The best electrolyte drink without sugar (and how to make your own)

From the desk of Robb Wolf

If you’re limiting sugar, your options for electrolyte drinks are limited. You’re mostly just looking at sports drinks with enough sugar to rival Halloween candies.Most people are at least somewhat aware that sugary beverages aren’t the best electrolyte drink. But they drink them anyway. I have to get my electrolytes somehow, right? Yet, if you read the ingredients label, you don’t find a whole lot of electrolytes.You never find more than a couple hundred milligrams of sodium. And that doesn’t even begin to address the questions of potassium or magnesium.A couple hundred milligrams of sodium is almost negligible when you look at the data. Athletes can <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22150427/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">lose</a> up to 7 grams of sodium per day when exercising in warm climates.The worst part is the liquid sugar though. These electrolyte drinks have tons of it, and they’re making Americans fat, sick, and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2862465/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">metabolically inflexible</a>.Oral rehydration solutions contain sugar too, usually as glucose instead of high fructose corn syrup. These concoctions are great for replacing lost fluids and electrolytes, but the meme that you need sugar for everyday hydration just isn’t true. I’ll geek out on this later.I’ll also geek out on the problems with sugar and store-bought electrolyte drinks. Then I’ll show you how to make your own. (Don’t worry, it’s easy.)First, though, let’s talk about hydration at the most basic level.<h2>What Is Hydration?</h2>I define <a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/everything-you-need-to-know-about-hydration" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">hydration</a> differently than most people. Most people think that hydration is all about drinking water. But when you look at the science, it’s actually about optimal fluid balance in the body.According to the dictionary, both definitions are correct. But the fluid balance paradigm is way more useful for staying healthy and feeling good.What is optimal fluid balance? It’s having the perfect amount of water to keep your blood flowing, your skin moist, and your brain suspended in your cranium.By weight, we’re made mostly of H2O. It’s important to partition it properly.For a person with healthy kidneys, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5760509/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">fluid balancing happens</a> fairly automatically. For instance, if you drink too much water, antidiuretic hormone gets suppressed and you pee out the excess.And if you don’t drink enough water, osmoreceptors in your brain will sense that. Then you’ll get thirsty, drink something, and the system will be balanced again.Yet, water isn’t the only input that affects this system. That’s where electrolytes come in.What Do Electrolytes Do?<a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/what-are-electrolytes-and-why-are-they-important" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Electrolytes</a> are charged minerals with many functions in the human body including:<ul><li style="font-weight: 400">Conducting electricity to enable cellular communication</li><li style="font-weight: 400">Regulating heartbeat</li><li style="font-weight: 400">Mediating the activity of many hormones</li><li style="font-weight: 400">Modulating inflammation</li><li style="font-weight: 400">Regulating fluid balance (blood pressure, etc.)</li></ul>Let’s double click on the last bullet. It’s the most germane to hydration.Of the electrolytes gang, <a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/is-sodium-good-or-bad-for-you" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sodium</a> and potassium are the primary fluid balance regulators. Sodium regulates extracellular fluid balance (fluid outside cells) and potassium regulates intracellular fluid balance (fluid inside cells).Sodium and potassium come in through diet, supplements, and electrolyte drinks—and go out through sweat, urine, and feces. If what goes out consistently exceeds what comes in, you’ll develop a nutritional deficiency and fluid balance will be suboptimal.The consequences of sodium and potassium deficiencies include:<ul><li style="font-weight: 400">Headaches</li><li style="font-weight: 400">Fatigue</li><li style="font-weight: 400">Low energy</li><li style="font-weight: 400">Muscle cramps</li><li style="font-weight: 400">Brain fog</li></ul>Severe cases of low sodium (called <a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/hyponatremia" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">hyponatremia</a>) can lead to seizures, brain damage, or death. Hyponatremia is often caused by <a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/can-you-drink-too-much-water" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">excess consumption of sodium-free water</a>, a common practice among elite endurance athletes. When athletes <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24148616/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rehydrate</a> with salty water, the hyponatremia is reversed.Yet even mild cases of low sodium can cause a low-energy malaise. This is common in keto folks (known as “<a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/what-causes-keto-flu-and-6-keto-flu-remedies" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">keto flu</a>”) since a low-carb diet <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5858534/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">provokes</a> increased sodium loss through urine. Sodium is also lost through sweat.Low serum potassium (hypokalemia), on the other hand, usually results from potassium loss through diarrhea or vomiting.The takeaway is that an everyday electrolyte drink should focus on sodium first and potassium second.But there’s talk of sugar being useful for electrolyte absorption. Should an everyday electrolyte drink contain sugar too?<h2>Do You Need Sugar To Hydrate?</h2>No, you <a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/hydration-sugar" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">don’t need sugar to hydrate</a>. But glucose can accelerate electrolyte absorption. I’ll explain how this works, then I’ll explain why sugar isn’t essential for most hydration situations. Sodium and glucose share a couple of transporters—SGLT1 and SGLT2—in the small intestine. These transporters help <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3605518/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">deliver</a> sodium, glucose, and fluids through the gut and into the bloodstream.All things equal, adding glucose to a hydration solution will increase net absorption of sodium and fluids. This is the basis for oral rehydration therapy (ORT)—a protocol used in hospitals to rehydrate patients with infectious diarrhea and other maladies. ORT was super helpful to combat the cholera epidemics of decades past.ORT works. That’s undeniable. But do you need the sugar? Consider the following:<ul><li style="font-weight: 400">Besides glucose, many other compounds (ketones, amino acids, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4923077/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">butyrate</a>, and phosphorus) co-transport sodium across the gut.</li><li style="font-weight: 400">Sodium can <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780702033674000074" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">diffuse</a> through the gut without a co-transporter.</li><li style="font-weight: 400">A saltwater solution <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24148616/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">effectively reversed exercise-associated hyponatremia</a> in distance athletes. No glucose required.</li></ul>The final point is against the sugar itself. A little glucose won’t kill you, but consuming too much sugar has consequences.<h2>The Problem With Sugary Drinks</h2>The average American consumes a whopping <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27492320/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">17%</a> of their calories from added sugar. This approaches 20 teaspoons of sugar on a 2000 calorie diet.The majority of this sugar comes from sugar-sweetened beverages. Many electrolyte drinks—like Gatorade, Powerade, and anything else colored iridescent blue—fall into this category.The consequences of excess sugar consumption are beyond the scope of this article. I wrote a full article on <a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/how-sugar-is-making-us-sick" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">how sugar is making us sick</a>. But consider this partial list of chronic diseases linked to higher sugar intakes.Chronic diseases linked to sugar consumption:<ul><li>Heart disease. For each sugary beverage consumed daily, a person’s <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5793267/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">risk of heart disease</a> goes up by 10-20%.</li><li>Type 2 Diabetes. In over 90,000 women, drinking more than one sugary beverage per day (vs. one per week) <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15328324/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">translated</a> to an 83% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.</li><li>Cancer. High blood sugar from high sugar consumption fuels cancer via the Warburg Effect. (Warburg discovered that cancer cells love glucose.) Mice fed the equivalent of one sugary beverage per day developed <a style="font-weight: bold" href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190321141924.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more colon cancer</a> than control mice.</li><li>Kidney disease. When healthy adults consumed 2 liters of soda after exercise, they showed <a style="font-weight: bold" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30601706/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">markers</a> of kidney injury.