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Santa Madre: Energy Drinks
In this article: review and opinion of Santa Madre’s range of energy drinks.
Energy drinks, also known as sports drinks or isotonic drinks (which not all are), have become tremendously popular in recent years thanks to increased interest in exercise and healthy lifestyles. Their use is primarily for rehydration, however, they have three possible functions:
- Hydration and rehydration during prolonged physical activity, as they increase the amount of electrolytes and minerals in the blood.
- Delaying fatigue during exercise, thanks to its high carbohydrate content, which favors the rapid and safe generation of energy.
- Prevention of muscle cramps also thanks to the presence of electrolytes in its composition that delay fatigue and prevent tension from accumulating in the muscles.
Depending also on the composition of the beverages, they can have other effects on the athletes’ bodies. For example, some are enriched with vitamins, so it can be highly beneficial to drink them with a certain frequency, and others have high energy capacity for ultra-endurance sports.
When to take an energy drink
The amount and frequency of energy drink intake can vary depending on a variety of factors:
- When it is hot and you sweat more than usual (e.g., during a workout or a day at the beach). The additional salts in the drink can help keep the body cool by ensuring that salt is available when sweat is lost through perspiration.
- If you exercise regularly, the body will lose water and electrolytes through sweat. This can have a negative effect on performance as well as heart and muscle health. By consuming an isotonic drink after exercise, you can replenish these losses, which helps speed recovery from muscle damage and reduce the risk of cramping or heat stroke.
- Isotonic drinks also play a role in preventing hyponatremia (low sodium levels). It is important not to overdo it with fluids: drinking too much water without ingesting electrolytes can cause hyponatremia by diluting the electrolyte balance that is essential for normal body function.
The ideal is to drink them during training or competition, or take a few sips before starting if the activity to be performed is going to be very demanding.
Ingredients
Focusing on Santa Madre‘s range of beverages. The first thing we want to highlight is its careful formulation, something that has always been a reason to buy its products. Few brands take so much care in this aspect, and for us it is crucial in a product that we ingest.
Santa Madre energy drinks do not contain stimulating ingredients such as taurine or caffeine, but are made up of a mixture of mineral salts (Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium…) and a series of rapidly absorbed ingredients that promote immediate hydration (Vitamins B6, C, B2…).
Of course, they contain large amounts of carbohydrates and sugars (Isomaltulose, Maltodextrin, Dextrose), which is what we need during the effort. The percentage of carbohydrates that an isotonic drink should contain is between 6% and 9%, if it is lower, the drink may not do its job, whereas if it is higher, then we will be in the presence of a hypertonic drink (as is the UNUSUAL FUEL 100CHO) and, therefore, its action on the body will be completely different.
Santa Madre Beverage Range
And now we review the entire range of Santa Madre isotonic beverages, highlighting their type of packaging and functions.
ISOTONIC ELECTROLYTE DRINK
Isotonic drink to be taken before, during and after sports practice. Rich in mineral salts, non cariogenic (does not produce cavities). Available in various formats:
- 18 g sachet ready to be mixed in a 500 ml of water.
- Pack of 270 g.
- 540 g pack.
And in 3 flavors: Lemon, Orange and Cola.
Link to ISOTONIC ELECTROLYTE DRINK
One of the formats we like the most is the 18 g sachet. Since you can transport them on the go in a very comfortable way and use them when you are most interested. The flavor as always spectacular. As for the amount of CHO we would be taking 16 g per dose (sachet or scoop for 500 ml of water).
CARBOFUEL 45CHO
Energy drink rich in carbohydrates and mineral salts to take during effort. It provides 45 g of carbohydrates per serving and 400 mg of sodium, so it not only has a high carbohydrate content but also a very high concentration of mineral salts.
Formats:
- Sachet of 52 g.
- Package of 832 g.
This drink has been designed for endurance sports, ideal for working on high-carbohydrate nutritional strategies. With its 1:0.5 ratio, it allows us to work with total guarantees up to 90 g of CHO per hour, avoiding the drop in performance due to glycogen depletion and improving recovery once the effort is over.
UNUSUAL FUEL 100CHO
Long distance drink that provides 100 g of carbohydrate per 500 ml and 1000 mg of sodium. It is a specialized drink for long-distance sports and for athletes who work with large amounts of carbohydrates per hour.
Formats:
- Sachet of 107 g.
- Pack of 9 sachets of 107 g.
This drink has been designed based on hundreds of scientific articles, physiological data and several field studies. UNUSUAL FUEL works in a revolutionary 1:1 ratio, thus giving more prominence to the GLUT5 transporter, where until now it was believed to saturate at 30g / h, this is able to absorb more load can assimilate more and together with the GLUT1 transporter thus achieve overcome the barrier of 110 g of carbohydrate per hour. This type of strategy must always be preceded by specific training, since it has been seen that GLUT5 improves considerably with stimuli increasing its workload.
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