Electrolyte powders come in all different flavors, mineral concentrations, and sweetener options.
Theyre sold to athletes, to dieters, and as a hangover cure.
But how many of us can actually benefit from taking electrolytes?
And how many of the hydration “facts” we hear on social media are actually myths?
If youre expecting me to say that electrolytes are useless, thats not exactly true.
I love a cold swig of LMNT when I come home from a sweaty summer run.
I appreciate electrolytes many functions in the human body.
Most of them are trying to solve a problem of their own making.
But more about that in a minute.
First, lets look at what electrolytes really do, and who can benefit.
What are electrolytes?
Table salt, for example, is sodium chloride.
(The electro in the name comes from the fact that these ions have an electrical charge.
Distilled waterdoes not conduct electricity.)
Our body needs a variety of chemical elements to work, and those include electrolytes.
And since we cant make chemical elements from scratch, we need to get them in our diet.
When you hear about vitamins and minerals as micronutrients, those minerals include electrolytes.
Forget the supplements for a minutewe normally get electrolytes in our food.
Anything with salt in it provides sodium and chloride, for example.
There are only two minerals where people commonly fall short, according to theDietary Guidelines for Americans.
These are calcium and potassium.
Alongside that, a typical sodium loss may be 3,500 to 7,000 milligrams.
One way to illustrate this is to weigh yourself before and after going for a run in the summertime.
If you lose two pounds, for example, thats about a literor two water bottles worth.
The most important electrolyte to replace in this case is sodium.
(If youre replacing electrolytes, youdontwant low-sodium sources.
And, honestly, you could have figured this out yourself.
Ive been dehydrated, and Ive been hung over.
Despite some minor similarities (nausea, headache), theyre entirely different experiences.
If youre dehydrated, a glass of water will fix you right up.
Because theyre supplements, of course.
The electrolyte boom also builds off the escalating advice to drink more and more water.
(This is not necessary.)
Ironically, the marketing pitch Im seeing most often on TikTok and the like is a response to that.
Are you going to the bathroom constantly?
Are you peeing almost clear?
Not drinkingless,no no.
The solution is to follow my link in bio and buy some electrolytes to add to your water.
Or maybe youd like a DIY solution.
Since lemons have magical health properties (I amkidding, okay?)
we add lemon juice and sea salt to our water bottle.
(Itdoesnt have any significant amount of the other electrolytes.)
So you arent missing out on any significant sources of electrolytes by filtering your water.
Is it bad to drink a lot of electrolytes?
Just pay attention to your total sodium intake, and ensure youre not getting astronomical levels.
Pay attention to the numbers and use a little common sense.