</li><li>It doesn’t stop there. Sugar <a style="font-weight: bold" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2862465/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">drives</a> the obesity epidemic. Higher sugar intakes are <a style="font-weight: bold" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6662517/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">linked</a> to higher rates of cognitive decline. Sugar exacerbates gut issues. The list goes on, but you get the point. Besides, sugar isn’t the only problem with most electrolyte drinks.</li></ul><h2>Store-Bought Electrolyte Drinks: Pros and Cons</h2>Let’s talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of electrolyte drinks now.<h3>#1: Sports Drinks</h3>There are three big problems with sports drinks:<ol><li style="font-weight: 400">They contain loads of sugar</li><li style="font-weight: 400">They contain minimal electrolytes (like sodium)</li><li style="font-weight: 400">They contain artificial ingredients you don’t want</li></ol>Aside from the momentary taste-bud pleasure, there’s nothing positive about them. Steer clear, folks.<h3>#2: Oral rehydration solutions</h3>Oral rehydration solutions like Pedialyte are useful for replacing fluids and electrolytes in critical situations. If your kid is sick, Pedialyte may be useful medicine.Of course, these solutions do contain sugar. And if you’re restricting sugar on a low-carb or <a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/ketogenic-diet-what-you-need-to-know" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">keto diet</a>, even 6 grams of sugar is significant.They also contain artificial colors, flavors, and sweeteners with unknown effects on human health. They aren’t an everyday hydration option.<h3>#3: Electrolyte water and mineral water</h3>Can’t you just get electrolytes from sparkling mineral water or smartly-packaged “electrolyte water”? Unfortunately, that’s a losing strategy.Mineral waters have a bit of calcium but are generally low in sodium and potassium. Enjoy them in good health, but don’t count on them for electrolytes.And much of the time, store-bought electrolyte water isn’t actually <a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/electrolyte-water-benefits-and-best-sources" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">electrolyte water</a>. It’s just plain water with a mere dusting of minerals for taste. Don’t be fooled by this sort of language, check the ingredients.<h3>#4: Coconut water</h3>Oscar Wilde once said that “everything popular is wrong”. He was probably exaggerating, but he wasn’t entirely wrong about the uber-popular coconut water.Coconut water is a good source of potassium, but it’s weak on the sodium side of things. And low-carbers, beware: even coconut water with no sugar added provides a significant sugar hit.<h2>How To Make Your Own Sugar-Free Electrolyte Drink</h2>There are two ways to get adequate electrolytes through a sugar-free electrolyte drink:<ol><li style="font-weight: 400"><a href="https://science.drinklmnt.com/electrolytes/best-homemade-electrolyte-drink-for-dehydration/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The easy way</a></li><li style="font-weight: 400"><a href="https://drinklmnt.com/products/lmnt-recharge-electrolyte-drink" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The very easy way</a></li></ol>The easy way involves mixing water, salt, potassium, and magnesium, with a squeeze of lemon or lime. It’s what we call an electrolyte homebrew. Check out that link above for a few recipes!You’re shooting for a noticeably salty taste. Not like seawater, mind you, but you should taste that salt like you might taste it in a <a href="https://robbwolf.com/2019/10/02/norcal-margarita-recipe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">margarita</a>, or even a bit stronger.In total, shoot for 4–6 grams of sodium per day. (That’s about 2–3 teaspoons of salt.) You may need to increase this if you’re losing lots of sodium through sweat.Five grams of sodium sounds like a lot, I know. <a href="https://drinklmnt.com/blogs/health/electrolytes-and-heart-health" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Isn’t all that sodium bad for your heart</a>? Not according to a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22110105/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2011 JAMA study</a>. In that study, researchers found 4–6 grams of sodium per day to be best for heart health outcomes. Most people need more salt, not less.The even easier way is to use a zero sugar electrolyte drink mix like <a href="https://drinklmnt.com/products/lmnt-recharge-electrolyte-drink" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Drink LMNT</a>. It contains enough sodium to make a difference, plus it tastes better than what you can throw together at home.Yes, I’m biased on this topic. I’m a co-founder of LMNT. But we created it so that folks (including us) could have a delicious and convenient electrolyte drink on hand without any sugar or dodgy ingredients.Anyway, whether you use LMNT or mix a DIY homebrew, you’re going to save yourself a fruitless trip to the store. And you’ll be hydrating better in the process. Not a bad deal, right?