Whiteley Creek Homestead

I try to feel compassion for others, but it just slipped through, as I selfishly thought, "Better him than me." Dick had a colonoscopy today. The procedure itself is unpleasant enough, but ooooooh. The prep beforehand. The best I could offer him was a healthy alternative to the Gatorade that the Miralax (polyethylene glycol) powder laxative is mixed into. Have you ever read Gatorade's ingredients label?  Water, sucrose, dextrose, citric acid, natural flavor (natural flavor does not necessarily ensure that natural ingredients are being used… it often takes many different chemicals to create natural flavor), salt, sodium citrate, monopotassium phosphate, gum arabic, yellow 6 (orange flavored Gatorade), glycerol ester of rosin, and brominated vegetable oil. A 12 oz serving size contains 21 grams of sugar. It means that, during the two hour period recommended for consuming the 64 oz Gatorade/Miralax mixture, 112 grams of sugar are ingested. I learned from my Internet search that I am not alone in my quest for an alternative to Gatorade. Disappointedly, I wasn't able to discover an answer until… I intently, deliberately, focused my attention down the juice aisle at the Good Earth Food Co-op in St. Cloud. It was there that I found an R.W. Knudsen product called "Recharge" Flavored Sports Drink that looked suspiciously similar to Gatorade minus the scary stuff.

Ingredients: filtered water, white grape, orange, and lemon juice concentrates, natural flavor, sea salt, beta carotene (for color), and electrolytes. No sugar added (except what is naturally present in the fruit). An 8 oz serving size contains 17 g of sugar which is a total of 136 g of sugar in the recommended 64 oz mixed with Miralax. That's 24 g more than Gatorade, but it's sourced from fruits. During the colon cleanse, the purpose of the sugar is to supply an energy boost and help your body absorb the water and electrolytes as quickly as possible. The electrolytes prevent the risk of dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. The Good Earth Food Co-op had another product called "Endure" Performance Electrolyte that could be added to fruit juice if you wanted to make your own Gatorade replacement.

The bottle recommends 2.5 tsp per gallon. Confirming the proper dosage with a doctor may be advisable. By the way, the entire pathway throughout Dick's colon looks healthy. No issues.