Let Your Child Power Up…But Only If They’re Actually Active

Kids should be drinking fluids; moms know this to be a fact. What type of liquids are the best for children? Water and milk… with the occasional juice and sports drink, emphasis on occasional.

Sports drinks, such as Gatorade, and Powerade when used in the right way can add to the performance and recovery of an athlete, returning essential electrolytes to the body.

Moderate use can be a positive addition to an active child’s life but many parents don’t regulate the intake properly. Children (we are talking kids up to the eighth grade) don’t need the extra sugar and empty calories included in numerous sports beverages and they absolutely do not need the caffeine in the many types of energy drinks found on store shelves.

An important note is to set apart the sports drinks from the energy drinks. The American Association of Pediatrics notes that “sports drinks have a limited function for pediatric athletes; they should be ingested when there is a need for rapid replenishment of carbohydrates and/or electrolytes in combination with water during prolonged, vigorous physical activity. Water, not sports drinks, should be the principal source of hydration for children and adolescents.”

In addition, the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics states “rigorous review….reveal caffeine and other stimulant substances contained in energy drinks have no place in the diet of children and adolescents.”  

So what’s the difference?

"There is a lot of confusion about sports drinks and energy drinks, and adolescents are often unaware of the differences in these products," says Marcie Beth Schneider, MD, FAAP, a member of the AAP Committee on Nutrition and co-author of the AAP report.

"Some kids are drinking energy drinks - containing large amounts of caffeine - when their goal is simply to rehydrate after exercise. This means they are ingesting large amounts of caffeine and other stimulants, which can be dangerous," she writes.

So Red Bull, Monster and those other energy drinks need to remain an adult beverage, just like coffee, tea and alcoholic beverages. Simply put: water, and lots of it, is what the children should be drinking. It’s free, it’s good and it’s what our bodies are made of.

Children will not be better hydrated or more efficient by just drinking the drink. San Rafael is a great spot to have healthy, active and athletic kids. If you are a mom to the next Michael Jordan, the next Michael Phelps or Buster Posey, then perhaps a Gatorade after the big game or match is just what the doctor ordered. But a Gatorade or Powerade for lunch or dinner is just extra calories and caffeinated energy drinks should be avoided all together.