that I was confusing the issues a bit. It's just that I was so successful with weight loss on a lower sugar diet that I was skeered I'd screw it up. And I feel much calmer and less anxious. (And friends say I'm not so moody ).

I just finished my first century last week (Sunday), and I went with things they had at the rest stops in small amounts, like trail mix (with m&ms ), pbj sandwiches, some chips, and bananas as well as my own clif shot bloks, luna bars, and gatorade in between. I was out there 7 hours and I felt GREAT. I *really* like the clif shot bloks. I actually ended up not drinking all that much gatorade--about a big bottle and half. I didn't want to try a new sports drink on a long ride when the gatorade's always been fine for me. I've got a couple of Heed samples to try in the near future.

AND 5 pounds lost in the last 2-3 weeks! But prolly nothing this week...I've been ravenously hungry and eating like a pig since Sunday.

[Natural Beauty]

It was suggested that our family try coconut water instead of sports drinks. I haven't tried it yet. But, this gal pal is one amazing athlete so I'm going to try it this weekend. hee hee maybe then I'll look like her too.

[KnottedYet]

I like coconut water. It has lots of fat in it, so it gives me nice steady energy. Not too sweet, nicely salty.

Toasted coconut water is a yummy change if you get tired of the regular.

I get both in cans about the size of pop cans.

[Brandy]

Good answers here so far. I think it's hard for women to transition out of the mindset that sugars/carbs are bad and into the mindset that they're necessary for athletic performance.

On the bike I typically stay liquid unless I'd doing a double century. I use Accelerade (great because it also contains protein), Accel Gels and recently I have been using Carbo Pro/Carbo Pro 1200. CP1200 is good for when I'm over the sweet taste of Accelerade. The flavor is pretty mild.

[PinkBike]

caution about the accelerade - i cant stomach the whey in any form, it gives me cramps. cytomax is an alternative for me - no fructose. and it doesnt have that sweet gatorade taste - to me anyhoo.

[Jiffer]

Dh and I drink Cytomax Lite. Used to use regular Cytomax, but we both like the lighter taste of the Lite. It has the electrolytes and all that. Dh has been through a lot of different brands and done a lot of research, so I just do what he does. You should try it. We buy it sometimes at The Vitamin Shoppe, but they don't always have it in stock, so my husband bought it online last time. We like Raspberry Iced Tea. I'm not a tea person at all, and I like it. I'm also not a diet soda person at ALL because of the aftertaste, and this doesn't have that either. They use CytoCarb Lite to sweeten. It's "CytoSport's Unique Low-Glycemic Indexed Combination Of Pure Crystalline Fructose". 80 calories per scoop, one to one and a half per sports bottle.

[Brandy]

caution about the accelerade - i cant stomach the whey in any form, it gives me cramps. cytomax is an alternative for me - no fructose. and it doesnt have that sweet gatorade taste - to me anyhoo.

See how we're all different...I totally dehydrated myself of a century once because I couldn't stomach Cytomax...lol.

[Dogmama]

I just got done studying muscle kinesthesiology as it relates to endurance. If you are working at a lower heart rate, like 60%-70%, your body can fuel itself from fats. But, you still must have carbs to assist this conversion. "Fat burns in a carbohydrate flame" according to Covert Bailey.

If you're working at a higher heart rate, you'll need simple carbs. Malodextrin is one of the best & usually one of the first ingredients in Cytomax and other drinks of that type. As stated, fructose is harder to break down. The glycogen is needed keeps your muscles contracting. It isn't stored as fat unless you ingest too much.

Also, consider the EPOC effect after very long or interval rides. Your body will continue to burn calories to mend the small muscle tears and replace muscle glycogen. The amount of EPOC is directly proportional to the difficulty of the ride. That's why you need to fuel your muscles immediately after a ride if you intend to do it again soon (before 48 hours.) You'll recover quicker if you have a liquid with a protein:carb ratio of 1:4. You want to avoid fats because fat will delay gastric emptying, thus your muscles will not be able to quickly absorb the protein & carbs they crave.

Your mileage may vary. You can train your body to burn fat at a higher heart rate but it takes time. The fact that some people do better with fats & protein on their rides shows how different we are (but, I'll bet a little simple carbs would supercharge their ride. )