Water or Juice

I am drinking water and lets face it, it is boring. Would prefer to put some black currant juice into it etc.

Whilst i appreciate there is sugar in the juice, are there any other bad points about it, or really does it not matter and having 6 pints of black currant is just as good as 6 pints of plain water?

Comments

  • well, 6 pints of blackcurrent is a lot of sugar, plus a lot of vit C which might upset your tummy

    if you go for the sugar free, then that is a lot of artificial sweetener which isn't good either, and depending on the artificial sweetener can also upset your tummy

    nothing wrong with water!

  • I drink water during runs, but for afterwards I buy Gu Brew electrolyte tablets; 1 per 500ml of water makes it much more drinkable, has some vitamins, and only 10 calories a time.  No aspartamenes.

  • Hi John,

    I think it really depends on how long your run is. If it is less than 1hour then in terms of the energy content you will be fine with just water. You could also go for a sugar free dilute juice to give it some flavour, that way you wont be consuming a lot of sugar. I know it has been said about then having a lot of sweeteners, so it may be a good idea to experiment a bit and see what works best for you as everyone is different. If you are experiencing discomfort then you are maybe drinking too much of the sugar free juice and maybe need to stick to water.

    For longer runs i.e. Over 1 hour then it could be beneficial having one that has some sugar in it to give you the carbohydrate your body needs to maintain energy levels. If you are interested i have put a recipe for a D.I.Y sports drinks (it gives you very similar nutritional content as a bottle of lucozade sport but at a fraction of the cost)

     

    500mls fresh orange juice

    500mls water

    1/4 tea spoon salt

     

    Hope this helps

    Craig

    www.craigwatsonsportsnutrition.com

  • You don't really drink 6 pints of water per day do you ?
  • in a lecture the other day (have to admit not a sports one, but we are school of health) the tutor said sugar free squash was not a great option for hydration and would be better to drink to tea ! 

    i couldn't be bothered to argue the effects of caffeine on hydration compared to sweeteners 

    if you can drink water, drink it, if you despise water , dilute some weak flavour in it, has to be better than not drinking enough of anything 

    i quite like weak lime squash , but i run with water, and drink juice and tea when i get in 

  • I don't see the problem with sugar free squash with hydration.

    If it is was a diet carbonated drink with caffeine then that wouldn't be recommended due to the diuretic effect of the two, but if it is just a dilute juice like robinsons or something it would be fine if you are just wanting to have a taste to your drink instead of plain water.


    Craig

  • I thought the effects of caffeine on hydration had been overstated ? Coffee and tea may not be optimal - but its better to have them than have none ?
  • Yeh that is true the effects are minimal so yes you would be better to have them than not. However you are still much better to have water as it does hydrated you better.

  • (goes to the water fountain to rehydrate)
  • SuperCazSuperCaz ✭✭✭

    Cougie, I drink 2 litres of water on a rest day - more if I am exercising.  Also about a litre of fruit tea on top of that.  Six pints doesn't sound that much to me

  • literatinliteratin ✭✭✭

    Or to me, was just adding it up and I drank 2 litres of water while at work today plus fruit juice and water at home and, er, wine.

  • Im with Supercaz and literatin, probably drink 3 litres a day. More on running days.

    no added sugar cordial is fine, at least you're hydrating, but if your urine is completely clear, its just clearing out of your system fast so not perfect.

    Went to a talk by a sports scientist who is an expert on hydration and she actually recommended some use of normal cordial (not no added sugar), since the little bit of sugar would keep it in the body longer so hydrate better.

    In the 2-3 days before a race, I'd add a few zeros per day.Or add a pinch of salt would be similar.

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