by Matt Weik
Gatorade has been the go-to hydration beverage for as long as I can remember. Heck, it was all I drank back when I considered myself an “athlete.” During my collegiate playing days, we used Gatorade, and there was nothing else out there that we really even considered using. Today, competitors in the space are making some noise, and BioSteel is one of them.
If you go to the grocery store and look on the shelves, you’d find a bunch of Gatorade products, PowerAde, and even Body Armor. The problem with many of these hydration drinks is that they’re loaded with sugar. While that may not be a concern of yours, for many, it is.
Let’s take a deeper dive into hydration drinks and even do a little comparing of Gatorade and BioSteel.
BioSteel is Making Some Serious Moves
Gatorade has more than enough money to blow on sponsorships and athletes. One of their most famous athletes was none other than the GOAT, Michael Jordan.
That said, if you aren’t all that familiar with BioSteel, they have many athletes on their roster who you probably recognize. Some of their athletes include Patrick Mahomes, Luka Doncic, and Ezekiel Elliott, just to name a few. Even more impressive is that they have coaches and major names in the industry under their brand, too, such as Gunnar Peterson, Steve Nash, and Erin Andrews. We’re talking about some serious movers and shakers in their respective professions.
BioSteel is also the official sports hydration partner of the NHL — which is a pretty big deal. They are also involved in US Soccer and USA Hockey. But overall, their brand is spread all across the NBA, NFL, MLS, MLB, and more.
Sure, Gatorade has a ton of sponsorships and athletes, but BioSteel is giving them a run for their money and forcing them to rethink not only their marketing but also their product formulas.
Why is Hydration Important?
What many people fail to realize is that hydration not only keeps us safe from adverse health effects, but those who don’t properly rehydrate can see their athletic performance significantly drop when dehydration starts to set in. This all can take place when exercising or playing out in the heat, or even simply pushing your body to where you perspire heavily.
When you push your body to its limits or in heat, your body sweats in order to lower your body temperature. Sweat pulls key electrolytes from the body, such as sodium, and draws them out through sweat (water).
You don’t even need to suffer from severe dehydration either, as the smallest shift in hydration levels (as little as a 2% drop) is enough to cause performance levels to noticeably suffer.
If you want to maintain your mental and cognitive functioning, endurance, and power production, you need to stay on top of your hydration levels — regardless of whether you’re in the gym getting in an intense workout or giving it your all while competing in an athletic competition.
How Does It Compare to Gatorade?
If you were to look at Gatorade and BioSteel, the first noticeable difference is the packaging. BioSteel uses a Tetra Pak, and Gatorade uses the tried-and-true plastic bottles that we are used to seeing.
BioSteel utilizes renewable resources that are better for the environment with a lower CO2 footprint. Additionally, they use a plant-based cap.
But looking deeper into the profiles, they are drastically different, which is why I think it’s important to get a better understanding of hydration beverages and what’s out on the market.
Again, for the longest time, we’ve considered Gatorade to be the gold standard, but is that only because they’ve been around the longest and have a huge marketing budget for commercials and sponsorships? Looking at the profiles tells a different story.
Comparing the two products, BioSteel utilizes five electrolytes while Gatorade uses two. When looking at total calories, Gatorade (using the 20oz bottle) contains 150 calories, whereas BioSteel only has 15 calories — that’s a pretty drastic difference.
Gatorade is loaded with 35g of sugar, while BioSteel has 0g. In terms of sweeteners, Gatorade includes sugar and dextrose, while BioSteel utilizes stevia leaf. And if you care about artificial ingredients and colors, Gatorade uses them, while BioSteel has natural flavors and colors.
When doing a side-by-side comparison of Gatorade and BioSteel, it’s night and day different. So much so that I’m not quite sure why anyone would want to use Gatorade anymore other than it’s going to be cheaper than the BioSteel hydration RTD.
Overall, if you’re an athlete and looking for a better-quality hydration product with more electrolytes, it may be time for you to throw your bottle of Gatorade to the side and opt for a beverage that contains better ingredients and an overall better profile — something like the BioSteel hydration RTD.
