Electrolyte Drinks Dietitian Review (Are They Actually Healthy?)

It seems like the last couple of years electrolyte supplements have exploded in popularity. They’re everywhere, and someone you know is likely taking them regularly. Brands like LMNT, Liquid IV, and Nuun are in every store and absolutely dominating the supplement market. But are these drinks actually beneficial, or mostly clever marketing?

In this electrolyte drinks dietitian review, I’m going to cover: 

• What electrolytes actually do, 
• Who truly benefits from electrolyte drinks, 
• When water is the better option, 
• How popular brands compare to one another, and 
• What ingredients to look for vs avoid.

What Electrolytes Actually Do in the Body

Brace yourself, because the next two sections have a lot of science. I’ll try to keep it bearable, though.

Chemically, electrolytes are minerals with either positive or negative electric charges when dissolved in a solution (like water). Physiologically, they are responsible for maintaining bodily functions such as metabolism, neuromuscular functions (nerve signaling, muscle contractions), and fluid balance like hydration and blood pressure.

When it comes to hydration (which is the main marketing angle of electrolyte drinks), think of your body like a sponge. Water helps fill the sponge, but electrolytes help your body hold onto the water and move it where it needs to go.

When you sweat a lot, you lose both:

• Water
• Electrolytes

Key electrolytes are:

• Calcium
• Sodium
• Magnesium
• Phosphate (aka phosphorus)
• Potassium
• Chloride
• Bicarbonate

An electrolyte drink replaces both water and electrolytes at the same time. The sodium/salt in it also helps your intestines absorb water more efficiently. So instead of water just passing through you quickly, your body can use it better.

That said, plain water is usually enough for normal daily hydration. Most people get sufficient electrolytes from food and regular beverages, especially when they incorporate plenty of fruits, veggies, dairy, nuts, beans, fresh meats, and whole grains into their diet.

Electrolyte drinks are most helpful after lots of sweating, long exercise, vomiting, or diarrhea. They are most commonly used for endurance athletes, not your average individual driving from their air-conditioned house in their air-conditioned car into the air-conditioned gym for a 30-60 min workout and back.

Do Electrolyte Drinks Actually Hydrate Better Than Water?

Electrolyte-containing beverages are particularly useful in situations involving substantial fluid and sodium losses, such as prolonged endurance exercise, heavy sweating, low blood pressure, or certain illnesses involving vomiting, diarrhea, or sodium loss through sweat (like cystic fibrosis).

In the case of athletes, they can develop a dangerous condition called exercise-associated hyponatremia if they drink more fluid than their bodies are able to excrete and the excess water dilutes the sodium concentration in the blood. 

When blood sodium becomes severely diluted (too much water and too little salt), water moves into cells and causes them to swell. Swelling of brain cells is particularly dangerous and may cause headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle twitching, blindness, convulsions, and in rare cases… death.

Consuming sodium during prolonged, high-sweat exercise may help replace some of the sodium being lost and support fluid balance. However, electrolytes cannot make unlimited water consumption safe. The primary way to reduce the risk of exercise-associated hyponatremia is to avoid drinking more fluid than the body is losing.

Now, notice the situations I’ve just mentioned them being useful for:

• Endurance athletes
• Heavy sweating individuals that cannot get enough sodium through food
• Folks with cystic fibrosis
• Certain illnesses that cause vomiting and diarrhea

Keeping that in mind, are these the individuals that you typically see using these products? Probably not. 

I don’t know about you, but I see a lot of middle aged women using these products who have no business doing so. I don’t blame them though, the marketing budgets on these products are insane and making many individuals think they should have them.

So, what are the effects of electrolyte drinks if you’re not an athlete or in need of electrolytes after an illness? That’s what we’ll explore next.

Are Electrolyte Drinks Healthy? A Dietitian’s Perspective

Whether electrolyte drinks are healthy or not is entirely dependent on the scenario.

1. If someone has lost excessive amounts of sodium through prolonged exercise or anticipates doing so, or 
2. Someone is very ill and having a hard time rehydrating due to vomiting and/or diarrhea

Electrolyte drinks may also be healthy for certain medical conditions such as cystic fibrosis, POTS, and low blood pressure (more on that later).

