Sports Drinks, Palisadian Style

By SARAH SHMERLING | Managing Editor

Back to school season is in full swing—and that means kids are getting active again.

When they hit the field, instead of serving young athletes “sugar-laden juice boxes and other drinks filled with chemicals,” why not refresh them with something made with organic certified flavors and colorings? Something only containing natural sweeteners and formulated with vitamins and minerals?

And best of all: local. K+ sports drinks were developed by two Huntington families—the Colóns and Milners—who wanted to do just that.

“We wanted to make something that was healthier for our young athletes,” Velena Colón explained to the Palisadian-Post. The product took two years of formulation with a food lab in Northern California along with the input of Los Angeles-based nutritionists, sports dietitians and athletic trainers to create three flavors—fruit punch, orange and lime—with plans to introduce more in the future.

“They really love the flavors,” Colón shared. “Kids have pretty diverse palettes, but there’s resounding love for the fruit punch. We’re happy we’ve been able to give kids a relatively guilt-free choice of flavors.”

The families did some taste tests with their own kids, as well as their friends and some friends of friends. They reported that K+ came out on top every time.

Colón explained that while she would prefer that young athletes rehydrate with water, she realizes that isn’t always going to happen.

“With all of the flavored beverages on the market, that is a pretty unrealistic goal,” she said. “We chose to make an all-natural product, rather than using artificial sweeteners, so K+ isnt calorie-fee or sugar-free. It is made with organic and natural flavors that your kids’ bodies can process naturally and efficiently.”

The product is USDA Organic Certified and ranges from 70-90 calories per 16.9 ounce bottle with only 14 grams of sugar—less than half of the sugar in other leading sports drinks. There are no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives; no high fructose corn syrup.

K+ is currently available at Gelson’s and Bristol Farms, and can be ordered from Amazon or the K+ website.

“K+ organics is a company and brand that cares about what our young athletes are putting in their tank,” Colón said. “We want our athletes to care about what fuel they choose when active. Our goal is to have products that live up to our mantra of ‘zero hype, all good.’”

For more information, visit kplusorganics.com.