Tag: Sports Drink

REVIEW: Gatorade Fast Twitch Energy Drink

Marvo 3 Comments

Gatorade’s Fast Twitch Energy Drink got me wondering if the brand has researched how much liquid it takes to hamper athletic pee-formance, I mean, performance. Because I was curious if it’s why they come in 12-ounce bottles instead of the 16.9-ounce ones the most recent ready-to-drink Gatorade products come in. With 200 milligrams of caffeine per bottle, it seems like that would be best used by athletes before and during competing or practicing, and having too much liquid during those moments might become an issue. Or maybe I’m just overthinking it. Instead, it’s just Gatorade playing a game of shrinkflation.

If you’ve chugged the Gatorade rainbow, the energy drink is available in six familiar flavors — Orange, Strawberry Lemonade, Glacier Freeze, Strawberry Watermelon, Cool Blue, and Tropical Mango. The variety pack I bought from Amazon came with the first three. No matter what flavor, they all have zero sugar (thanks, sucralose!), 100 percent of your daily B6 and B12 vitamins, and have only five calories per bottle.

Of those three flavors in the variety pack, the one that stood out to me is the blueberry-flavored Glacier Freeze, but I’m a bit biased because I think the flavor has always been one of the best tasting Gatorade varieties. It’s one of the two I’d repurchase. The other flavor is Strawberry Lemonade, but I must admit that, while the beverage has a slight sourness, my taste buds have had difficulty pinpointing the lemon. So think of it more like Sour Strawberry than Strawberry Lemonade.

As for orange, the first thing I have to say about it is that orange you glad there are other flavors besides it. It’s so tangy. Oh wait, I’m sorry. I meant to type Tang-y, as in Tang, the classic orange drink mix. It’s tolerable but not my favorite of the three. If I were a 1960s astronaut orbiting the Earth, I might’ve thought it was the bee’s knees.

All three feel more syrupy than regular Gatorade and other Gatorade lines I’ve tried. It’s not off-putting; it’s just different. Also, while sucralose was used to help make these zero sugar, I didn’t notice an artificial sweetener aftertaste. Of course, your taste buds may vary.

Fast Twitch isn’t the first Gatorade with caffeine, but it’s the first with an amount that goes well into the triple digits. It also isn’t the only non-carbonated sports drink with caffeine — Monster’s Hydro (150-160 milligrams per 20-ounce bottle) and Bodyarmor’s Edge (140 milligrams per 28.3-ounce bottle) come to mind. While I haven’t had Bodyarmor’s offering, I prefer the taste of Hydro over the Fast Twitch varieties, but I think that’s the sugar in Hydro talking. (Bodyarmor’s Edge also has sugar.)

Gatorade is known as the Thirst Quencher, and the 12 ounces of liquid will probably quench my thirst. But that size does make me hesitant about them, especially when there are similar products out there that come in bigger bottles.

Purchased Price: $24.07
Size: 12-pack/12 fl oz bottles
Purchased at: Amazon
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Glacier Freeze), 6 out of 10 (Strawberry Lemonade), and 5 out of 10 (Orange)
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) 5 calories, 0 grams of fat, 160 milligrams of sodium, 0 grams of sugar, 0 grams of protein, and 200 milligrams of caffeine.

REVIEW: Gatorade Tropic Flash

Mark 1 Comment

Gatorade Tropic Flash Bottle

What is it?

Gatorade has a new yellowish flavor, Tropic Flash. The label claims “Limited Edition,” but I don’t know whether that applies to the flavor itself or the Serena Williams bottle.

How is it?

Gatorade Tropic Flash Glass

Well, I don’t have anything against it. But I don’t really have anything for it, either.

It has a generically fruity flavor, but what that is, I have no idea.

I was happy to drink it (after a seven-mile trail run in the heat), but I like it less than literally every other regular Gatorade flavor (except for Cool Blue). There’s something bland about it.

Anything else you need to know?

I don’t know what “Tropic Flash” is supposed to be, and the term “natural flavors” on the ingredients list doesn’t help me. I live in the desert, so I don’t have much experience with tropical fruit. The flavor seems like it belongs to something with the texture of cantaloupe, honeydew, or papaya. But I find it exceedingly strange that I taste the texture of a fruit more than I taste the flavor of a fruit.

Conclusion:

If I finished a long workout and someone gave me a Tropic Flash Gatorade, I would gladly drink it. But when I look at the Gatorade flavors in the fridge at the gas station, I would never pick this one over, say, Glacier Freeze or Lime Cucumber.