For the general population that falls outside of the constraints above, electrolyte drinks can flood the system with an unnecessary amount of electrolytes (particularly sodium aka salt). 

In some cases, these products are also providing large amounts of sugar (think: Gatorade). For an endurance athlete, the extra glucose is much needed. For the general population, we’re typically getting more sugar than we need without even trying. 

Depending on the product, they may also have other vitamins added that the consumer really does not need more of, or that they can get easily through food (I’ll break down the food equivalents of what you get in electrolyte drinks later down in this post) . 

In my opinion, these drinks can cause a real issue. You wouldn’t take a prescription that you weren’t sure you needed, would you? With these drinks, a lot of people are taking them with the false belief that they must be healthy for them, but they’ve never actually checked to see what’s in them and asked whether their body actually needs more of those vitamins and minerals or not. 

When Electrolyte Drinks Actually Make Sense

There are a few cases when using electrolyte drinks DOES make sense and could be considered healthy. These include intense exercise, illness, and certain medical conditions. I’ll explain a little more about each of these scenarios below.

Intense Exercise (60–90+ Minutes)

Endurance athletes lose significant sodium through sweat.

Examples:

• marathon training
• cycling
• triathlons
• long hikes

Electrolytes certainly make sense for endurance athletes who lose a significant amount of sodium through their sweat during events like marathon training, cycling, triathlons, or outdoor sports that require being in the heat for extended periods of time. 

Heavy Sweating or Hot Environments

What if you’re outside for an extended period of time, sweating a TON, but not an athlete? There may still be a case for electrolyte drinks. A man mowing the lawn on a hot day in July who is a heavy sweater would likely benefit from some salty-hydration.

Illness (Vomiting or Diarrhea)

Electrolyte drinks aren’t just for the athlete or sweaty man mowing his lawn in July. It may also be indicated for someone doing the complete opposite of those things and who finds themselves confined to a bed all day due to vomiting and diarrhea (V/D).

V/D involves a large excretion of water and electrolytes (sorry for the visual). Rehydrating is essential, and adding electrolytes to that hydration is not a bad idea. This is also why your Grandma’s salty chicken soup hits the spot when you’re sick. Your body is depleted of electrolytes, and that soup is not dissimilar to a magic potion for replenishing them.

Certain Medical Conditions

There are rare medical situations where electrolyte supplementation may be helpful, but these should be closely managed under the care of a Registered Dietitian and Physician. Such conditions are:

• Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)
  • High intakes of sodium may help manage symptoms, but are not enough to completely manage the condition.
• Cystic Fibrosis
  • Folks with cystic fibrosis excrete more sodium chloride than normal and are recommended to increase sodium intake, particularly during periods of excessive fluid loss or sweating (a hot day, acute gastrointestinal illness, etc). Electrolyte drinks are typically providing too little sodium for these cases though.
• Hypotension (low blood pressure)
  • Electrolyte drinks may have a use for cases of orthostatic hypotension, but it depends entirely on the sodium content of the drink and whether the individual is able to add more salt to their foods or not. 
  • Another therapeutic modality for hypotension is rapid ingestion of 500 mL of plain water. This can raise blood pressure by approximately 24/12 mmHg, with onset at 5 minutes, peak at 35 minutes, and duration up to 60 minutes. 

When Electrolyte Drinks Are Probably Unnecessary

In most cases, electrolyte drinks are unnecessary. Especially when 87-89% of Americans exceed the recommended sodium amounts of 2,300mg/day by consuming between 3,200–4,000mg/day. Some of these electrolyte drinks are pumped with 1,000mg of sodium in one go. Considering that in the last 20+ years, we’ve been consuming slightly more sodium compared to the early 2000’s, I don’t think we have a sodium shortage problem, much less an anticipated sodium shortage problem.

Consuming more than the recommended amounts on a regular basis is currently understood to raise the risk of high blood pressure, [unwanted] cardiovascular events, increased urinary calcium excretion, kidney stones, and some cases of osteoporosis.

