When our son signed up for a homeschool basketball league, I did what a lot of other parents probably do: bought the gear he needed, including comfortable shoes and socks, and tucked the typical sports drink in his bag each time he went to practice. Speaking of socks, if your teenager doesn’t like wearing the traditional ones, definitely check out liner socks. Our son really likes the no-slip, no-show style of liner socks.
Anyway, during one of our shopping trips, Joseph walked up to me and stuck a brightly colored bottle in my hand. “Can I try this?” he asked. “It’s supposed to be better than the other drinks.” Turns out, when you read the labels you’ll learn there are quite a lot of options when it comes to hydration.
Here are a couple of good alternatives to those that are loaded with sugar. These alternatives steer clear of artificial sweeteners as well, because research has shown that these chemicals can cause metabolic dysfunction.
Organic Electrolyte Drinks
These typically start with an organic coconut water base, then add on natural flavors, minerals, and some stevia for a touch of sweetness. Average calories per bottle: 30. Brands include Nooma, Goodonya Hydrate, and ROAR.
Electrolyte drinks can be purchased in liquid form (pre-mixed), or as powders that you add to your own water bottle.
Fruit and Vegetable Juice
It’s not just for mixing up Bloody Mary’s!
The most popular plant-based sport drink is V8 Energy, made with a sweet potato juice base and Stevia for sweetening.
Launch Hydrate is also made with fruit and vegetable juices, with cane sugar as an added sweetener. It clocks in at 90 calories.
Knudsen Recharge starts with filtered water and derives its refreshingly sweet taste from fruit juices like apple, raspberry, pineapple and strawberry. It also contains a small amount of vegetable juice and a touch of sea salt.
Flavored Water
There’s no rule that says you have to get your electrolytes and/or minerals in a sports beverage. Many active people just prefer water and a banana. My favorite is Hint, which is just purified water and a “hint” of natural fruit essence.
If you opt for JUST Water, the cartons are refillable, which eliminates the waste of single-use plastic bottles and metal cans.
This post is a sponsored partnership is between Responsival and Zephyr Hill Blog.
I had not heard of coconut water drinks until this post. I will have to check out the brand this summer. Staying hydrated is super important, especially when my kiddos and I are running around outside in the heat!
My son would love those socks! I haven’t seen them before but now I’ll be on the lookout.
My kids love the fruit and veggie drinks. Perfect for summer fun !
These are some really neat brands! We have a couple going into sports this year and I’m looking into all the options.
I’ve been seeing a lot more of these natural drinks when they first rolled out, and wondered if it was as good as they said, or just fancy packaging. Thanks for this post!
My son fights against socks but he’s very active. We might have to try these!
After reading about these brands, I’ll put a few on my shopping list. Thank you for the in-depth descriptions! We want healthier options in the fridge.
Oooh we are always go go go! This sounds perfect to keep up hydration in the hot summer!! Thanks for sharing!
I have never heard of those socks – what a concept! I like the idea of a minimal profile, comfort and being able to machine wash.
I’ve always thought that sports drinks have so much sugar, a little is fine but too much is so bad for teeth.