Gatorade vs Powerade
What makes the difference between Gatorade and Powerade is the amount of ingredients used to make each. If you are a sportsman or sportswoman you must have heard and even tasted Gatorade or Powerade. These are two of the most popular sport drinks. These are specially formulated drinks that are designed to replenish fluid and electrolytes that are lost through sweating during workouts or a match. Both of the drinks contain similar ingredients and look same. However, there are differences in the electrolyte and carbohydrate contents that will be talked about in this article. You should remember that though they are very competitive brands, they carry almost the same nutrients.
What is Gatorade?
Gatorade came into existence in 1965 as a solution to provide Gator players some respite from loss of electrolytes from their bodies during practice and matches in Florida, which has very hot conditions during summers. Drinking plain water can keep you hydrated, but the vital electrolytes that are lost cause cramping. Doctors who made this drink named it after the mascot of University of Florida, the Gator. Gatorade was owned by Quaker Oats Company until 2001. In 2001, PepsiCo bought Gatorade and it is them who are currently manufacturing the drink.
During hard workouts and fast paced matches, a player loses 900-1400mg of sodium from his body per liter of sweat. Loss of sodium is crucial as it causes the water level in the blood to go down. Gatorade contains 450mg of sodium per liter. More sugar in a drink means more sugar for the blood, but it eventually slows down the rate at which water enters the blood. Gatorade is 6% sugar. Gatorade has flavors such as Orange, Fruit Punch, Grape, Tropical Blend, Lemon-Lime, Blueberry-Pomgranate, Rasberry Melon, and Glacier Freeze.
What is Powerade?
Powerade came up as a competitor to Gatorade soon after, in 1988. After the Powerade was taken over by Coca Cola, Powerade has become a very popular sports drink. The sodium content in Powerade is just 225mg/L. Powerade is 8% sugar.
At present, there are nine flavors of Powerade that are available in the United States. They are Mountain Berry Blast, Orange, Fruit Punch, Grape, White Cherry, Lemon Lime, Melon, Strawberry Lemonade, and Tropical Mango.
What is the difference between Gatorade and Powerade?
• Gatorade and Powerade are both sports drinks. Gatorade belongs to PepsiCo while Powerade belongs to Coca Cola Company.
• Gatorade and Powerade differ in the amount of sugar, sodium, and the type of sugar that has been used.
• While Gatorade contains 450mg of sodium per liter, the sodium content in Powerade is just 225mg/L. This means that Gatorade is more effective in replacing the sodium lost through sweating.
• Gatorade is 6% sugar while Powerade is 8% sugar. Both the drinks fall within 4-8% levels, which are considered best for the addition of sugar and water to blood inside the body. There is not much to choose between Gatorade and Powerade.
• For same serving size of 8 floz, Powerade has 80 calories whereas Gatorade has 50 calories.
• Powerade has 100mg sodium while Gatorade has 135mg sodium. Thus, Powerade has about three fourth of sodium while having more calories than Gatorade. For athletes low on sodium diet, Gatorade is obviously a better choice.
• Total carbohydrates are 19g in Powerade while Gatorade has 14g carbohydrates.
• Rest of the ingredients potassium and sugars being equal, Powerade has 10% vitamin B6, 10% vitamin B12, and 10% Niacin.
• In hot climates such as that of Florida, Gatorade has a slight advantage over Powerade. However, for an average athlete experiencing milder climates, there is really not much of a difference between these two famous sports drinks.
• However, Powerade is more sugary making it taste better to some.
• Powerade flavors are Mountain Berry Blast, Orange, Fruit Punch, Grape, White Cherry, Lemon Lime, Melon, Strawberry Lemonade, and Tropical Mango.
• Gatorade has flavors such as Orange, Fruit Punch, Grape, Tropical Blend, Lemon-Lime, Blueberry-Pomgranate, Rasberry Melon, and Glacier Freeze.
As you can see, both Gatorade and Powerade have a number of ingredients that are intended for the benefit of the athletes. However, remember that these sports drinks are for those athletes who lose a lot of sweat for a long time. If you are not losing a large amount of sweat, do not go for these drinks. Water will be a perfect hydrator for you.
Images Courtesy:
- Pre-game fuel, Gatorade Thirst Quencher, G2 Low-calorie, and Post-game protein recovery by Jeff Taylor (CC BY-SA 2.0)
- Powerade via Pixabay (Public Domain)
