Her Active Life

Click here for the Lead Stories

The Power of Pedialyte

Posted October 11, 2007 at 09:00 AM by Valerie Cerami

Section: Her Health, Her Nutrition, Healthy Eating, Recipes, Supplements, Workout Fuel

Next time you’re in the supermarket, take a stroll down the infant aisle.  No, not to stock-up on Pampers or for that sale on sippy-cups…this walk on the tame side is for you.

If Motherhood hasn’t hit you yet, you’ve probably never ventured into the Gerber area. Yet, even if you’ve got a stash of Mother’s Day cards, visit (or revisit) this land-of-plenty with newborn eyes and with a novel toddler in mind: You. 

A brand-spanking-new-view of baby paraphenalia is crying out, practically crawling off the shelves for your attention. The drink of champions (little and large, it seems), the nectar of the stars (athletes and your under-one-year-old), the elixir for all ages, is Pedialyte. 

Long distance runners led the trend, beginning way back in the 1980s.  Leaps and bounds ahead of the slower starters, marathoners passed their smarts onto amateur and professional athletes (who have recently sipped on this legal, safe and tasty elixir).  Balancing electrolytes, runners can work out harder and recover faster. 

You don’t necessarily have to drink it via the choo-choo spoon method, but you certainly could (just for fun)!  Best of all, drink all you want and drive on with verve and newly found, rebounding energy. 

Pedialyte is marketed mainly to the un-jet-set:  it’s meant to quickly rehydrate toddlers experiencing diarrhea.  It is also a standard fix in hospitals for hydration of patients at any age. Beyond the infirmed, elderly and infant needs, athletes in-the-know have discovered its power to remedy.  The child-friendly flavors contain electrolytes (such as sodium, potassium and glucose) that are the exact ingredients in most popular soft drinks (at a fraction of the cost and sugar content).  Compared to original Gatorade, Pedialyte has more than twice the sodium per ounce and half the carbs. 

Before the onslaught of steroids and soft-drink-rages, hardcore endurance athletes from the 1980’s and National Hockey League players in the 1990’s, this product has helped players stay properly hydrated and was used to prevent complications brought on by heat stroke. 

Monique Ryan (Nutrition Consultant), the author of Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes comments:

“Ironman Competitors and ultra runners were the first to use the product.  Endurance athletes started using it when there were fewer products on the market for athletes to choose from to replace sodium.”

Dr. Keith Wheeler (Divisional VP of Research and Development), of Abbott Labs, the company behind the product, explains:

“If you take a 300 lb. NFL Lineman and put him in 95 degrees with 75 percent humidity, he will dump a volume of electrolytes from this body through sweat that will be equivalent to a child with diarrhea.”

Abbott does not market Pedialyte as a sports drink, nor does it track sales to athletes, but the company is well aware of the off-label usages becoming more prevalent.

Considering the recent confessions of five-time Olympic medalist Marion Jones, this miracle in a teddy-bear-labeled bottle is safely stashed in the lockers of savvy, healthy sports enthusiasts who want an edge – sans a jail sentence!

Becoming more and more mainstream, Pedialyte (as sports supplement) has hit the suburbs: moving out of the Soccer Mom car seat onto the soccer fields.  Gavin Bannat, 42, wrestling coach at Wayne Valley HS in NJ, discovered Pedialyte last winter when a bad bout with the stomach flu left him dehydrated and desperately seeking relief in a convenience store.  He then used it as a sports drink while training for a 31.5 mile mountain race in July.  With proven effectiveness and personal success, he recommends it to all teen wrestlers under his tutelage.

With this winning track record, Pedialyte could be a useful staple in the cupboard of any athlete.

Homemade Pedialyte Recipe

1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. table salt
1/2 tsp. potassium salt
3 tsp. sugar (or flavored Kool-Aid, not sugar free)

Mix it all with 1 liter water.

Research sources and for more information: [http://www.lilduckduck.com], [http://www.pedialyte.com],[http://www.msnbc.msn.com], [http://www.usatoday.com]

4 comments, add yours | Permalink | Share this article

Tags: abbott labs, athlete hydration, athlete tips, dehydration, electrolytes, pedialyte, pedialyte athletes, pedialyte benefits, pedialyte recipe, sports nutrition

Like what you see? Subscribe to our feed!

4 Responses to “The Power of Pedialyte” (Leave a reply)