Do You Really Want It In You?

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BRIANA THAI

Staff Writer

      Gatorade is one of the most well known sports drinks in the United States, and over 70% of the sports drinks distributed are Gatorade products. PepsiCo proposes new Gatorade products to meet athletes’ needs as they develop over generations. It has been over nine years since PepsiCo introduced a low calorie alternative, G2, to their already popular sports drink line. Some other products PepsiCo introduced to aid athletes include gummies and protein powder. As the demand for all natural products soars, Gatorade answers the call once again as it introduces G Organic, a new brightly colored, electrolyte-filled, organic sports drink. According to the Organic Trade Association, the organic industry hit an all time high, an estimated $43.3 billion was made solely off of organic products in 2015.

      G Organic contains seven ingredients: water, organic cane sugar, citric acid, organic natural flavors, sea salt, sodium citrate, and potassium chloride. The company has also stopped using artificial food dyes, artificial flavors and vegetable oil in their sports drink line. Although the beverage is more natural and contains organic ingredients, it is not much healthier than the original. The organic version has seven teaspoons of sugar that are essentially added to the drink. The recommended intake of sugar is nine teaspoons for men and six for women. That means women are exceeding their sugar intake with one simple serving.

      According to New York Times, the suggested retail price of the new organic refreshment is $1.69 for a 16.9 oz bottle, that’s $0.50 cents more than the non-organic versions of the same size. The other downside is that they are only being sold in select convenience stores and some Kroger supermarkets. The flavors include lemon, strawberry and mixed berry.

      My input? Save money and buy Gatorade original, there is not much of a difference between the two products in terms of healthiness and Americans have to learn that not everything labeled “organic” is healthy.