What a Sports Dietitian Says About Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola as a performance enhancer? You probably didn't see that coming on a sports nutrition podcast! But hold on, there's more here than meets the eye. Today, we're diving into how Coca-Cola, often seen as a guilty pleasure, can actually play a role in an athlete's nutrition plan.

The Role of Sugar in Sports Nutrition
First, let's talk about sugar. Carbohydrates are our primary source of fuel as endurance athletes. During prolonged endurance events, our carbohydrate stores (like glycogen in our muscles) are depleted, and simple sugars, which are easy to digest and provide quick energy, become vital.

Coke contains these simple sugars and can provide us with a quick energy boost. In Australia, for example, Coca-Cola has 10 grams of carbs per 100 ml, making it a more potent source of carbohydrates than a standard sports drink.

Sodium and Electrolytes:
Managing your hydration is super important for endurance athletes because your performance will decrease if you become dehydrated. While Coca-Cola does provide some sodium, it’s a pretty small amount with 10mg of sodium per 100ml in Australia or 12mg in the US. You’re unlikely to meet your sodium needs with Coke alone, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a valuable part of your bigger hydration plan.

The Caffeine Factor
Coca-Cola's biggest advantage over standard sports drinks is its caffeine content. Caffeine is well-known to boost alertness and reduce fatigue, which is crucial during endurance activities. With about 10 mg of caffeine per 100 ml, a regular can of Coke can offer that extra edge late into your endurance event. However, remember that caffeine needs vary from person to person, and too much caffeine can have negative effects. Like so many things in sports nutrition, you need to match your intake to your needs.

A Balanced Approach
While Coca-Cola can be a handy tool for endurance athletes, it lacks other nutrients and is known to be harmful to your teeth, so you want to use it intentionally and sparingly. Here’s some tips to incorporate Coca-Cola into your sports nutrition plan effectively:

Test it During Training: Never introduce Coca-Cola for the first time during a race. Test it during your training to understand how your body reacts.

Combine with Other Nutrients: Don’t try to fuel a whole race with just coke. Balance your race plan with whole foods to ensure your nutrient needs are met. The same goes for your hydration. Coca-Cola alone won't be enough, especially during longer events, so make sure your strategy includes plenty of water and electrolytes.

Degas It: Consider degassing Coke before consuming it during events to avoid gastrointestinal discomfort from the carbonation.

Listener Question:
Our listener question today comes from Calvin Amos, a pro triathlete. Calvin asks how much weight should fluctuate throughout the year. To answer this question, I considered some things that I know about Calvin, like his level of performance, and the fact he is vegan. Based on that, race weight and off-season weight should only differ by about 1 to 2 kilograms for an athlete like Calvin.

It’s important to remember that weighing yourself on a scale leaves out a lot of important factors So, at his level of competition, I recommend regular body composition assessments that can more accurately track your body composition.

So, was this what you expected to hear about Coca-Cola and sports nutrition?

Maybe not, but if used strategically Coke can be a great addition to your nutritional strategy! Just remember that nutritional strategies are highly personalised, so consult a professional to find what works best for you!

LINKS:

Check how well you’re doing when it comes to your nutrition with our 50 step checklist to Triathlon Nutrition Mastery: dietitianapproved.com/checklist

Start working on your nutrition now with my Triathlon Nutrition Kickstart course: dietitianapproved.com/kickstart

It’s for you if you’re a triathlete and you feel like you’ve got your training under control and you’re ready to layer in your nutrition. It's your warmup on the path to becoming a SUPERCHARGED triathlete – woohoo!

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