Dance and thirst go hand in hand! We all know that hydration is important but we shouldn't drink just anything. If you value your health and dance, it is important to choose wisely what to drink to quench thirst. The general rule of thumb is that majority of drinks are fine. However, some of them can have serious health implications and should be avoided. Here's a list:

Energy drinks

In the USA, the FDA investigates deaths and injuries caused by these caffeine bombs. Energy drink restrictions are being considered based on false advertising. One energy drink contains as much sugar as 30 Jelly beans. What you get is a burst of energy which doesn't come from sugar but caffeine as each energy drink contains between 200 and 350 mg of caffeine.
You get the actual dance energy only if you eat and metabolize actual food. The high sugar level contained in energy drinks boosts your energy for a short time thanks to caffeine which stimulates the central nervous system. Surely, a bit of caffeine is perfectly ok and can make you more alert. However, abundance of caffeine on a daily basis can result in a higher risk of injury for dancers due to the following three reasons:
- caffeine suppresses appetite and this makes you nervous
- energy drinks lead to dehydration which results in fatigue and weak stability
- energy drinks and other drinks with high levels of caffeine are acidic which may lead to decalcification and stress fracture

Juices, powders and shakers with excessive doses of vitamins

Generally, the body doesn't absorb nutrients well if taken in excessive doses at a time. Our bodies absorb nutrients which come from the real food better because the food contains other elements that help absorb vitamins. Dancers should take vitamin supplements carefully, including drinks containing such supplements.
B vitamins are often added to juices and energy drinks. However, only very few people really suffer from deficiency of B vitamins. They actually don't boost energy. The energy is boosted by sugar, fats and proteins.
Be careful with vitamin C powder drinks. A man usually needs 45-85 mg of vitamin C a day, not 1000 mg! In fact such vitamin C is ascorbic acid which if used in high doses results in decalcification of bones and a risk of stress fractures.
Some supplements are fine and can be quite useful for example vitamin D. It is very difficult to get it into your menu and dancers are not very often exposed to the sun. So the supplement of 400-600 IU is useful but not more! Vitamin D in excessive doses can be toxic.

Sweetened beverages

Dancers can't afford to drink empty calories. Many kinds of soft drinks, tea and juice can contain more sugar than a pack of candy. So called diet or sugar free drinks contain artificial sweeteners that may be as much as 600 times sweeter than regular sugar. They just alter the perception of sweet in our mouth. So this is how you can lose your taste and joy of strawberries in the summer and carrots in the winter.
Low calorie index sugar replacements (xylitol, sorbitol, etc.) may cause nausea and gas when consumed excessively. Even so called natural sweeteners are made chemically. Don't get fooled by the term "natural" ... nonsense. We can get these in a genuinely natural form only from meat, e.g. chicken meat.
Women who regularly drink sweet drinks may suffer a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and strokes also in case they're not overweight. Sweet drinks also have an impact on the women's waist although the weight might stay the same. Even a small change in your hydration routine can have a giant impact on your waist size.

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