New Organic Gatorade is Still Loaded with Sugar – Organic Sugar
Gatorade has a new organic line of its energy drinks, and if you have no idea what it means, let me explain: the array of sugar-laden sports drinks are still loaded with sugar, but that sugar is organic now. It’s not made with organic fruit or anything like that, sorry. [1]
Top Pepsi Co. executives have been talking about introducing an organic line of Gatorade for almost a year, and are now ready to roll out what is called “G Organic.”
Beth Bloom, senior food and drink analyst at the market research firm Mintel, said of Gatorade, which accounts for 77% of sports drink sales in the U.S.:
“Gatorade really dominates the [sports drink] market right now. I think the [organic line] will broaden the appeal. She said the G Organic will be “one additional offering in their line that may [offer] a little bit of a better health profile.”
She added:
“We’re seeing that about half of consumers who purchase organic products do so because they think they’re healthier than non-organic products.”
Brett O’Brien, Gatorade senior vice president and general manager, said:
“We created G Organic for those athletes looking for an organic hydration and fueling option that is USDA certified, while still providing the proven fueling benefits found in Gatorade Thirst Quencher.” [2]
Will Gatorade Really be any Healthier?
The new line of Gatorade will be more natural, but will it really be healthier? Haemi Choi, a sports medicine doctor at Loyola University Medical Center, doesn’t think so. [1]
For G Organic, PepsiCo switched over to organic cane sugar, but it doesn’t make a big difference, nutritionally. Both regular and organic Gatorade contains about the same amount of the sweet stuff – around 20 grams per 12-ounce bottle.
Choi said the average American consumes approximately 350 extra calories from sugar every day. And since women are told to limit their sugar intake to between 25 and 37 grams of sugar per day, “drinking a bottle [sports drink] is already getting you close to what you should get in 1 day.”
Lisa Cimperman, a clinical dietician and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, agreed, saying:
“Sugar is sugar, so no matter if it’s organic or not, it’s still going to have the same effect on your body.”
Read: Sugary Drinks Linked to Obesity on a Genetic Level
Plus, most of the time, when people drink a sports beverage, they don’t really need to. Choi said you don’t need to chug a sports drink, unless you exercise vigorously for an hour or more and sweat a lot. A casual jog or bike ride isn’t intensive enough that you need to replace any of your electrolytes.
Some Details About G Organic
G Organic contains the following ingredients:
- Water
- Organic cane sugar
- Citric acid
- Organic natural flavor
- Sea salt
- Sodium citrate
- Potassium chloride [2]
Why is G Organic considered “organic”? Well, organic cane sugar is made without synthetic pesticides. Additionally, the new line contains no artificial colorings, such as Yellow #5 and Blue #1.
Read: The Risks of Artificial Colors
There is also a difference between regular Gatorade and G Organic when it comes to the price tag. G Organic costs roughly $.50 more than Gatorade Thirst Quencher, but it’s also close to 50% larger in size.
The new line comes in 3 flavors: lemon, strawberry, and mixed berry. [3]
Sources:
[1] NPR
[2] Food.Mic
