Review: Gatorade Natural

I recently received these two bottles to try out the new Gatorade Natural drinks, which are now available at Whole Foods stores.  I don't normally buy sports drinks, but I figured it would be interesting to try out a new formulation of Gatorade.  There are a few positive changes to these drinks, according to the press release that came with the bottles:

- Natural versions of Gatorade Thirst Quencher and low-calorie G2 made with natural flavors, colors and ingredients.

- Provide the same scientifically proven hydration and performance benefits as Gatorade Thirst Quencher and G2.
 

Since I already like the regular Orange Gatorade, it's really no surprise that I'd like the G Natural Orange Citrus flavor as well.  This one tasted significantly less sweet, in a good way.  You definitely still get that hyper-orange flavor you'd expect, but it's dialed back a few notches for sure.  I would definitely buy this flavor again! 

The G2 Natural Berry bottle was good, but I didn't like it as much as the Orange Citrus.  This is mainly based on personal preferences, as I tend to prefer orange flavors over berry flavors, especially for drinks.  It had that sorta "miscellaneous berry" flavor thing going on that I don't really like, because to me it's a little too close to "medicinal" in flavor.  However, like the Orange Citrus, the sweetness was dialed down so it wasn't as artificial tasting as I expected it to be. 

I tried out both of these over the course of a week after working out at the gym.  Did I notice any sort of performance-related benefits from drinking these?  Not really, although they were both refreshing to have after working out.  I'm probably not the best person to test out the performance benefits since I'm not a marathon runner or anything, ha.  I didn't notice any negative side effects though, so that's a plus? Haha. 

For another blogger's perspective of these new Gatorade drinks, check out Q's blog here.  If you are already a fan of Gatorade and/or like having it around at home, I'd recommend trying out these natural versions to see how you like them.  Also, if anyone's interested in more information or coupons, let me know!