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You Can Make Your Own Sports Drink

You can make your own sports drink, according to Liz Applegate, director of sports nutrition at UC Davis, and author of one of the best sports nutrition books, Eat Smart, Play Hard (Rodale, $16.95).

Commercial Sports Drinks

Applegate says commercial sports drinks are OK. Sports drinks are especially formulated to provide the right balance of carbohydrates and fluid per serving.

In an 8 ounce sports drink, has about 14 to 15 grams of carbohydrates and that's a little less than the carbohydrates in fruit drinks, fruit juice and sodas. They're perfectly designed to maximize carbohydrate and fluid absorption.

Too much or too little of one thing -- carbs or fluid -- can adversely affect absorption, and consequently, performance. So getting your carbs or fluid proportions right is crucial.

As for the artificial ingredients, corn syrup is a source of carbohydrates, which the brain uses for fuel. It's not a bad thing.

The amount of color is harmless and some drinks come without any coloring.

Citric acid is for flavor.

Sodium and potassium are electrolytes.

Your recipe for your own homemade sports drink:

Mix 4 teaspoons of sugar per cup of water.
Add a pinch of salt.
Squirt in a bit of lemon or orange juice to add flavor.

It is that simple.