Purchased Price: $2.69
Size: 28 fl oz
Purchased at: Miller’s
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (12 fl oz) 80 calories, 0 grams of fat, 160 milligrams of sodium, 22 grams of carbohydrates, 21 grams of sugar (including 21 grams of added sugar), 0 grams of protein, and 50 milligrams of potassium.

REVIEW: Gatorade Fit

Marvo 7 Comments

Gatorade Fit Bottles

What is Gatorade Fit?

It’s “Healthy Real Hydration.” I’m not sure where Gatorade is going with that because plain ol’ water could also be considered healthy real hydration. But does that also mean all of Gatorade’s other hydration products aren’t healthy?

What makes Gatorade Fit “healthy”? Well, it has no added sugar, no artificial sweeteners or flavors, no added colors, has only ten calories and one gram of sugar, and is an excellent source of vitamins A & C. It’s available in five flavors — Cherry Lime, Citrus Berry, Tropical Mango, Watermelon Strawberry, and Tangerine Orange. But I was only able to acquire the first four via a variety pack sold on Amazon. The line is available in 16.9- and 28-ounce bottles.

How is it?

Well, the short answer is they taste like Gatorade. If you’ve chugged the various colors of the Gatorade rainbow during your lifetime, you’ll be familiar with these four. With every flavor, I thought to myself that I had this before.

Tropical Mango and Watermelon Strawberry stood out to me among the four varieties. Their flavors mirror what I remember from their BOLT24 counterparts. The former has a pleasant strong mango flavor with a pineapple kick. Watermelon Strawberry leans more towards strawberry than watermelon, and that strawberry flavor reminds me of candy.

While those two are great tasting, Cherry Lime and Citrus Berry are also tasty. The former has a nice cherry and lime balance, while with the latter, the berry dominated the flavor so much that if you told me it was a mixed berry variety, I’d believe you.

Anything else you need to know?

Much like the skin under my shirt, Gatorade Fit has no color.

Gatorade Fit Glasses

Reader Josh G, who sent in photos of the new line for our Spotted post, mentioned that Gatorade Fit seems like a rebranding of Gatorade’s BOLT24. Because both lines get their electrolytes from watermelon and sea salt, provide 100% daily values of vitamins A & C, have no artificial sweeteners or flavors, and share some of the same varieties — Cherry Lime, Tropical Mango, and Watermelon Strawberry. But BOLT24 still exists because several types show up in my “Inspired by your purchases” section whenever I visit Amazon.

There are several differences between BOLT24 and Gatorade Fit. The latter has fewer calories (10 calories vs. 80 calories) and less sugar (1 gram vs. 19 grams). While BOLT24 used sugar and stevia, Gatorade Fit has only stevia. Much like when I tried BOLT24, I was surprised this has stevia. But I was even more surprised that it’s the ONLY sweetener because it doesn’t have any of the blechness that I’ve experienced with other beverages with it.

Conclusion:

If you enjoyed Gatorade BOLT24, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy Gatorade Fit. Heck, maybe it should’ve been called Gatorade BOLT24FIT.

Purchased Price: $19.99 (12-pack)
Size: 16.9 oz bottles/12-pack
Purchased at: Amazon
Rating: 9 out of 10 (Tropical Mango), 8 out of 10 (Watermelon Strawberry), 7 out of 10 (Cherry Lime), 7 out of 10 (Citrus Berry)
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) 10 calories, 0 grams of fat, 230 milligrams of sodium, 3 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of sugar (0 grams of added sugar), and 0 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Powerade Sports Freezer Bars

Mark 10 Comments

Powerade Sports Freezer Bars Box

What are Powerade Sports Freezer Bars?

Jel Sert, the company that makes Otter Pops and Fla-Vor-Ice, has teamed up with Powerade to make freezer bars in two of the sports drink’s classic flavors: Mountain Berry Blast and Fruit Punch.

But it’s not just the flavors. These are sports freezer bars, meaning they have electrolytes in them.

How are they?

Powerade Sports Freezer Bars Bars

Now, I have a hard time describing what they taste like. The Fruit Punch has a nondescript fruity flavor. Mountain Berry Blast has more of a noticeable berry flavor; it’s probably raspberry, but since they didn’t specifically call it raspberry, it could be anything.

But even though I can’t really describe them, I quite enjoy them! Both the flavor and the texture are as good as any freezer bar I’ve had. They have a little bit of sports drink flavor, but I wouldn’t detect it if I didn’t know.

