Good energy drink mix tang replacement(real sugar)

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NeedItCheaper

Joined
Jun 17, 2012
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I drink tang when I do 5+ mile hikes. I'm looking for something better. Caffeine, ginseng, real sugar............................. Any recommendations?
 
Maybe something like Republic of Tea Honey Ginseng Tea to which you add sugar? Republic of Tea has some really good stuff. Its not an "energy drink" per se, but its also natural, hydrating and isn't loaded with ingredients you can't pronounce.
 
I think powernoodle is right, probably have to make your own. Starting with a green tea base of some kind is probably all you can do with that. Personally I wouldn't bother with spending extra to get any other herbs in it, considering how shady that industry is. At least with the tea you can taste if its kinda the right stuff.
You'd just have to be careful regarding your total intake, as far as diuretic effects from the caffeine as well as the total potency of the ginseng (could be strong, could be nothing) Tang is pretty loaded with vit C which can be diuretic if you are taking in enough. Caffeine isn't strictly a diuretic, but its hard to gauge potency.
Any reason to do this over just water?
 
I'm of the following opinion. Many people will probably disagree but.......

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/species.html

Bipedal hominid fossils have been recorded as far back as [Sahelanthropus tchadensis]...about 6-7 million years old.

Homo sapiens (archaic) has been walking this planet for about 500 THOUSAND years.

Modern Homo Sapiens about 195 THOUSAND years...

I don't recall Paleoanthropologists ever uncovering a bottle of Gatorade, Red Bull :barf: or Starbucks along with fossilized skeletons...water is all you need and all I ever drink on a hike. :D

That being said, I will enjoy a nice cup of Java when I've reached my camp location and in my "wind down for the night" segment after the hike.
 
druid189 said:
I don't recall Paleoanthropologists ever uncovering a bottle of Gatorade, Red Bull :barf: or Starbucks along with fossilized skeletons...
Click to expand...


LOL, troll much.


I am fully aware that a blended concoction of legal stimulants, sugar, protein and whatever else I decide to put in there will not be all that healthy. The issue with just water is being more fatigued. This is not something I plan to be consuming all day long, just when I have a 45 pound pack and have to walk 5 miles.

Thanks for the recommendations all. I know what I want to do now.
 
linuxology said:
keep the water, add nuts, dried fruits, and beef jerky to pocket
Click to expand...

I used to carry chocolate, nuts, and raisins, especially in cold weather. I also like to bring honey for energy now that I'm diabetic. That saved me one cold day in NYC when I was shaking too bad to get inside a cafeteria.

Paleoanthropologists may not have found Gatorade, Red Bull or Starbucks along with fossilized skeletons, but I bet the old hominins knew how to find honey, insects, and probably stimulants in herbs. Modern apes do.
 
NeedItCheaper said:
LOL, troll much.


I am fully aware that a blended concoction of legal stimulants, sugar, protein and whatever else I decide to put in there will not be all that healthy. The issue with just water is being more fatigued. This is not something I plan to be consuming all day long, just when I have a 45 pound pack and have to walk 5 miles.

Thanks for the recommendations all. I know what I want to do now.
Click to expand...

LMAO....just a shot of humor...nothing more...


My daughters use these 'infusers' for water:

k2-_1193d4ee-5ef1-428e-b2f4-dfd949155c75.v2.jpg-bec0e258ec6cccf32bf454b840143711594e1047-webp-450x450.webp


http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ad-N-Art-...Water-Bottle-Fruit-Infuser-in-Yellow/25525112
 
depends where you live but coconut juice is awesome especially if you can find it fresh and not in a package.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
I used to carry chocolate, nuts, and raisins, especially in cold weather. I also like to bring honey for energy now that I'm diabetic. That saved me one cold day in NYC when I was shaking too bad to get inside a cafeteria.

Paleoanthropologists may not have found Gatorade, Red Bull or Starbucks along with fossilized skeletons, but I bet the old hominins knew how to find honey, insects, and probably stimulants in herbs. Modern apes do.
Click to expand...

Same situation
I drink plain water
And I often carry a liter thermos of tea, or stop for a brew

I eat foods that work for me for energy
 
I use these. https://nuun.com/ they're self mixing and not too sweet. OK for camelbacks they say but I haven't done that. I'll do a lot of long bike rides in high heat and humidity or other outdoor stuff with a lot of gear on and I sweat like crazy.