Sugary sports drinks can also add unnecessary calories. Of course sometimes extra calories is exactly what someone needs, but from a public health standpoint, many times it’s not.

For everyday hydration in the non-endurance athlete, non-hypotensive, non-violentally ill, and non-medically compromised individual, water is plenty sufficient for hydration.

What To Look for in a “Good” Electrolyte Drink

Let’s say you are one of the lucky few who would benefit from adding an electrolyte drink to your grocery cart. Here’s what I recommend looking for in your electrolyte drink ingredients:

1. Balanced Electrolyte Profile

It’s generally beneficial for an electrolyte drink to have a balance between:

• Sodium (look for: ~500-700 mg of sodium)
• Glucose (look for: ~5 g per 8 oz of fluid)
• Potassium (look for: 60-470 mg/hr of exercise)
• Magnesium (look for: 3-29 mg/hr of exercise)

2. Moderate or Low Sugar

Having glucose (sugar) in an electrolyte drink will help with sodium absorption, though it doesn’t take much. As little as 5g per 8 oz of fluid is sufficient for maximizing sodium absorption. The amount of glucose should be higher if energy is also a goal with the electrolyte drink (this is why a drink like Gatorade has sugar). 

You can certainly opt for a sugar-free version if energy is not a priority, but maybe grab an apple as well to maximize sodium absorption (and add to your fiber intake for the day).

3. Minimal Additives

Additives can make things murky, especially if a brand is using proprietary “performance blends”. This is basically code for “we put random sh*t in here and you’ll never know what it is. Just trust us.”. I’m not a fan of proprietary blends for this reason. You just don’t know exactly what’s going into your body.

Artificial dyes are generally okay in small doses, but if someone is particularly sensitive or allergic to them (this is rare) then you might need to avoid this.

Lastly, excessive sweeteners can be pretty unnecessary, or even irritate your gut if the artificial kind. Stevia or monk fruit sweeteners are generally better tolerated by those with sensitive guts.

4. Evidence-Based Formulations

Good electrolyte drinks are designed based on:

• sweat loss
• fluid absorption research
• oral rehydration science

A good electrolyte drink is going to be designed based on the average needs for an average individual and what they lose through sweat, the fluid absorption research, and the most up-to-date oral rehydration science. They will not make big claims, claim everyone will benefit from them, or have amounts of electrolytes in them that are unsupported by the scientific literature.

Ingredients to Avoid in Electrolyte Drinks

Here’s some things you might want to be wary of when it comes to electrolyte drink ingredients:

Excess Sugar

Drinks like Vitamin Water, Powerade, and Gatorade range from 20-30 grams of sugar per serving, which is more than necessary for sodium absorption and causal hydration. However, for an athlete needing generally more glucose/energy or someone violently ill and unable to eat, this might be advantageous. 

Extremely High Sodium

Products like LMNT contain 1000mg sodium per serving, which is excessive even for the most extreme of cases. Even some folks with POTS who are directed to take sodium tablets by their providers aren’t typically having 1000mg in one sitting. There is very little research showing that doses this high would be beneficial for anyone beyond medical necessity, and the cases reported are specific to prolonged exercise in the heat and men cycling in the heat for 2 hours. 

The lack of glucose in the product also diminishes sodium absorption. Perhaps that’s why they wanted to go for skyscraper levels of sodium content. It’s pretty unclear what the thought process is, especially in a society who has more sodium than we need on a regular basis and are exercising in air conditioned gyms.

Dietitian Review of Popular Electrolyte Drinks

There are quite a few electrolyte drink brands on the market right now. As a Registered Dietitian, I’ll let you know which circumstances might warrant certain products, and give you my full unfiltered electrolyte powder reviews.

