Unfortunately, we have not come across sports drinks that provide a balanced proportion of the most important essential minerals. Most sports drinks are either completely lacking in calcium and magnesium, or have these essential macrominerals only in trace quantities.

Further, sports drinks are typically very rich in sodium (and sugars), and many do not have sufficient potassium to balance all that sodium.

From a health perspective, the worst ingredients in sports drinks are various artificial colors and flavors — these ingredients are added simply for their mass market appeal, and do not serve any health purpose. In fact, most artificial ingredients tend to have undesirable effects in the body if regularly consumed over time, something that most health-conscious moms have known for decades.