[mzarate06]

One of the best moves wrt nutrition, fitness, and productivity I've made the last couple years is adding electrolytes to my supplement stack.

I've always been deliberate about having sufficient water intake, but supplementing electrolytes on top of that made a small, but noticeable, difference. I take a small amount by pill w/each meal (along w/a multi-vitamin, etc.), and via powder form in my water or beverage once a day. I feel more refreshed and focused while at work or at the gym, and I no longer experience muscle cramps (I never had them frequently, but being deliberate about electrolyte intake has removed them entirely).

So, while the study focused on 'hydration', it's worth remembering that doesn't comprise of water intake alone. My performance and focus on sufficient water intake, while ok, felt inferior compared to sufficient water intake + electrolyte supplementation.

[jairuhme]

Any brands/products you recommend? I've done Liquid IV, but they can get costly and not sure if its just because they are a brand name at this point

[righthand]

I sub 1T sugar for honey and add 1/2 Lemon when I make mine.

You’ll want the WHO recipe for Oral Rehydration Salts:

https://rehydrate.org/solutions/homemade.htm#recipe

Preparing 1 (one) Litre solution using Salt, Sugar and Water at Home Mix an oral rehydration solution using the following recipe. Ingredients:

2T Sugar

Half (1/2) level teaspoon of Salt

One Litre of clean drinking or boiled water and then cooled - 5 cupfuls (each cup about 200 ml.)

Preparation Method:

Stir the mixture till the salt and sugar dissolve.

[righthand]

Addendum: I believe the basis for electrolytes is salt and water; the sugar is there for taste. You will find the WHO recipe has a similar Gatorade kind of taste. That’s the sugar and salt flavors mixed. Perhaps the sugar changes the water polarity? But you can do what ever you want after 1L of water + 1/2 tsp salt and some sort of sugars. 1/8 tsp (pinch) baking soda is another popular addition.

> An electrolyte is a medium containing ions that are electrically conductive through the movement of those ions, but not conducting electrons. This includes most soluble salts, acids, and bases dissolved in a polar solvent, such as water.[0]

[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolyte

[hollerith]

I use cherry juice in my oral rehydration solution.

[HumblyTossed]

Seems like a lot of sugar.

[GoodOldNe]

You need to have the sugar because it is required to transport sodium across the cell membrane in the intestine. Without the sugar you will not absorb the salt, which is what helps maintain hydration and electrolyte balance. This discovery has possibly saved roughly as many lives as antibiotics.

[righthand]

Hence the honey, plus you get magnesium and potassium from honey.

Probably no more or even less processed sugar than packaged and processed electrolyte offerings.

[ineedaj0b]

if you cut out all processed sugar, this is a good amount. I only eat meat and veggies and adding small amounts of honey and fruit made a difference

[xwowsersx]

I've recently started using REDMOND Re-Lyte Hydration Electrolyte Mix, and it has been working well for me. I know you can make your own electrolyte mix at home, but I find that the convenience makes it easier for me to adhere to some kind of hydration routine.

[brandonmenc]

TRIORAL unflavored. 100 packs for $40 on Amazon.

I always have a handful of these on me when I travel. Good if you get food poisoning or a hangover.

Plus they just taste good with a few squirts of water flavoring and some ice.

[SoftTalker]

Personally I would not buy any kind of supplements on Amazon.

[firloop]

I like Nuun a lot

[IAmGraydon]

Make your own. Look up oral rehydration solution. Use the newer formula. You can buy the ingredients on Amazon as bulk powder.

[canucktrash669]

All great till the last line. Given fakes and product commingling, I’d be careful about ingesting anything bought there.

[IAmGraydon]

Ok fair enough. Certainly you should be careful when sourcing.

[dudeinjapan]

Brawndo. It has the electrolytes plants crave.

[ImPostingOnHN]

Search for electrolytes in humans, then buy those substances.

Examples: Salt; Potassium citrate; Magnesium citrate.

[Aerroon]

If it's one of those fizzy tablets you put into water then magnesium carbonate and potassium carbonate work too as long as they contain citric acid. They will react (the fizzing) and create the citrate.

Another source of potassium is "low sodium salt". This is often the cheapest form of potassium you can easily get.