I hate Gatorade. It's disgusting. I can only handle drinking it under two circumstances.

The first, being a long distance race, where it is passed out in little cups. After guzzling water and experiencing hyponatremia during the LA Marathon in the 2002, I've learned the importance of proper hydration., including electrolyte replenishment.

I'll also drink Gatorade when sick, in small doses and always through a straw. I like to get it straight down, so that I don't have to taste it much. 

On Tuesday night, I asked Dan to make a grocery run to pick up some Gatorade to combat the dehydration that I was experiencing from this stomach bug that I have had since Saturday. It's severe. 

Dan brought home four small bottles of Fruit Punch flavored Gatorade. Fruit Punch is slightly more tolerable than other flavors of Gatorade. I stuck my straw in the bottle and took a few sips, when Dan informed me that Gatorade contains a flame retardant chemical and has been banned in Europe.

What???? You must be joking???

Yes, a flame retardant chemical and banned in Europe.

And my boyfriend still bought it for me. Clearly, he has dark motives.

I tried to brush off the new facts, but ended up recapping the Gatorade and putting it back into the fridge, 2/3 full.

In the middle of the night (this stomach bug is keeping me up to all hours) I went on the internet to get to the bottom of this whole Gatorade scare. Not that I didn't believe Dan, but I had to know more.

It's true. It's called Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO) and is used as a flavor emulsifier.  However, it's only in certain Gatorade drinks, those with citrus flavoring. My Fruit Punch has never contained the chemical. Many other citrus drinks also contain the chemical, such as Mountain Dew, Fanta Orange, Squirt and Powerade.

There are mixed views as to whether or not BVO poses a health risk. A teenager in Mississippi, Sarah Kavanagh, started an online petition to have it removed and Pepsico Inc. (makers of Gatorade), has responded by reformulating the drinks that currently contain BVO. The new formula will appear on shelves in early 2013. They still maintain that BVO does not pose a health risk, but are conceding to public pressure.

I nearly thought that I had a sound excuse to avoid vile Gatorade.