Energy in a bar and a bottle: more gimmicks for bodybuilders!

The world of sports has gone bonkers. Sure, there is an energy crisis in the real world, but is there a lack of energy in the sporting world? Is everyone limping, handicapped and not able to walk, run or jog anymore without drinking or eating something exotic? Are we going to solve the sporting crises by eating a chocolate bar or drinking Gatorade? Americans spend more than 5 billion dollars each year but does the average consumer derive any benefit from all these sports drinks?

Almost every professional athlete today carries his/her favorite beverage. Some of the drinks have exotic names, others have beautiful colors and yet others have different shapes of bottles. Even the names are colorful like Red Bull, Amp, Accelerade. Gatorade, Energize and Power Bar and so on. But are these drinks energizing or just a gimmick?
Sure, Tiger Woods takes a sip or two of his favorite drink on TV but he gets paid millions of dollars do to that. And I doubt that he would be any worse of as a golf player if he stopped drinking Gatorade. I have personally tried tasting many of these energizing drinks and the bottom line is that they suck- the majority are simply water with a bit of coloring and flavoring. The question whether these drinks have energy is again debatable. Sure, the pros endorse these drinks, but in reality the story is a lot more complex.

Today there are 100s of chocolates, bars, ices, goos, candy bars and they have all one common theme- eat us and you will be stronger, taller and faster than anyone else. Not to be outdone, there are also beverages with a multitude of vitamins and minerals- some vitamins which have yet to be discovered and again the vendors of these drinks claim that by consuming these beverages one will play better golf or throw the baseball better. And then there are other nutrients such as chocolates, cappuccinos, fudge and poppy seeds- claiming that one can walk to Mars and come back and yet not feel tired. The claims are exaggerated and hyped.

First of all, many of these beverage manufactures never actually reveal what is inside the drink except for the basic label whereas other manufacturers do reveal the entire gamut of what is in the drink.