Verified Document

Water: An Overlooked Essential Nutrient You Are Essay

Water: An Overlooked Essential Nutrient You are a Registered Dietitian, and you have been invited to a Lunch and Learn program at a very large law firm. The firm must make a decision about which company they will select for a year long beverage contract. The lawyers must choose water, Gatorade, or PowerAde. Of the 55 attorneys attending your presentation, 32 of them workout regularly for 1 hour five days out of the week.

The firm has requested that you address all of the questions mentioned in the introductory paragraph while creating a handout that compares water, Gatorade, and PowerAde on the following categories:

Daily recommendations

Daily recommendations for water are an average of 3.7 liters (125 oz) for men about 2.7 liters (95 oz) for women. Some individuals who have higher than average fluid and electrolyte needs may need more (GSSI).

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Athletics' Trainers Association have both cautioned athletically active people against allowing thirst to be their guide for rehydration. Thirst is not a good indicator of hydration status of the body's fluid levels, and both these groups recommend that athletes and individuals engaging in exercise drink, before, during, and after exercise and other active occasions (such as recreation or physical work) (GSSI).

As regards the sports drinks, Gatorade and PowerAde, they have no specific daily recommendations but can be drunk whenever the individual is thirty (Gatorade FAQ) and should be drunk during sports and hard physical activity.

Nutrient content

Nutrition Data (online) rates bottled water as being "very low in sodium fat, cholesterol, and sodium"

The nutrients of PowerAde consists of water, high fructose corn syrup, salt, potassium citrate, Phenaylaline, sucralose, sodium citrate, Malic Acid, Potassium phosphate, and vitamin B (Associated Content)

Some Gatorade flavors use brominated vegetable oil as a stabilizer, whilst Gatorade Thirst Quencher contains water, sucrose (table sugar), dextrose, citric acid, natural flavor, sodium chloride (table salt), sodium citrate, monopotassium phosphate, and flavoring/coloring ingredients (29). 240 ml of Gatorade Perform 02 contain 50 calories, 14 grams of carbohydrates, 110 mg sodium and 30 mg potassium.[30]

Gatorade has a sucrose-dextrose mix, whilst G2 and G2 Natural are...

Gatorade contains sucrose and glucose-fructose, whilst PowerAde contains High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and maltodextrin (glucose polymers) (Associated Content)
Cost

Water is free. The cost of bottled water varies, although most bottled waters are cheaper than either of the sports drinks.

Prices of Gatorade and PowerAde vary between country, product, flavor and the stores in which they are sold. Generally, they range from 99 cents and can average $1.50.

Safety levels

Water, being natural, is safe. Contaminated water can, however, be harmful and drinking too much water, a rare circumstance, can lead to a rare disease (GSSI). Water is, in fact, important in that it stabilizes the body's temperature, lubricates and cushions joints, protects spinal cords and other sensitive parts of the body, and ejects waste through urination (HHS & USDA. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005).

Since Powerade contains high fructose corn syrup which is considered controversial, Gatorade, containing sucrose and glucose-fructose for simple sugars, is considered somewhat safer (Associated Content)

Both sports drinks, however, contain a standard 8 ounce servings of sodium therefore both PowerAde and Gatorade meet the FDA requirements of low sodium (Powerade - The BevNET.com Review).

Variations

Water naturally comes in one variety, but bottled water comes in numerous variations gathered from various springs, streams, lakes and so forth around the world. There is also tap water, mineral water, soda water, and carbohydrated water to add to the mix.

Regarding Gatorade and PowerAde, both sports products contain many variations and flavors. PowerAde currently has nine different flavors in the U.S.A. (http://us.powerade.com/). Gatorade products vary from country to country and include the Gatorade…

Sources used in this document:
References

Associated Content. (Oct 14, 2007). Gatorade vs. PowerAde: Which is the Better Sports Drink? Accessed online March 30, 2011:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/413298/gatorade_versus_powerade_which_is_the_pg2.html?cat=5

Gatorade FAQ. Accessed online March 30, 2011: http://www.gatorade.com/frequently_asked_questions/Default.aspx

Gatorade Ingredients and Nutrition Content. Pepsi Product Facts. Accessed online March 30, 2011: http://pepsiproductfacts.com/infobyproduct.php?prod_size=20&brand_fam_id=1043&brand_id=1002&product=Gatorade+Lemon+Lime.
GSSI Sporst Science Library. Accessed online March 30, 2011: http://www.gssiweb.org/Article_Detail.aspx?articleid=670
HHS & USDA. Dietary Guidelines for Americans (2005). Adequate Nutrients Within Calorie Needs. Accessed online March 30, 2011: http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html
Nutrition data. Accessed online March 30, 2011: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/beverages/9238/2
PowerAde. Accessed online March 30, 2011: http://us.powerade.com/
Warner, M. (2007). Critics Say Soda Policy for Schools Lacks Teeth. New York Times. Accessed online March 30, 2011: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/22/business/22soda.html?ex=1186372800&en=6331daea5be3b848&ei=5070.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Water: An Overlooked Essential Nutrient.
Words: 636 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

Our company encourages that its personnel stay in good physical shape and exercise at least three times a week. Our employees' health and mental well being is a highest priority. Because of this importance on health, it is essential to choose the most essential foods and beverages for the largest number of people. Hydration during sporting activities is a necessity. Heat exhaustion and dehydration can lead to major health problems and even

Water, Gatorades and Powerades I Am a
Words: 792 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Water, Gatorades and Powerades I am a registered dietician, presenting my piece of work on the different types of beverages. I am giving this presentation because water is an overlooked nutrient in the hydration process while it can be an excellent sports beverage. Water is the most essential nutrient in the body because death can occur rapidly in the absence of water than any other nutrient. Knowing this, does not take

Water in the Middle East
Words: 22307 Length: 75 Document Type: Term Paper

While on one hand, the Nile gets the highest discharge from rainfall on the highlands of Ethiopia and upland plateau of East Africa, located well outside the Middle East region; on the other hand, discharge points of the other two rivers, Euphrates and Tigris, are positioned well within the Middle East region, prevailing mostly in Turkey, Syria along with Iraq. In other areas, recurrent river systems are restricted to

Commodity Chain Analysis: Water Commodity
Words: 3514 Length: 13 Document Type: Term Paper

Though municipal untreated tap water can be used for premix (as opposed to post mix when soda syrup was mixed on site) that comes from the beloved soda fountain in most restaurants the marketing of the Aquafina brand is still likely to be present and bottled Aquafina is often sold there. If on the other hand an individual asks for a cup for water and then pours water from

International Water Policy
Words: 2453 Length: 8 Document Type: Term Paper

operation and data management of the water-authority with a specific focus on the ability to provide a sustainable water supply for the next century in the Caribbean. This literature review will examine previous studies (both qualitative and quantitative) of water sustainability and specific problems related to water quality, such as the build-up of nitrogen in the water supply. It will also review ways to assess water quality through the

Milk by Products and There Effects on Growth in Poultry
Words: 3810 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

Poultry Milk from the cow is one of the most versatile and important substances in the human diet as well as in the diets of many animals and in particular in the diet of poultry that are being raised as layers, broilers or for other purposes. The fact that this milk can be processed into many different forms adds to its versatility and provides a wide array of by-products from which

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now