LMNT Dietitian Review

Key features:

• ~1000 mg sodium (½ tsp table salt)
• No sugar
• Incorporates potassium and magnesium
• Simple ingredient list

Pros:

• Possibly therapeutic for medical conditions like POTS or Cystic Fibrosis
• Potentially useful for endurance athletes
• Low in sugar (Nice if you’re trying to lower your added sugar intake)
• Offers magnesium

Cons:

• Sodium is way too high for the general population
• Unnecessary for casual hydration
• Low in sugar (I put this as a con as well because it will impact sodium absorption)
• Costly (~$1.50/serving)
• Brand has questionable values

Dietitian takeaway:

Not appropriate for the general population, even if someone is physically active. LMNT could be potentially therapeutic for cases of dehydration, hyponatremia, or hypotension (think: medical conditions like POTS, food poisoning causing diarrhea, or cystic fibrosis), but there are far, far cheaper ways to accomplish the same therapeutic effects.

My biggest gripe with this brand is the claim that “4-6g/day” of sodium is the most “science-backed recommendation”. LMNT published a hit piece on the FDA recommendations of 2-3g/day to sway consumers that having more salt is better. The hail mary study used to justify their recommendations is a poorly designed 2011 study which utilized a single 24-hour collection of urine. The findings of this study are refuted with a more recent, better designed study using multiple collections of urine samples. 

Additionally, the angle this brand takes to justify their product is the tale-as-old-as-time complaint of: “follow the money. These studies cited by the government are all funded by corrupt companies”. Assuming that’s true (which is a big assumption this brand’s owner is making), I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: it’s a good thing that studies disclose their funding sources. They also disclose their methodology so you can decide yourself if it was a well designed study or not. If you don’t know how to tell, then ask someone who does like a PhD in a related field of study, not some guy selling a salt supplement. Talk about conflict of interest, sheesh.

Get the same amount of electrolytes in LMNT through food instead:

Here’s how you can get the same electrolytes in a packet of LMNT through food instead:

• 2.5 oz of lunchmeat (there’s your 1,000mg sodium)
• 1 peach (easy 200mg of potassium)
• 15 almonds, or 1 tablespoon of chia seeds if you’re allergic to tree nuts (60mg magnesium)

Final verdict on LMNT?

Hard pass all around. Special exceptions can be made for Olympians and POTS patients or those with Cystic Fibrosis, but this brand gives me the ick so I’d recommend a different product entirely.

Liquid IV Dietitian Review

Key features:

• Glucose + electrolytes
• Sugar free options available as well
• Wide range of flavors
• 490mg sodium per serving

Pros:

• Rapid hydration after extended periods of exercise in the heat
• Useful during illness or travel
• ~500 mg sodium likely appropriate for endurance athletes or in some medical cases
• Offers potassium, phosphorus, vitamin C, and a variety of B vitamins as well

Cons:

• Unnecessary for everyday hydration
• 490 mg sodium unnecessary for the general population
• B vitamins can turn urine bright yellow, misguiding some users to think they’re dehydrated and need more product.
• No magnesium, which may be undesirable for some
• Costly (~$1.50/serving)

Dietitian takeaway:

Liquid IV is a reasonable supplement for folks who are regularly engaging in long sessions of exercise (~2 hours), especially if they are heavy sweaters or in the heat. Or, for someone with a medical condition like POTS. Your average individual who is either not exercising at all or only exercising for 45-60 mins does not need this. 

Will it hurt? Probably not, especially if someone doesn’t have any kidney or cardiac concerns. Is it a waste of money? Probably. Honestly though, that cotton candy flavor is enough to get me to spend $1.50 and enjoy my placebo effect.

Supplementing with these vitamins would be helpful for an athlete or individual who generally is not having enough to eat, but in the well nourished athlete, supplementing these will not enhance performance. 

Get the same amount of electrolytes in Liquid I.V. through food instead:

Here’s how you can get the same electrolytes and vitamins in a packet of Liquid I.V. through food instead:

