Hydration Products. Worth the Hype?
You're an athlete. Day in and day out, you sweat! Your fluid losses are quite high. Did you know that along with fluid, you are losing electrolytes in your sweat too? It's true. Along with fluid, you are also losing sodium. potassium. magnesium and calcium, which are your four most important electrolytes.
These minerals are important because they help to regulate how much water is absorbed into your muscle cells, maintaining your hydration level. Without an ample amount of electrolytes, water may pass through your body unabsorbed.
If you are eating healthy, you are likely getting enough potassium, magnesium and calcium. The downside to eating healthy is that our sodium intake tends to be low. This is where "electrolyte supplements" or "hydration products" may need to come into play.
I want to make it clear that you can certainly get an ample amount of electrolytes through food. Like I said if you are eating fresh fruits, veggies, and dairy, you are likely hitting your mark with potassium, magnesium, and calcium. You can also take in plenty of sodium if you are eating foods such as broth based soups, pickles, pretzels, cheese, cottage cheese, salt dressing. bread, canned veggies, vegetable juice, and jarred tomato sauce. This may be perfectly fine on regular training days to meet your needs.
On days where you are practicing for a longer duration, at a higher intensity, in hotter than normal environments, when its humid, if you train at altitude, or when you just have not been consuming an adequate amount of electrolytes for some reason, then an electrolyte supplement may needed. I often find them convenient as well for when traveling to competitions.
Which one should you take? Well that depends. These supplements I'm going to review, vary in their sodium content, relative to potassium, magnesium and calcium. Some have sugar, and some have artificial sweeteners. Let's talk in more detail about some of the most popular hydration products on the market right now. For the purposes of this blog article I'm sign to compare the amount of sodium, potassium, artificial sweeteners (AS) and sugar. There are so many variables to talk about so I will keep things simple here.
Nuun Sport Tablets
300 mg sodium, 150 mg potassium, 1 g sugar, stevia leaf sweetener
The ratio of sodium to potassium is beneficial for water absorption. I would use these if you need to ensure adequate hydration, such as leading up to a big race or game, or on warmer and more humid days when you are not sufficiently acclimated. You can add a table to your water bottle and sip on it over a period of time. Nuun tablets do have a small about of dextrose and stevia to sweeten them (1 g sugar and 15 calories). 1 g sugar is negligible.
Salt Stick Caps
215 mg sodium, 63 mg potassium, no sugar, no AS
While these have slightly less sodium and potassium compared to nuun tablets, since you swallow the entire pill at once you are getting all the s. There are no sweeteners and no sugar in these pills.
Gu Roctane Pills
140 mg sodium, 0 mg potassium, no sugar, no AS
These electrolyte pills have even less sodium and no potassium. They also do not contain sweeteners or sugar. Like Salt Stick Caps, swallowing a pill delivers a higher dose of electrolytes at one time.
Base Salt
290 mg sodium, 2.6 mg potassium, no sugar, no AS
This supplement resembles straight up salt. It tastes like it too. It gets absorbed in your mouth for a faster absorption rate. You can also add it to water or food to slow down that absorption.
LMNT
1000 mg sodium, 200mg potassium, no sugar, stevia leaf sweetener
This is the highest amount of sodium that most other electrolyte supplements. If you are a heavier sweater or are training in hot and humid environments this may be for you. Some athletes who don't need as high of a level of electrolytes dilute it even more. Its versatile and has a salty and sweet flavor.
Skratch Hydration
380 mg sodium, 76 mg potassium, 19 g sugar (cane sugar), no AS
This product has a favorable sodium: potassium ratio for most athletes. It does, however also contain sugar so you would have to take this into account as you feel before and during your event. It's made with all natural ingredients which makes it popular among health conscious athletes.
UCAN Hydrate
30 mg sodium, 100 mg potassium, 0 g sugar, stevia extract sweetener
This hydration powder has a lower than normal sodium content than what most typical athlete need in an electrolyte supplement. It's a great company for athletes who are not heavy sweaters OR athlete who use this in conjunction with another electrolyte supplement.
Biosteel
140 mg sodium 43 mg potassium, 1 g sugar, stevia leaf extract sweetener
This is a good products for moderate sweaters. If you are a heavy sweater and like bio steel, I suggest purchasing the powder and doubling up on serving size. You can also just take in more of this throughout the day so that your sodium levels are high enough to reach optimal hydration status.
Ultima
55 mg sodium, 250 mg potassium, 0 mg sugar, stevia leaf sweetener
The product is very low in sodium and very high in potassium. Its not ideal for hydration unless you are not a heavy sweater or if you are simply using this to increase your water intake by flavoring your water.
Liquid IV
500 mg sodium, 370mg potassium, 10 grams sugar (cane sugar, dextrose)
This product is not only high in sodium but also high in potassium. It could be a good choice if you have a high sweat rate. It also contains sugar, so similarly to Skratch you need to account for that when using it before, during or after activity!
Hydration is a very individual aspect of sports nutrition. I suggest consulting with a sports dietitian to calculate your sweat rate and fluid needs. Then you can try a few products that are appropriate for your specific needs and see which ones you enjoy the taste of and make you feel good.
This is in no way an exhaustive list of electrolyte products. If you have a question about one that's not on this list feel free to DM me on instagram and I can give you my feedback.
Drink up!
Jenn xoxo
