Raising truly healthy kids: Need a drink?

by Kate A. Griffith

My kids are so thirsty these days! Dashing around the yard was hard enough work in the 90-degree heat, and now we’ve added a gigantic new jungle gym! They have never spent so much time running, jumping, swinging, sliding and falling in the summer sun.

We’re generally water drinkers. For my kids, it’s the ice cubes that make the drink. If they can have a cube in it, we’re pretty much good to go.

Have you ever found yourself wondering if water is enough to hydrate you or your child when exercising (or when your child is running his little heart out on the baseball field)?

When it comes to moderate exercise for less than an hour, plain water is the best source of fluids. Water is absorbed more rapidly than any other liquid, but once you begin adding stuff to water, the absorption slows.

The best way to ensure adequate hydration is to drink ahead. (Not that kind of drinking! Put the chardonnay away and tune in.) Drink a few glasses of water before a game. During the game, drink enough to quench thirst. After the game, drink enough water to quench thirst and then drink at least two more glasses, since thirst is not a reliable indicator of adequate hydration.

With intense exercise (think soccer, bike rides or running a race – something that keeps your heart rate constantly up, as opposed to sitting it out on the bench) adults and children alike can benefit from sports drinks. These functional beverages are a more appropriate choice to help prevent dehydration, a major cause of muscle fatigue. The main nutritional elements in a commercial sports drink are water, carbohydrates and electrolytes.

There are plenty of sports drinks on the supermarket shelves that claim to be the best solution for healthy hydration during exercise, but the labels reveal a paradox. If you take a close look at the ingredient list on the best-known brands, you’ll find an excess of sodium, an absence of all the necessary electrolytes – and lots of additives that actually prevent optimal hydration, such as sugar, artificial colors, flavors and preservatives.

But sports drinks are so easy, right? How about an easy alternative?

There’s one sports drink that really hits a home run. Ultima Replenisher is an all-natural sports drink with zero sugar. First developed for U.S. Olympic athletes competing in Atlanta, GA, Ultima contains a full complement of all four electrolytes: potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium. The most beneficial sodium:potassium ratio in a sports drink is 1:2. Each serving of Ultima offers 75 mg sodium and 150 mg potassium along with a full spectrum of 24 vitamins and minerals and Co-Q-10. Exercise creates free radicals and the antioxidants in Ultima offer the added protection needed by athletes, weekend warriors and active children. In fact, Ultima is so loaded with nutrients that one serving can be used as a multi vitamin/mineral for children!

What you won’t find in Ultima Replenisher is sugar, artificial sweeteners or synthetics of any kind. Sweetened with stevia and Lo Han fruit extract, an 8-12 oz. serving of Ultima has just 10 calories. By comparison, typical sports drinks contain about 80 calories per serving and 2.5 servings in each bottle, so you’re consuming a whopping 200 calories—plus a load of sodium—when all you really wanted to do was quench your thirst!

For on-the-go convenience, Ultima Replenishers come in single serve packets that you simply pour into your bottle of water, shake and drink. If you would rather buy a larger container, 30- and 90 serving canisters are also available. The all-natural flavors are kid-approved in our house where Bananaberry is the favorite. Ultima also comes in lemonade, orange, wild raspberry and strawberry-kiwi. Leave the other sports drinks to the gators, replenish yourself and your kids with Ultima.