• 1 cup of canned vegetables will provide you the same amount of sodium, about 500 mg
• ½ a banana, 3 tablespoons of white rice, or ¼ a sweet potato will provide the same amount of carbohydrates.
• 1 mango, banana, or ¼ of an avocado will give you the same amount of potassium
• 1 orange or 1.5 kiwis for the same amount of Vitamin C
• A fortified breakfast cereal will provide you the same amount of niacin in a day, or having a variety of meats throughout the day (any combination of chicken breast, tuna, turkey, and salmon) will match Liquid I.V.’s niacin dose.
• ~2 oz of pistachio nuts + 4 oz of turkey breast will provide the same amount of vitamin B6.
• 2-3 eggs in the morning plus 3 oz of salmon or beef later in the day will be the same amount of vitamin B12.
• Now, pantothenic acid… Now this one is tricky. Unless you’re really into beef liver and chicken liver, you’ll need to divide and conquer between about 1 avocado, 1 cup of cooked shiitake mushrooms, 2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds, and 3 oz of salmon. But keep in mind, one generally only needs half the amount of pantothenic acid that Liquid I.V. is providing.

Final verdict on Liquid I.V.?

Not the worst thing I’ve ever seen, but unnecessary for casual hydration. Most people don’t need all the extra vitamins being added in. Therefore, they are paying for something they don’t need, which typically I would advise against… but maybe that’s just me.

Nuun Sport Review

Key features:

• Tablet form
• 300 mg sodium
• Low sugar, but enough for sodium absorption

Pros:

• Slightly more convenient and eco-friendly (just drop in your water, no additional packaging to discard other than main container)
• Sodium content appropriate for most athletes post-exercise, which is who it’s marketing to
  • Also appropriate for other situations where excessive sweating has occurred (working long hours in warm conditions, etc).
• Lower calorie
• Contains electrolytes in appropriate amounts for your average individual not nutritionally depleted:
  • sodium (300 mg), calcium (13 mg), potassium (150 mg), magnesium (25 mg), and chloride (40 mg).
• Lower cost than other leading brands at $0.75/serving
• Sweetened with Stevia which is better tolerated by most guts
• Colored with plant-based sources such as beet juice (might be a con if you’re allergic)

Cons:

• Sodium is too high for the general population.

Dietitian takeaway: A pretty great option for an athlete/exercising engaging in moderate exercise out in the heat or even intense exercise. Too much sodium for your average individual with an indoors job who wants to try electrolyte drinks for fun.

Here’s how you can get the same electrolytes in a tablet of Nuun through food instead:

• 1 medium spear of dill pickle or ½ cup of cottage cheese for the same amount of sodium 
• 2 slices of cucumber or 2 tablespoons of cooked white rice for the same amount of calcium.
• ⅓ of a medium banana or ¼ a cup of coconut water for potassium.
• 1 teaspoon of pumpkin seeds or 1 small square of dark chocolate for magnesium.
• A small pinch of table salt (sodium chloride) or 1 medium stalk of celery provides the same amount of chloride

Final verdict on Nuun?

This is an awesome option for replacing the amount of electrolytes reasonably expected to be lost through moderate exercise in heat, or an upset stomach. May not be enough in one dose for someone with medical needs requiring higher amounts of electrolyte replacement, or endurance athletes needing more (it’s a great starting point, though).

Ultima Replenisher Review

Key features:

• Sugar-free
• Multiple electrolytes
• Very low sodium at 55mg/serving

Pros:

• More suitable for daily hydration in most people
• Very low calorie (0 calories)
• No sugar, which won’t impact absorption with such a low sodium content
• Lower cost than other leading brands at $1.00/serving

Cons:

• Not enough sodium for athletes engaged in long, intense workouts or for medical needs.

Dietitian takeaway:

• Best for general hydration rather than endurance sports or medical use.

Here’s how you can get the same electrolytes in a packet of Ultima Replenisher through food instead:

• 1 stalk of celery will provide you with the same amount of sodium
• 2 oz cooked broccoli or about 7 almonds will provide the same amount of calcium
• ½ a medium banana or 1 cup of sweet potato is the same amount of potassium
• 1 orange or ½ a medium bell pepper will match the vitamin C content.
• 2 oz of yogurt or 3 oz of cooked white rice will meet the same amount of phosphorus
• 2 teaspoons of pumpkin seeds or ~½ cup of cooked spinach matches the magnesium content.
• 1 of those teaspoons of pumpkin seeds above will also give you the same amount of zinc as Ultima provides.
• 3 pecans will give you the same amount of manganese.
• Lastly, ½ a raw tomato or ⅛ tsp of table salt will provide the same amount of chloride.

