Hektore:
My bad on the refined sugar thing with Gatorade. You are quite right and I stand corrected!
It does contain sucrose and not refined sugar. I guess I have a mental block and just think Gatorade isn’t the best product you can be putting in your body after all I learned about sports nutrition from riding bikes 50-100 miles and other work out routines. Gatorade is easy to pick up at most stores whereas you have to mix up Accelerade yourself so it's not as easy.
Sucrose isn’t a refined sugar. The stuff you get in a bag that is bright white is refined. And any ingredient list with just the word sugar is refined sugar. Sugar is very bad for you, as is high fructose corn syrup, which can actually be addictive – but “they” don’t want you to know that because it is extremely sweet, extremely inexpensive and has a long shelf life. Oh, and did I say it can be addictive? Or perhaps that’s an urban myth.
You may think you don’t need protein but the fact that you are working hard the way you are tends to say you do. A few facts on protein in a sports drink:
• delivers more carb energy to your working muscles
• extends your endurance as much as 29% more than a regular sports drink like Gatorade or Power Aide
• reduces muscle damage
• helps your muscles recover faster so you’ll feel stronger
If you want to know more regarding the benefits of protein in electrolyte drinks I recommend the study results available here:
http://www.poweringmuscles.com/ResearchYouCanUse.pdf
Give it a shot…you’ll be amazed at how good you feel.
Now, a few things about “empty” cabs:
Excess, empty carbohydrate intake stimulates your body to produce large amounts of insulin and insulin activates the main enzyme responsible for making cholesterol in your liver. Empty carbs include refined (white) flour, refined sugar and alcohol. The extra calories from all that sugar are turned into body fat. Plus, because empty carbs have few nutrients to slow down digestion, they're quickly converted to glucose. They rush through the bloodstream and stomach too fast, leaving you feeling hungry again. And that can lead to overeating.
The best carbs come packed with fiber and some protein, and are close to how nature made them. The more processed they are (lots of ingredients you can't pronounce is a sign), the worse they are.
I'm sure yuo can find a ton of research on empty carbs if you look around. Just remember: if there's no nutritional value it just doesn't make sense to waste space in your diet for it. Of course, dark beer and good wine don't count! Ha Ha!!