They're a bit effervescent like the old plop plop fizz fizz too.
 
A guy I worked with used to get those little bottles of lemon juice like what you would use for baking and squeeze a little into water and add some sugar to make cheap lemonaid.
I like to buy gatorade in the one use packets.
 
Here what works for me on long hikes in the heat of the summer. I buy Gatorade powder mix 1/3 of what it says on the package. Long time ago I were told by an SAR guy that anything more then 1/3 is just for flavor and the sweeter it is the more you would like to drink. When they locate people that's what they give them to drink.
Your body absorbs water faster if it contains minerals. So if you are dehydrated and need to get water into your system faster add some salt or suger.
Been doing it for many years now and find that Gatorade makes a difference on those 100+deg days.
A personal trainer friend of my likes the Gatorade or she would buy coconut water and mix a Table spoon of Chia seeds. She swears that helps her clients work out longer and harder.
I tried the coconut water and it does work. I keep it in a separate bottle drink mostly plain water and every once in a while drink the coconut water. If its Gatorade I carry it would be in a separate bottle where I mix it and the water bladder would have only plain water. You need only so much extra minerals per so much water you drink.
If you drink only plain water you can actually dilute the amount of mineral in your body and go into shock. Marathon runners have that problem and some died from drinking too much water with no added minerals.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/strange-but-true-drinking-too-much-water-can-kill/

A few years back we had some marathon runners die here in LA. Now they eat half a banana and drink sport drinks.
 
Danke42, I've used the Nuun and really like it. but one thing to keep in mind is that it is artificially sweetened. So not a great choice for constant use, or for those who have to monitor blood sugar.
Coconut water gets a lot of hype, right now there is a lot of marketing going into coconut products, just like a few years ago aloe water was a thing. Its no better or worse than anything else, at the end of the day minerals are minerals. One thing I would be cautious of, with the coconut water or any other "natural health" product, they don't have to be as accurate on the label as other stuff. So while something like gatorade or Nuun might be 100% artificial, you know what you are getting. And just like every fad, I'm sure that there is plenty of coconut water on the market that is either barely fit for human consumption or is made from less than the finest ingredients, so buyer beware. As Alton Brown put it, "super foods are just foods with better PR departments" or something like that.
 
there are a ton of mixes out there that provide fuel, electrolytes and as they're mixed w/ water- water; there are also a multitude of gels, blocks, "beans", etc that are used. I used to use mixes a lot for long runs/races (Heed, Perpetuem, TailWind, others), but too frequently would get nauseated (sucks big time 20 miles into a race when you have 20 more to go!)

on long runs/hikes you do need to fuel your body, you do need to replenish electrolytes and you do need water-I'm trying something different now and have several long runs under my belt that I'm feeling more confident I may be onto something; I've gone more natural in my fuel choices- dates, figs, sweet potatoes, honey, peanut/almond butters, etc Obviously I'm drinking adequate water (no mixes) and simply taking an electrolyte pill every couple of hours (Endurolyte and SaltStick) so far this strategy seems to be more agreeable, time will tell

if you do go the gatorade/nuun/etc route, I agree that mixes in lower proportions would be better than their recommended "full strength" doses
 
One of the reasons they might not react well with you is that artificial sweeteners can cause your bowels to pull water back out of your blood, so you one might not be getting as much out of the mix since the osmotic balance is all skewy, and two that your body is on one hand trying to lower the bowel volume but can't. And some of them can also help cause more bowel movement, again, not great while running. So you might just be more effected by it, possibly because its not a common part of your diet. Some people do fine with it, Hydrolite is artificially sweetened as is pedialite, and both are hydration supplements for illness, not specifically physical activity. But I think the average person eats far more artificial sweetener than some of us.
Too much artificial sweetener is a laxative, which can be a good thing to know!
 
I have been using a pre-workout mix from Optimum Nutrition called Essential Amino Energy in lemon-lime that I found at Costco a few months ago. I drink a mix of 4 scoops (tiny) before a hike or workout that has 200 mg of caffeine from green tea & green coffee extract. I have become a big fan of this product as it mixes easily, is economical and I can tell a difference when I use it. During my hike or workout I have previously used diluted Gatoraid but have recently been trying out Cytomax Cool Citrus mix. I have not noticed any difference other than taste so far. For longer hikes I usually bring some Jelly Belly Sport Beans that are caffeinated.
 
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