Is is safe to give children Gatoraid on an everyday basis?

Question

My sister gives her children gatoraid everyday like it is water. I am concerned that it is not safe.

Answer 1

It's not safe.

Yes, it has electrolytes and whatnot. And yes, it is healthier than soda. But no, it is by no means a substitute for water and is made specifically for atheletes, not for young children who are only moderately active. It contains massive amounts of sugar, artificial flavors and colors, and should be substituted with all natural fruit juice or water.

Answer 2

It isn't actually that safe....if all you drink is Gatorade and don't  drink some water you can get something called electrolyte poisoning.  This happened to an Adult I knew and I'm sure it could happen faster with a child. It can make you very sick and it messes with the balance in your body.  When you are working out / playing sports your body needs these things replenished faster but as a child you may not be working hard enough to burn off the extra.  If your sister still wants to give them Gatorade make she she is mixing in water with the child's diet to keep a good balance

Answer 3

Gatorade has chemicals that can harm you severely.

Answer 4

It's safe but I'm not in favor of giving children drinks with artificial flavors, chemicals and coloring in place of water which is the best drink for anybody's body. They'll end up getting used to drinking sweets always.

Answer 5

Gatoraid is not a substitue for water what it does is increases the amount of water the body can absorb, it is not unsafe but it does nothing health wise as long as she doesn't drink any water. It can lead to dehydration if that is all she drinks but other than that I know people that drink mainly gatoraid and are fine.

Answer 6

No way. Children need to be fed natural foods and drinks. water, milk and small amounts of fresh fruit juice should be all a child drinks, unless there is a medical reason why they need to drink something else. Gatoraid is designed for sport use and shouldn't be used for general drinking.

Answer 7

Gatorade is not a substitute for water! It has more sugar, and could cause a Kidney Stone.

Everyday without 8 glasses of water is bad. But: WITH 8 glasses of water a day and gatorade:

0 - 7: Bad for you!

8 - 11: Still bad, but not as

12 - 18: Okay.. not good but not totally harmful.

Answer 8

waters good but their her kids.

Answer 9

I REALLY don't like that. theres nothing wrong with it as a treat sparingly, but try water. Its the bodys filter. Gatorade has to much sugar, making a person MORE thirsty, making them drink more. It could also make them fat!

Answer 10

My school mates always drank Gatorade before, but rarely drink Gatorade now. Others stopped due to price raising... (Like gasoline prices going up, you rarely or never use a car)

Answer 11

no, it is full of sugar. They are linking it to the increase in tooth decay.

Answer 12

It's acually safe but it would fatten your kids. It may be safe but you as a parent should not be giving your child gatorade everyday because it has lots of sugar artificial coloring and artificial flavoring  try giving them real fruit juice instead,

Answer 13

Well gatoriad contains anywhere from 30-40 grams of sugar, roughly the same as pop, and other items with caffeine in it, plus there's nothing healthy in those drinks. Just tell your sister the amount of sugar that it contains and hopefully she will limit the amount of sugar her kids get.

Answer 14

It is basically used for sports it replenshes the body when dehydrated and keeps your stomach from cramping like water. It will not do anything but the child will also need some water along with the gatoraid. I know people that drink it day to day.

Answer 15

its not unsafe but it isn't healthy. i don't know my kids drink a lot of koolaid, so whatever floats her boat... i mean they need to stay hydrated so if they drink it then i don't really see a problem

Answer 16

i'm not sure if its unsafe.. but i don't think its a great idea to give them that every time they ask for a drink.. just like you shouldn't give them milk every time or juice every time.. Gotta switch it up..

moderation is the key to everything in life

Answer 17

Gaterade is basically a water based beverage with sugar and electrolytes added. It is mainly used fr rehydrating after physical activity. And is great for when you have the flu for getting fluids back into the body.

The electrolytes it does have are minimal compared to say pedialyte. So minus the sugar which is still much less than Sunny-D, Fruitopia and Koo-Aid. It is ok to drink.

It depends on the kids age I guess more than anything. But Gaterade is definatly alot better than the other drink options out there meaning the brand names, Suny-D etc.. and any pop/soda product. Which have more sugar in them.

Apple or real Orange juice, water and milk (which also should be dranken in moderation) are the only safe bets.

Other than the high cost of keeping Gaterade in the fridge on a regular bases compared to apple juice. It is perfectly safe. And other than a couple ingredients and less sugar, it is pretty close to what you get out of most juices.

ADDITIONAL: First off the age of the children was never posted so don't make assumptions of them being small or young children.  And is it clear that she gives them Gatorade 24 hours a day and never any other beverages...

Gatorade does not have the same amount of sugar as pop and it is no where near 30 grams. Coke doesn't have 30grams Coke clasic has 24 grams. Gatorade has only 14 grams of sugar and is only 50 calories.  See nutitional info in the link below.

The second link shows the nutritional values of all types of beverages. Worth looking at for anyone.

I am not saying the only thing they should drink is Gatorade. But there is nothing wrong with drinking a few glases a day. Most adults drink Tea/coffee and pop or alcohol on an average day. Be happy they're not giving them coke or Sunny-D all day which has 30 grams of sugar the same as coke and 130 callories. Would you be saying the same thing if they were drinking Sunny-D?  http://www.dietfacts.com/html/nutrition-...

Answer 18

Gatoraid has a LOT of sugar. Watch out.