Sports drinks are not merely neon-colored bottles of electrolytes, sugar, and carbohydrates. You see these being gulped down by athletes on the field with the prime motive of re-energizing themselves.
Little athletes wanting to gulp down the same energy drinks that their idols drink, makes for an excellent product strategy.
Nonetheless, there’s a lot of good and healthy nutrition present in these bottles of juices. The topic of sports drinks being healthy for kids or not has been a hot topic for debate.
Rightly so, it’s important to get affirmations and clarity when it comes down to kids’ products.
There are aisles full of healthy sports drink for kids and parents don’t shy away from buying those colorful energy boosters for their children.
But the hot topic remains, are sports drinks really necessary for kids? Are they as important as companies claim? Let’s find out.
Composition:
- Sports drinks are infused with essential vitamins and minerals that are crucial for fulfilling the nutritional needs that arise due to long hours of exercise and athletics. Due to a lack of a healthy diet, kids might need the added vitamins and nutrients present in these drinks.
- Sports drinks for children contain high levels of caffeine and sugars. Therefore, the dosage of these sports drinks should be controlled.
- A regular intake of sugar can lead to obesity. You can let children above the age of 12 consume these beverages provided they have an active metabolism and do at least one hour of regular exercise. It will help them break down the sugar easily.
- Since all sports drinks have colors, they’re required to follow guidelines by the FDA. They are allowed to use consumable coloring substances only. Check out these details on the packaging before purchasing any sports drink. For more information on food colorings and guidelines by the FDA, click here.
- These drinks are specifically formulated for athletic bodies and can work wonders if taken in balanced proportions. It’s proven to increase focus, motor skills, and stamina for an impeccable performance. These are produced under the safety guidelines approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Hence, they can be consumed by kids without a doubt.
A drink should be allowed only for kids who are practicing or playing a sport rigorously for more than an hour.
Children who play any sport that requires them to stay active throughout can be provided with energy boosters for quick boost ups and energy. This should be accompanied by a healthy balanced diet to replenish their bodies.
| Read also: 7 Key Tips for Preventing Injuries with Kids Who Play Sports |
Are They Healthy?
As mentioned above, sports drinks have an abundance of ingredients that are not necessarily required for kids. These may be beneficial and less harmful for adults as their mechanism is sturdier and more uptight.
Kids should majorly be provided with healthy foods and beverages as their bodies ‘ mechanisms are still developing and fragile.
However, certain studies claim that a regularized and measured dose of these drinks will do absolutely no harm.
It is, in fact, beneficial for teenagers to have regular consumption of nutritious components to keep them active and healthy. To know more about the daily nutrition requirements of children, click on the link mentioned below:
As for if they work or not, they do. They might not be completely harmful to kids who are losing a lot of energy and consuming their body’s stored up glucose as their intake.
Conclusion
Coming to the end of the article we may ask this question again. Is a drink for kids healthy? The answer remains subjective. Anything manufactured for an instant boost will have some or the other downside. But that does not make it completely trash.
According to experts, kids should be allowed to consume such beverages under control. As a matter of fact, energy drinks do provide essential vitamins and minerals that may not be available from a normal diet.
They may be useful for when the body’s store is utilized. Nonetheless, there is no substantial study on the effects of the substances used in energy drinks on kids.
Neither is it proved to be harmful nor can it be claimed to be harmless. Studies are still going on to determine its safety for children. Most researches claim drinks like these to be harmless if consumed with caution.
As parents, we need to choose what’s best for our children. A healthy and balanced diet is adequate to assist their body’s replenishment. Even if parents choose to provide their children with energy drinks, they should keep a tab on their intake.
Expecting teenagers to keep their food intake balanced is unreal. So, it’s advisable for parents to let their children drink their favorite sports drink but in a limited manner. This ensures their wellbeing without any further problems.
About The Author:
Stefan Savevski: web content writer/Wordpress editor/web researcher. Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies.