Final verdict on Ultima Replenisher?

This is appropriate for your average Joe chillin’ in the air conditioning all day and wanting to enjoy their water a little more. Will it give you super powers? Not even close. But it might hydrate you more if it motivates you to drink more water.

Skratch Labs Review

Key features:

• Modest amounts of electrolytes
• Sodium at 400 mg/serving
• Small amount of sugar

Pros:

• Modest amounts of calcium, potassium, vitamin C, and magnesium (won’t flood the system)
• Very simple ingredients
• Sodium is high for casual drinkers, but appropriate for endurance athletes 

Cons:

• Slightly higher calories at 80 calories/serving – some may not want that.
• More carbohydrates than necessary for the sodium absorption, but not a big deal especially if being used for energy as well.
• Not an appropriate amount of sodium for the average individual.

Dietitian takeaway: One of the most balanced options for endurance exercise.

Here’s how you can get the same electrolytes in a packet of Skratch Labs through food instead:

• 1.5 spears of a dill pickle or 2 teaspoons of soy sauce will provide you with the same amount of sodium
• 1 medium banana or ¼ cup of oats (before cooking) will provide you with the same amount of carbohydrates.
• 2 oz cooked broccoli or about 7 almonds will provide the same amount of calcium
• Virtually any fruit or vegetable will incidentally contribute the same amount of potassium that Scratch Labs provides.
• 1 large strawberry or 1 tablespoon of lemon juice will match the vitamin C content.
• 1 teaspoon of pumpkin seeds or 1.5 squares of dark chocolate matches the magnesium content.

A practical overlap: ¾ banana covers the carbohydrate target while also providing the full potassium and a portion of the magnesium. Adding a teaspoon of pumpkin seeds and a squeeze of lemon juice covers the magnesium and vitamin C, leaving sodium and calcium to be addressed with a salty snack and a few almonds.

Final verdict on Scratch Labs?

Helpful for an endurance athlete that genuinely needs to rehydrate/replace sodium, may also be useful in some medical cases. Not necessary for most people. 

Pique Electrolyte Review

A lesser known brand is Pique. Fun fact, my cousin works for this brand so I’m going to shout-them-out because I like them a lot, and I’ve personally tried a lot of their products. When it comes to tea and electrolytes, I think they do a great job. I’ll discuss their R•E Fountain, Calming Electrolyte product below (that was an affiliate link, just fyi. Like I said, my cousin works there and I like them a lot. Why wouldn’t I be an affiliate!?).

Key features:

• Blends a high amount of magnesium with reasonable amount of sodium
• Subtle lemon flavor
• 150mg of sodium per serving

Pros:

• Simple ingredients
• Sugar free, sweetened by monk fruit only, which is gentler on the gut. 
• Great for those needing more magnesium
• Modest levels of sodium, appropriate for a day when you need a bump in sodium but you aren’t completely depleted

Cons:

• Expensive. $2.06/serving

Dietitian takeaway: I like the emphasis on magnesium this product has, and the modest amount of sodium is more reasonable for the general public wanting to use this product for hydration. It’s still 150mg of salt when most individuals getting about 2x the amount they need, so this product should be reserved for those who genuinely do need more sodium. For example, those who are needing to raise their blood pressure just a bit, but not overload the system with too much sodium all at once. This makes sense for the more typical cases of exercise that last about ~1 hour, as long as there has been sweating.

Not including sugar is appreciated since this product is likely not going to be used in the situations where we need glucose for enhanced absorption (exercise/heat dehydration or diarrheal states).

Supplementing with magnesium comes in handy for those who have overt hypomagnesemia aka clinically low magnesium (about 3-10% of the general population in the U.S.) and those with a subclinical deficiency of magnesium (~68% of U.S. adults). 

Pique’s version of supplementing magnesium in those three different forms (see label below) is a unique way to go about this. The Magnesium L-Threonate is suggested in preclinical trials to aid in cognitive function and brain health, the Magnesium Glycinate suggested to regulate anxiety, mood, and sleep, and the Magnesium Taurate for cardiovascular and metabolic health.

