When I walk down the beverage aisle of my grocery store I am amazed by how many plastic bottles I see. It is a Wall O’Plastic. There are hardly any products in that aisle that are not bottled in plastic. It is mostly recreational beverages - products that do not fit into any food group at all. They are big contributors to plastic waste in our landfills or litter on our roadsides.
Plastic bottles of sports drink can be eliminated from these shelves. Sports drinks were invented by scientists at the University of Florida to help football players (the Gators) replenish their body fluids after a hard workout in summer heat. These drinks were designed for use after a hard workout with lots of sweating. So if you don’t workout like a football player in the summer, you really don’t need a sports drink. They definitely have a use because they help replenish water and electrolytes that are lost in heavy sweating. If you drink a lot of water after a hard workout, you feel heavy and it takes a long time for the water to get to your cells from your stomach. You may even still feel thirsty.
You can still drink your sports drink and eliminate plastic waste. Buy it in a powered form and mix your own for much less money. There is usually a powdered sports drink near the bottled drinks. It’s much cheaper, too. I found powdered Gatorade that costs $4.99 and makes 2 gallons of Gatorade. If it is already mixed and bottled, it costs $1.33 per quart. The powdered form costs $.62 per quart or half as much!
Another choice is to make your own sports drink. I found this easy recipe at a coach’s website. Mix 7 oz. of frozen concentrated orange juice with 1 quart of water and a pinch of salt (1g). Mix all the ingredients together and keep chilled. Of course, put the mixture in a reusable water bottle and enjoy exercising.
