Gatorade and Accelerade are popular brands of sports drinks. Although many people use sports drinks as everyday beverages, they are actually designed to replace nutrients for professional athletes. Rather than just providing fluid, they also provide carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals to help replenish what is lost in sweat during a difficult workout and also to help muscles recover post-workout. Knowing the difference between different kinds of sports drinks is the key to making sure you pick the right one for your needs.
Products
Gatorade offers a wide range of products, with separate formulations for before, during and after a workout. These drinks come in gel and liquid form and are available in a wide variety of flavors. Accelerade is a drink mix; it is sold as a powder and should be mixed with water. It also comes in a number of flavors, including lemonade, lemon lime and fruit punch.
Carbohydrate
Gatorade contains 6 g carbohydrate per 100 mL of fluid, or about 14 g per 8-oz. serving. The carbohydrate provided in Gatorade is a glucose-dextrose blend. Glucose is a simple sugar that is the primary fuel for your cells. Accelerade provides 21 g of carbohydrate per 12-oz. serving -- or about 14 grams per 8 oz., similar to Gatorade. However, the main carbohydrate source in Accelerade is sucrose, or table sugar. Sucrose is a complex carbohydrate that is broken down into glucose and fructose in the body.
Protein
Of all of Gatorade's products, only the Recover Series -- designed for post-workout recovery -- contains protein. Gatorade Recover contains 8 g of protein per 8-oz. serving. All Accelerade products contain 5 g of protein per 12-oz. portion, or approximately 3 g per 8-oz. portion.
Electrolytes
Both Gatorade and Accelerade contain electrolytes to replace those lost in sweat while exercising. Gatorade contains 110 mg sodium and 30 mg potassium per 8-oz. serving of the Perform Series. It also contains chloride, another essential electrolyte. Accelerade also contains sodium and potassium -- 190 mg and 65 mg, respectively, per 12-oz. serving. This translates to approximately 127 mg and 43 mg per 8-oz. serving.
Calories
A 4-oz. serving of Gatorade Prime contains 100 calories, an 8-oz. serving of Gatorade Perform contains 50 calories and an 8-oz. serving of Gatorade Recover contains 60 calories. All Accelerade products contain 120 calories per 12-oz. serving, or approximately 80 calories per 8-oz. serving. For both of these products, sugar is the main source of calories.
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