More and more flavored drinks are appearing on the market, guaranteeing proper hydration, vitamin replenishment and stimulation of the body. However, how much truth is in this? And can the youngest use such drinks? We check!
Let’s start with a fundamental matter: the best way to hydrate is always pure water – whether we’re talking about children or adult athletes. Sports drinks, loaded with vitamins and containing a high caffeine factor, can actually help the body work during physical activity, however, the base in any case must be the most ordinary water.
Drinks differ in composition, there will be, for example, a higher concentration of minerals or carbohydrates and so on. Water contains almost none or very little of these. Instead, these are the nutritional values that the body needs to function properly during a long workout.
However, it is important here to pay attention to the duration of exercise. For a workout that does not exceed an hour, you can take a simple bottle of water. The reason is very simple, during physical activity our body dehydrates quickly, so it is necessary to replenish fluids.
Besides, regular hydration with pure water has numerous benefits:
When exercising for more than an hour, isotonic drinks are even advisable. Firstly, the body needs to replenish vitamins, and secondly, carbohydrates. In the case of children, you can also consider the option of substitutes such as juices, with the understanding, however, that, as nutritionists point out, juices should be considered in the category of a meal, not a drink like water or tea.
Referred to popularly as sports drinks – they can be consumed by adults and younger people. It is recommended for activities such as long-distance running, cycling, football, volleyball, etc. In their case, carbohydrate supplementation leads directly to an increase in sugar levels in the body, and this allows you to keep your energy high during exercise or games. In this case, components such as electrolytes, sodium and potassium, naturally sweated out by the body during activity, are also provided. In the case of children, however, water will still be more advisable due to their young age and not as intense exercise as in adult athletes.
It is common not to see a difference between waters with a higher concentration of vitamins and, for example, carbohydrates. However, the difference is in the minerals, among other things, because vitamin drinks may contain so-called “multivitamins,” caffeine, and artificial sweeteners. These drinks should be avoided by children, as the youngest usually take in these nutrients during meals. An excess of vitamins as well as minerals in a child’s body can cause health damage.
main photo: pixabay.com/AxxLC
