Published March 17, 2015 02:21PM
3 Lightly-Flavored Sports Drinks
These three mild drinks promise to hydrate without weighing you down with flavor.
Photo: John David Becker
These three mild drinks promise to quench your thirst without weighing you down with flavor.
Herbalife 24 Prolong
While this drink is much higher on the calorie scale than the other two drinks in this review, the Subtle Lemon flavor has a surprisingly light taste. This drink is designed for long, intense workouts when an athlete would like to get all of his nutrition out of a bottle without any heavy, too-sweet flavoring. Each serving contains 250 calories, 5 grams of protein (to keep you sated), 58 grams of carbs, 500 milligrams of sodium and 250 milligrams of potassium. The drink is also high in B vitamins (to help metabolize the carbs) and vitamin C, an antioxidant. $48.60 for 15-serving tub, Herbalife.com to find a distributor
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GU Brew
The newly formulated GU Brew electrolyte drink prioritizes electrolyte content, as it only has 70 calories and 18 grams of carbs per serving from a 1-to-1 ratio of simple to complex carbohydrate. The lower sugar content gives its six flavors an extremely mild taste-flavors range from lemon tea and blueberry pomegranate to tester favorite watermelon. Each has a subtle flavor and no aftertaste. It’s also sold in a Tastefully Nude flavor, which can be mixed into any drink for an electrolyte boost (250 milligrams of sodium and
30 milligrams of potassium
per serving) and carbs.
$18 for 24-serving canister, Guenergy.com
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Skratch Labs Exercise Hydration Mix
The first caffeinated flavor to come out of Boulder, Colo.-based Skratch Labs is made with matcha green tea (for a natural source of caffeine), lemon oil and lemon juice. Skratch’s Exercise Hydration Mix led the way in the high-electrolyte/low-carbohydrate sports drink trend with its all-natural drinks. Testers loved the completely unique new flavor, as well as its crisp, clean finish. It has a “pleasant tang,” said one tester. Each serving has 80 calories, 21 grams of carbohydrate, 360 milligrams of sodium and 40 milligrams of potassium.
$19.50 for 20-serving bag, Skratchlabs.com