Powerade Sports Freezer Bars Fruit Punch

Powerade Sports Freezer Bars Mountain Berry Blast

I compared the bars, both frozen and refrigerated, with their respective Powerade flavors to see how true they are. I think Jel Sert used the same flavoring, but they’re not exactly the same: the freezer bars are better! They taste less watery and less medicinal. (I’ve never thought of Powerade as tasting medicinal until I tried it next to the bars.)

Anything else you need to know?

I compared the nutrition facts of these with regular Powerade. Serving for serving, they are roughly the same, except that the bars have half of the sodium (I’m guessing because salt affects the freezing point). The bars are like a concentrated version of Powerade. For your convenience, I have included the nutrition facts for both the freezer bars and regular Powerade below, including the vitamins and minerals.

Conclusion:

If you are going to be nibbling on freezer bars this summer and want some electrolytes to go with them, Powerade Sports Freezer Bars are a perfect option.

Purchased Price: $2.00
Size: 24 oz. box (16 bars)
Purchased at: Dollar General
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Freezer bars – 4 bars, 170 grams) 80 calories, 0 grams of fat, 75 milligrams of sodium, 20 grams of carbs, 19 grams of sugar including 19 grams of added sugars, 0 grams of protein, 18 milligrams of potassium, 2 milligrams of calcium, 4 milligrams of magnesium, 15% DV of niacin, 35% DV of vitamin B6, and 70% DV of vitamin B12.

(Powerade – 12 fl. oz.) 80 calories, 0 grams of fat, 150 milligrams of sodium, 21 grams of carbs, 21 grams of sugar including 21 grams of added sugars, 0 grams of protein, 35 milligrams of potassium, 15% DV of niacin, 15% DV of vitamin B6, 35% DV of vitamin B12, and less than 2% DV of magnesium.

REVIEW: Gatorade BOLT24 Restore

Marvo 12 Comments

Gatorade BOLT24 Restore Bottles

I did a collagen peptides deep dive on the internet to find out why 10 grams of it is included in Gatorade’s BOLT24 Restore. Let’s just say my Google journey involved preventing or reducing skin wrinkles, joint pain caused by osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and Jennifer Aniston. Just to be clear, the supplement does not prevent or reduce Jennifer Aniston.

I’m sure the reason for the collagen is one of those I mentioned that’s not Jennifer Aniston. But I have no way to test whether the collagen peptides in BOLT24 Restore help with any of those things. So I’ll just tell you how the two flavors – Peach Mango and Apple Pear – taste.

Gatorade BOLT24 Restore Peach Mango

Both varieties look like flat champagne or white wine. They pour like regular beverages, but they’ve got a mouthfeel that’s like Jello that’s been put into the fridge to set but taken out after 30-45 minutes. I don’t want to say there’s a thickness to them, but I already typed it, so I’m not going to use my arrow and delete keys to change it. I’m going to assume that’s the collagen at work.

If you need or want more collagen in your diet, go with the Peach Mango because it’s the better tasting one of the two. Its flavor has an equal balance of peach and mango. The stevia is a bit more noticeable in these Restore versions than with the original BOLT24, but they don’t taste as odd as other beverages that are only sweetened with it. I’m looking at you, Zevia.

Gatorade BOLT24 Restore Apple Pear

Now, Apple Pear mostly tastes okay. It has a flavor that’s more Fuji apple than pear, and that sounds wonderful. However, the aftertaste takes an acrid turn. Once the fruit flavor fades, there’s a sweet artificial meat-like taste in my mouth that pops up for a few moments. It’s odd, and enough for me to push the Peach Mango one instead.

Because these are Gatorade beverages, of course, they come with electrolytes. But unlike your standard Gatorade, BOLT24 drinks get it from watermelon and sea salt. Also, these don’t contain artificial sweeteners or flavors.

Gatorade BOLT24 Restore Protein

The bottle says it has 10 grams of protein, but it also says it doesn’t provide any daily value of the nutrient. It’s making my head hurt. Does collagen help with that?

Purchased Price: $1.99 each
Size: 16.9 fl oz bottle
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10 (Peach Mango), 4 out of 10 (Apple Pear)
Nutrition Facts: (1 bottle) 80 calories, 0 grams of fat, 230 milligrams of sodium, 11 grams of carbohydrates, 9 grams of sugar, 8 grams of added sugar, 10 grams of protein, and 100 percent vitamin C.