Are You Really Hydrating?
The Five Most Dangerous Mistakes Athletes Make
- What is lost from most water you drink?
Most bottled and tap water is sterile which means that NOT ONLY contaminants BUT natural constituents have been removed. Most of the natural electrolytes and minerals required to hydrate the body on a cellular level are lost. By drinking sterile water you actually wash out important electrolytes.
- Beverages with sugars.
If you read the labels of many leading sports beverages you find sucrose, glucose-fructose syrup, high fructose corn syrup and crystalline fructose. These sugars have a negative effect on the body. THEY MAY draw fluids away from body tissues and contribute to dehydration. These sugars affect insulin and excessive consumption may lead to metabolic disorders including DIABETES AND OBESITY.
- Beverages with hydrogenated fats.
Through digestion the body must use up its own fluids to help get rid of them. These fats promote weight gain, raise blood cholesterol levels, contribute to heart disease and have a negative impact on health.
- Artificially colored beverages.
Artificial chemical dyes are unnatural and the body must again get rid of them. These dyes have also been investigated for damaging nerve cells and for their possible link to CANCER.
- "Energy" beverages contain diuretics which dehydrate the body.
Many energy drinks have as much as 80 mg. of caffeine per serving, and there are often two servings in every bottle or can. That is up to four times the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee. Caffeine isn't a nutrient and can cause serious health effects, such as anxiety, increased blood pressure, heart palpitations, irritability, difficulty sleeping, stomach complaints and many other side effects.