Kelsey HigginsonSports Nutrition Coach and Founder at Clutch Day Coaching

Which sports drink is best for athletes

2 Jul 2025 · 1 min

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1:09

In this video, the presenter explains that sports drinks serve two main functions: providing quick sugars for energy and supplying electrolytes to prevent cramping and maintain mental sharpness. He compares three popular drinks—Gatorade, Powerade, and BodyArmor—focusing on their carbohydrate, sodium, and potassium content. All three meet carbohydrate needs, but sodium levels differ markedly: Gatorade 380 mg, Powerade 400 mg, and BodyArmor only 30 mg. The presenter notes that athletes generally benefit from 400–600 mg of sodium per serving to avoid cramps, making Gatorade and Powerade preferable. For heavy sweaters or those prone to cramping, he recommends an electrolyte powder with 500+ mg of sodium, especially if the athlete wants to limit in‑game carbs. He also advises avoiding sports drinks with food dyes, suggesting a dye‑free electrolyte powder paired with applesauce for carbohydrate intake.

Chapters

Gatorade versus Powerade versus BodyArmor. Which one is the best and which one should you be drinking? Sports drinks serve two purposes. A, they have quick sugars to keep your energy stores topped off during the game, and B, they have electrolytes in them that keep you from cramping and help you stay mentally sharp. We want to look at sodium and potassium content along with carbohydrate content. There's a certain number that you want to keep with carbs in your body when you're working out, or else it can cause some digestive issues. And all of these have it dialed in, so you can trust all of these from the carbohydrate standpoint. But when we're looking at the electrolyte standpoint, bottle of this, this has 380 milligrams of sodium. Powerade Powerade has 400 milligrams of sodium, and Body Armor only has 30 milligrams of sodium. Looking at their potassium content, they all do well, but the sodium content— 380, 400, and 30— we're looking for anywhere between 400 to 600 to keep you from cramping. So this would definitely be the winner. But if you sweat a lot and if you're more prone to cramping, you need to get an electrolyte powder that has 500+ milligrams of sodium, especially if you don't need the carbs in-game. For those of you who might be a little bit concerned about drinking Gatorade or Powerade or Food Dice, to each their own. Personally, I think there's bigger fish to fry than worry about this athletes. Grab an electrolyte powder without food dyes in it, and that's going to serve the purpose. And then have an applesauce on the side for the carbs.