Throughout my time as a multisport athlete, I have tried a plethora of different sports drinks, which all claim to be better for you than drinking water alone. As you lose much of your body’s healthy minerals, through sweat, when working out, it is important to replace those with a good sports drink. Whether the drink offers healthy vitamins, replenishing electrolytes, or a refreshing taste, I have found that certain sports drinks are better than others. Here is my ranking of the top sports drinks in order:
- Nunn
The Nuun sports drink is made with small, dry tablets which you place in your water bottle and shake to dissolve. This makes the Nuun drink very quick and easy to mix up whenever you want it. As a picky person like me, you can choose how much water to mix the tablet with, and control the overly sweet, syrupy taste you get with many other sports drinks, to your exact liking. I’ve found that my favorite flavor is strawberry lemonade as it is the most subtle and refreshing of all the flavors. Nuun tablets also contain only one gram of sugar each and lots of replenishing minerals, making it a healthy option!
- Gatorade
To start, the various flavors of Gatorade are all so good! Specifically, the light blue, frost, flavor is my favorite of all and is so refreshing on a hot day. Gatorade is a big source of electrolytes and it tastes great when frozen or chilled. While it may have quite a few grams of sugar and higher food dye concentrations, Gatorade is such an iconic sports drink that I could not live without!
- Body Armour
This drink has a base made up of coconut water which adds to its rich content of electrolytes (specifically potassium) and lots of vitamin A and C. Additionally the drink has no artificial sweeteners and is a relatively healthy option for a sports drink. Despite all the nutrients, the drink maintains a good flavor and has many unique and tropical options such as banana, orange mango, and pineapple coconut.
- Vitamin Water
Vitamin Water has a perfect amount of sweetness! The unique and great flavors are so refreshing and leave a very addictive aftertaste. Sadly the flavor does come with a good amount of sugar, but honestly, the taste is worth it!
- Prime
After watching my 10-year-old little brother rave over the silly, fluorescent-colored drink called Prime for the past year, I decided to try it for myself. While the drink was decently tasting and very hydrating, I still questioned what the big deal about it was. I found certain flavors of Prime to be super sweet and also overpriced, however, I did feel very hydrated and the aftertaste of the drink was good. I would purchase the drink again, but only on occasion of craving.
- Powerade
This drink is so violently colored that your tongue may stay the color of the drink for hours later! Overall, the flavor is very fake and not as refreshing as most other sports drinks. I rank this one last on the list because it is the least satisfying and does not seem to aid my sports performance in any way.