Posted on by

Gatorade Gimmicks Galore

11 Replies

Earlier this week, at a press event in Yankee Stadium, PepsiCo announced its new strategy for the Gatorade brand. The beverage that sparked the energy drink market over 30 years ago has been sagging a bit in sales as of late.

So what are the changes?

  • Instead of Gatorade, we’re going to be seeing much more of the single letter “G”, to appeal to 13- to 17-year-old athletes
  • Choosing your drink is going to be more complicated now – there’s a pre workout “G Prime”, during “G Perform”, and after “G Recover”
  • No more High Fructose Corn Syrup, it’s back to sugar.

What you need to know:

Folks, it’s all smoke and mirrors. At the end of the day the company is still selling water, sugar and flavorings. The added vitamins are better when obtained from real food.

Here are the suggested changes we propose:

  • Instead of Gatorade, switch to W (that’s water if you don’t know)
  • It’s very simple to choose your pre/during/post workout drink – water, water, and water.
  • No sugar, no HFCS, no artificial sweeteners, no worries.

You’re wondering about the electrolytes? Unless you’re running a marathon or playing pro ball, a banana before your workout will tide you over just fine.

What to do at the supermarket:

Say no to fancy packaging and professional sports figures telling you what you should drink. Water is the #1 drink for everyday champions like us.

Get Fooducated: RSS Subscription or Email Subscription

New! Choose a better breakfast with CerealScan™ by Fooducate

Get Fooducated

Download APP

Subscribe

Follow

  • http://www.betterschoolfood.org Dr. Susan Rubin

    Here’s an overlooked “bonus”
    Do you miss the sound and feel of the dental drill?
    That fun shot of novocaine?
    The bill that is not fully covered by your insurance?
    Want to make your dentist rich?
    Drink Gatorade.
    This beverage erodes teeth faster than coke or pepsi!
    No joke, I’m not making this up
    http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/news/20060309/gatorade-tough-on-teeth

  • Bill

    I find that water isn’t enough when I go over an hour on my bike. Gatorade keeps me going.

  • http://www.betterschoolfood.org Dr. Susan Rubin

    Hey Bill,
    that is how insidious marketing has crept into your head! don’t get fooled by exercise physiologists employed by Gatorade, follow the money!

    Unless you are doing rigorous training for over 2 hours, electrolyte replacement is unnecessary. You can easily replace any electrolytes by eating a slice of melon or tossing a bit of sea salt in your water.

    Gatorade contains HFCS. Watch this video by a pediatric endocrinologist.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM
    He discusses how Gatorade was bought by Pepsi and the formula was changed.

  • bill

    1)The original formula was changed because it tasted so nasty since it included fish oil. 2)Gatorade for years was owned by Quaker and licensed to Pepsi. Pepsi was sued for stealing trade secrets when it introduced All Sport. Pepsi later acquired Quaker. 3)Salt in your water? I’m pretty sure in a previous post you decried how they put sodium in Gatorade. So now it’s ok? BTW drinking salt water is nasty.

  • bill

    That YouTube video is full of laughs. 1)He keeps making reference to the first law of thermodynamics(energy can be changed from one form to another but not created) but I don’t think he really understands what it is. 2) When so called experts provide numbers for things and they get them wrong it looks bad. A can of coke doesn’t have 150 calories nor does it have 55mg of sodium. It’s really 140/50. While that’s minor alarm bells go off in my head when I see glaring over sights/lies like this. 3) Intaking calories DOES NOT make you fat. Drinking a can of coke everyday doesn’t make you gain 15+ lbs of fat. If that were true people would weight hundreds of lbs. And that’s just from 1 can of soda. What about the other 2000 calories coming into the body? Now people will be small elephants!

    And that’s just from the first 15 minutes!

  • bill

    Minute 21 is a riot. He calls fructose a poison. Stop eating fruit everyone!

  • bill

    Minute 36…wow! He debunks someone else’s research which is OK. But then it compares it to the hole in the USS Cole after terrorists ran a boat full of explosives into it. This guy has class!

  • Rebecca

    This has always been my question, because you see, I AM running a marathon. And while I hate the fuzzy-coated feeling on my teeth post marathon that I attribute to Gatorade, it’s most readily available option out there. I buy the powder and water it down, but then I wonder if I’m getting all I should be. But what I really want to know is – what natural food could I use instead of a gel? Bananas are too easily squished to put in my pocket! Dates? Prunes?

  • http://www.livingitupcornfree.com kc

    Rebecca, try drinking sauerkraut juice. No joke. It is full of electrolytes, natural vitamins and minerals, salt and natural enzymes. Lacto-fermented vegetables like sauerkraut have been shown to boost your immune system and aid in digestion, too. It has to be the kind sold in the refrigerated section in glass jars or homemade – not the stuff in the canned goods section (heat processing kills the enzymes and probiotics). It is also packed with naturally occurring probiotics and (unlike yogurt) has none of the GMO corn along with it. There are all kinds of fermented vegetables and you can make them easily at home with only sea salt, any glass jar with lid, and vegetables of any kind. There are fermented veggies like sauerkraut and kimchi or cabbage rejuvelac or beet kvass. Try it – I bet you’ll never go back to the gatorade with all those GMOs, fuzzy teeth and unnecessary calories. Here is a link telling how to make them yourself: http://www.livingitupcornfree.com/search/label/fermented%20veggies

  • Heidi

    kc- YUCK!!!!!

  • Rebecca

    KC – that advice would make my bf’s Ukrainian relatives very happy to hear! Unfortunately I don’t even like sauerkraut with perogies and sausage. There’s a hydration product on the market now called “nuun” that I’m going to give a shot, sugar free and coloured with beet juice. That’s for pointing me to the website though – I do love my kimchi!