Are there different flavored sports drinks out there besides the standard Pocari/Aquarius/”light” flavor?
I have chronic illness and sometimes have to drink large amounts of electrolyte drinks or even mix medication with them before procedures. I go to the hospital and they recommend drinking pocari or some other “light” flavored drink. I just associate the flavor with being sick now and the taste makes me nauseous and want to gag even if I’m perfectly healthy. When I’m already sick, it just makes me feel worse. I have the same problem with the “light blue” flavor of sports drinks back in my home country. I’ve tried to find other flavors and sometimes I can find a lemon flavor that I stock up on in case of emergencies but it’s hard to find.
In all the stores I’ve looked in, it’s mostly all pocari, aquarius, or ion water. There have to be other flavors, right…?
edit: thanks for all of the suggestions, everyone! some of the solutions/alternatives seem really obvious now but tbh, i’m sick and not feeling too sharp. i’ll make with what i have for now but definitely look up alternatives when i’m better!
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Amazon has big containers of Gatorade powder. The lemon lime is king in summer.
There used to be. Discontinued maybe…. 15? years ago.
Tbf I love pocari sweat Ion water (the flavor isn’t so strong) maybe u can mix it with another stronger tasting drink like orange juice?
Fine Sports Drink, Ion Drink with… https://www.amazon.jp/dp/B07H73H8HF?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
Donki and some konbini sell flavoured water / 0kcal drinks called もも水 マンゴー水 etc on 1L cartons. Most likely doesn’t have electrolytes but if you do have something to mix in these are super easy to drink and come in several flavors, I chug these like crazy
Because I am not a big fan of sports drinks, what I do in the summer when I need hydrate (like when I am playing golf, is to prepare my own sports drink in a large thermos bottle using a 200-ml pack of grapefruit juice and some salt, and diluting it with water and ice. When I don’t need the sugar, I just dilute plum vinegar (梅酢) with water.
All you need is some green tea (or herbal tea, or fruit juice), some sugar, salt, and if your exercise will continue for more than two hours, maltodextrin.
If you add more salt and sugar than in the human body, it’ll be a hypertonic drink, if less hypotonic, if equal isotonic (comes especially into play if you work out and sweat extensively).
Instead of the expensive Pocari, try the Top Valu ion sports drink sold at AEON and Max Valu. Much cheaper and tastes nearly the same.
Otherwise, you could order or let someone buy instant electrolyte powders from any country, then you are not limited to a few flavors.
if you skip the drink isle and go to the health foods/powdered drinks part of the grocery store, you can find oral rehydration solution in flavors like orange or apple by brands like asahi or Meiji.
these are real ORS, so they’re strong – they’re saltier, but you could potentially get by while drinking less.
they’re also sold in jelly pouches which might help.
There’s a green apple flavor of OS-1. Also, there are a few new OS-1 knockoffs with different flavors, though I can’t say I recommend them (Olympic sells one line of these). A little more hardcore than just a sports drink, but maybe along the lines of what you’re looking for.
I get tired of the lemon/ grapefruit taste also.. Is it too much to ask to have a few flavors?
I used to like dakara or green dakara but now I just taste sugar water so I stick to green tea.
I would check to see if BCAA EAAs are ok to mix with your meds, but there’s a whole universe of intra-exercise electrolyte powders out there to help diversify your flavor options, if compatible.
I usually buy Sky Water スカイウォーター. There are 3 flavors. Grapefruit, grape and lychee.
I mean, can’t you just add salt or [electrolyte powders](https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/dp/B07RXR3SN3/ref=m_pd_aw_vtp_sccl_1/356-7575273-4023552?pd_rd_w=Xm7wR&content-id=amzn1.sym.172e14bc-ac39-4fcc-bb19-d7f19faf2ecb&pf_rd_p=172e14bc-ac39-4fcc-bb19-d7f19faf2ecb&pf_rd_r=TX7ZNC48TFXBRYKCYHY2&pd_rd_wg=DmFrU&pd_rd_r=b192c489-20d3-44c1-a5cc-0cdf55f092cf&pd_rd_i=B07RXR3SN3&psc=1) to pretty much *any* drink and voila, “sports” drink?
All a sports drink is is a kool-aid with electrolytes added.
I think there is a mugicha with some electrolytes added in.
IHerb sells different flavored electrolyte powders.
I exercise a lot and my favorite drink is Green DAKARA. But for some reasons, it upset my stomach if I drink too much of it : (
There’s that Lychee Okinawa Salt one that’s super good!
Try Amino Value, it’s an acquired taste but I generally prefer it over the other brands.
Bodymainte is also pretty good too!
The flavor of the Japanese sports drinks is muscat grape.
Not sure why they never tried to get any Gatorade style flavors like the yellow one, the red one, the orange one, the blue one, etc.
Make your own. You’re kinda boned out in town as far as choices go
2 cups of water
1 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of honey
A splash of shiquasa or lime juice to taste
Shake like a mf to blend and refrigerate
You can add other fruit juices to suit your tastes. Anything citris works well. I usually add a couple tablespoons of frozen OJ concentrate
Suntory has an ume flavored electrolyte drink out now! It’s super yummy and a nice change. But for actual oral rehydration drinks I also HIGHLY recommend OS-1. It does a waaay better job than anything along the lines of pocari sweat.