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Forget Gatorade, Beer Is the Next Big Sports Drink

Michele Foley — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 00:30:38 PST

Forget Gatorade; some fitness enthusiasts are turning to beer to rehydrate. Erdinger Alkoholfrei, a nonalcoholic Bavarian brew, is becoming a favorite amongst European athletes. The beer even has a team of reputable athletes that it sponsors consisting of triathletes, biathletes, and championship skiers.

Positioning itself at many of Europe's top sporting events, the company claims that unlike sports drinks, the carb-rich beer is free of additives and unnatural ingredients. And because it's nonalcoholic, there's no chance of getting wasted after running a 26.2-mile course. The company is now setting its sights on the American market. While there's nothing satisfying like a good beer after a long run or bike ride, my experience with nonalcoholic brews is less than noteworthy. Although, it might be better than one of the alternative sports drink offerings: pickle juice.

Source: Flickr User paul-simpson.org

Cocktails For a Couples Retreat at Home: Come Party With Me!

PopSugar LivingTV — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 11:00:00 PST

Super Bowl Sunday is right around the corner, which means it's time to put on your party planning helmet and score the perfect cocktail recipe. Sara gives us a few party ideas for great punchbowl-friendly drink recipes inspired by the hit comedy Couples Retreat. Who knew Guiness and champagne would make such a tasty mixed drink? Score a tequila touchdown or channel your hula honey with a vodka Kool-Aid twist on jungle juice. These alcoholic drinks are sure to be a hit at any party!

Save Money and Calories: Coffee at Your Desk

FitSugar — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:00:09 PST

There are a lot of hidden calories in espresso drinks, especially holiday offerings like pumpkin spice lattes. A cup of plain coffee is usually a safe bet calorie wise but buying one cup a day can easily amount to five hundred dollars a year. Some break rooms have coffee machines but the stuff that comes out of those things are usually pretty gross tasting.

With a little creativity (and a hot water source) you can enjoy a good, cheap cup of coffee right at your desk. Not only will it taste better and save you money, it will also allow you to cut back on waste by eliminating all those paper cups.

To get started you'll need a mug and some coffee beans. I like to buy good coffee beans since they can really make or break how coffee tastes. Buying good beans is still cheaper than going out for coffee everyday. Have your local coffee shop grind the beans, or for ultimate freshness bring a small coffee grinder to the office.
Decide how you'll brew your coffee. A reusable single cup filter tends to be the easiest method, but you can also opt for a 12-ounce french press or an automatic single cup coffeemaker.
Now all you need is hot water. Most offices have a water cooler with a hot water spigot or a microwave that you can use to heat water up.

For a few more tips,

Food Review: Yakult Probiotic Drink

FitSugar — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:32:49 PDT

I first said "yeah" to Yakult because I love saying the word "Yakult." I also love probiotics to promote healthy digestion. Plus, this probiotic drink comes in cute little bottles about the size of a shot glass, so it seemed like a fun way to drink healthy.

Yakult isn't a yogurt; it's a "fermented dairy drink" first produced in Japan and contains live, probiotic cultures to help boost your immune system and the good bacteria in your tummy. Sold in packs of five, the 2.7-fluid-ounce bottles can be downed as drinks, but I also enjoyed it poured over cereal in place of milk. So how does it taste?

Which Would You Choose: Beverage Edition

FitSugar — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:00:00 PDT

You can keep yourself hydrated with just about any liquid, but I find I drink plain old water more than any other beverage. It may be a zero calorie drink, but it doesn't really offer much nutritionally or taste wise either. That's why including other beverages in your diet is a good idea; they provide vitamins, calcium, antioxidants, and something we all feel we sometimes need - caffeine. To see how some common drinks compare nutritionally, take this quiz.

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Take the Quiz

Sugar Content and Beverages

FitSugar — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:00:00 PDT

In my recent post about Vitamin Water, a few of you commented that it's loaded with sugar. Just how much though, and how does it and other beverages' sugar contents compare? Take this quiz to find out.

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Take the Quiz

This or That: Angry or Depressed Drinker?

DearSugar — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:00:00 PDT

You haven’t seen an old friend in a few years, though you’ve kept in touch and remained pretty close. You’re absolutely thrilled when she decides to visit you for the weekend. She’s always complaining about the lack of guys in her area so you decide to show her the nightlife around your town. You take her to your favorite bar where she proceeds to get extremely drunk. In her intoxicated state, she shows you a side of herself you didn't think existed, and you end up feeling like you were babysitting a toddler, not hanging out with your old friend. Would it be worse if she . . .

This: Turns into a total angry drunk, screaming obscenities at everyone and giving you attitude all night long? You actually have to spend half the night trying to get you guys out of the fights she started.

Or . . .

That: Becomes so depressed that at one point, she’s sobbing so loudly you have to physically pull her from the bar? She couldn’t possibly be less fun, but when you try to ask her what’s wrong, she just says she’s sad.

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An Uncanny Confession

GiggleSugar — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 08:00:00 PDT

But what it lacks in length, it makes up for in girth. Am I right?

(Thanks, Miss Chris. )

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Do Liquid Calories Fill You Up as Much as Solid Calories?

FitSugar — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 03:00:00 PDT

In a time crunch, some of us may head to Jamba Juice for a smoothie lunch substitute. While you are certainly getting plenty of calories in your smoothie, is it filling you up like a solid lunch would?

A recent study says not so much. In fact the subjects who drank their test foods ended up eating more than those who did not drink their foods. Part of the reason could be that drinking your food does not cue signals that let our bodies feel full, such as sight, smell, chewing and pressure of food in the stomach.

I know a lot of you guys follow Slim Fast or will make (or buy) shakes to replace a meal but do you feel just as full as you would if you ate the solid equivalent?

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Signs of Dehydration

FitSugar — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 15:45:00 PDT

It's summer and it's hot out. Your body produces sweat to cool you off, so in order to make up for that lost fluid, you should be drinking more water. If you don't, you could be at risk for dehydration.

Our bodies are 2/3 water, so if a person gets dehydrated, it means the amount of water in her body has dropped below the level needed for normal body functioning. You can get dehydrated from a bad stomach bug (you lose a lot of fluid when you're constantly visiting the bathroom). Athletes and people who do a ton of physical exercise can risk dehydration if they sweat a lot and don't drink enough water as they workout. Being out in hot summer heat can also put you at risk.

Here are the signs of dehydration:

feeling dizzy or lightheaded
having a dry or sticky mouth and throat
producing less urine, or dark-colored urine

If you are suffering from these symptoms, drink water! When I say water, I don't mean sport drinks, Vitamin Water, soda, or juice. Your body is screaming for some good old H20. Dehydration can usually be treated by giving your body the water it needs. How much water do you need? Check out Fit's calculator to find out.

To prevent dehydration in the first place, drink water throughout your day. If you are planning on exercising, drink 8 oz 20-30 minutes beforehand.

Fit's Tips: Be weary of diets that encourage you to limit your fluid intake - if you don't drink anything, you'll be losing water weight, not body weight. That means when you go to drink a glass of water that your body needs, you'll "gain" that weight right back.

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