Nutrition & Hydration : FraternityMed.com

"How come I can't use Coca Cola as my sports fluid replacement drink?"
Coca Cola has excessive carbohydrate content, no electrolytes such as sodium and potassium and Coke is very acidic. Coca Cola will not help you in your endurance event or sporting event although the caffeine may be helpful.
Eberle, Suzanne, MS, RD. Endurance Sports Nutrition. Human Kinetics Press, 2000.

"There is so much information out there, how can I learn more about nutrition and sports?"
A short list of online resources follows:

Gatorade Sports Science Institute
Internutria Sports
Ultrafit Products
American Dietetic Association
Quack Watch
Supplement Watch
USDA Food and Nutrition Information Center
Nutrition
Triathlete Magazine
Runners World Magazine

"Why do I care about stuff like calories, protein and magnesium in a sports drink?"

Nutrient	Why Do I Need This
Calories:	You need to replace 30-50% of the calories you burn when exercising.
Carbohydrates:	Carbs help optimize blood sugar and regulate the depletion of glycogen as you exercise. These are in the drinks and bars to avoid 'bonking' or 'hitting the wall'.
Sodium:	Replacing salts helps avoid muscle cramping since sodium is needed for muscle function and nerve conduction.
Protein:	Usually in the form of whey protein, this helps increase glucose utilization and prevents 'bonking'.
Potassium:	Important for muscle function to prevent cramping.
Magnesium:	Needed for over 300 different metabolic functions in the body and to avoid cramps.
Calcium:	A 2:1 ratio of magnesium to calcium helps to prevent muscle cramps.
B Vitamins:	Lost in sweat, thiamine, B-6, pantothenic acid, niacin, B-12 help our bodies to help utilize carbohydrates for energy.
Antioxidants:	Vitamin C and E help reduce the damage to our cells which occurs during exercise.

Brown, Kim MS, RD. Nutritionist Race Diary. Triathlete Magazine, December 2002.

"How do some of the different sports drinks compare?"

Brand	Calories	Carbs (g)	Sodium (mg)
Gatorade	60	15g	110mg
Met-Rx	70	19g	125mg
Cytomax	50	10g	50mg
Red Bull	113	28g	215mg
All Sport	70	20g	80mg
Accelerade	140	26g	190mg
G Push 3	190	24g	170mg
Coca Cola	100	27g	35mg
Orange Juice	120	29g	trace
Water	0	0	0

Eberle, Suzanne, MS, RD. Endurance Sports Nutrition. Human Kinetics Press, 2000.

"How do some of the energy nutrition bars compare?"

Brand	Calories	Carbs	Protein
PowerBar	230	45g	9g
Clif Bar	230	39g	10g
Luna Bar	180	26g	10g
Detour Bar	310	26g	30g
Bakers Breakfast Cookies	250	55g	6g
Met Rx Big 100	340	50g	27g
Promax	290	38g	20
Lifetime Fitness Fast Fuel Bar	190	23g	12g