You won’t be getting a crazy amount of calcium or potassium, which may be a benefit if you aren’t wanting a whole lot. 

Here’s how you can get the same electrolytes in a sachet of Pique through food instead:

• 1 stalk of celery or a small pinch of table salt will provide you with the same amount of sodium
• 7 almonds will provide the same amount of calcium
• ⅓ of a medium banana or ¼ cup of coconut water will contribute the same amount of potassium
• 1 oz of pumpkin seeds or 1 cup of cooked spinach matches the magnesium content.

Final verdict on Pique Life?

Expensive, and isn’t clinically meaningful for therapeutic doses in medical scenarios or for endurance athletes. However, a great option for someone after an especially hard workout or a long day in the sun.

Gatorade Electrolyte Review

What about Gatorade? It’s a classic! We can’t finish this overview of electrolytes without mentioning Gatorade.

Key features:

• Clinically grounded
• Most aligned with ACSM’s recommended sports drink formulation 

Pros

• Simple carbohydrates make for quick absorption 
• Helpful for cases when exercising for over 1 hour, particularly in the heat.
• Particularly helpful if exercising 2-3 hours to prevent hyponatremia (low sodium levels that can happen if athletes drink too much water at one time).
• 270mg sodium per 20 fl oz of Gatorade Thirst Quencher – ideal for ~2hrs of exercise.

Cons

• Contributes significantly to overall added sugar intake for the day. For someone not requiring a large amount of glucose, this may not be ideal.
• Not appropriate for casual drinkers having a sedentary day.
• May not be enough sodium for heavy sweaters exercising for extended periods of time.
• Cost: $2.38/20 oz bottle

Dietitian takeaway: Gatorade has long been used for post-workout recovery in athletes, and for good reason. The sodium to fluid ratio is. However, the sugar content may be higher than necessary for some athletes.

In terms of your average Joe drinking a Gatorade on a day where they are largely sedentary, Gatorade is not an appropriate beverage to sip on.

It is also not recommended after periods of diarrhea-related illness due to the sodium levels not being high enough and sugar level being excessive.

Get the same amount of electrolytes and carbohydrates in Gatorade through food instead:

• A pinch of table salt or ⅛ tsp (~290mg sodium) or 1 oz of pretzels (300-400mg sodium)
• 12 oz orange juice or 1 medium banana gives a similar amount of simple carbohydrates (36g in OJ, 27g in the banana) and also exceeds in potassium (670mg for the OJ, 420mg for the banana).

Natural Alternatives to Electrolyte Drinks (DIY Electrolyte Drink Recipes)

Here are some ideas (with scientific justifications for my fellow nerds) to make homemade electrolyte drinks for those days when you aren’t up for spending $40-$70 on a box of prepackaged electrolyte drinks:

A) Casual Hydration for the “Everyday Sipper”

This is for a healthy, generally hydrated person who simply wants a flavorful electrolyte-containing beverage for fun. Since sodium absorption is essentially complete without glucose in a healthy gut, carbohydrate is optional here and kept minimal. 

• 1 cup coconut water (~600 mg potassium, ~250 mg sodium, ~60 mg magnesium, ~30 mg calcium) 
• Juice of ½ lime (~13 mg vitamin C, flavor)
• Small pinch of sea salt (~150 mg sodium)
• 1–2 thin slices of fresh lemongrass, muddled (for flavor, could use something else like muddled berries, mint leaves, etc)
• 12–16 oz water to dilute

Mix and serve over ice. This covers casual electrolyte maintenance with no added sugar. The coconut water provides a natural source of potassium, magnesium, and some sodium, while the pinch of salt rounds out sodium (for more reading on using coconut water for electrolytes, go here).

B) Athletic Rehydration, “Performance Replenisher”

For exercise lasting >1 hour, the ACSM recommends beverages containing 0.5–0.7 g/L sodium, 6–8% carbohydrate, and potassium to replace sweat losses and sustain performance. 

Glucose via honey in this case meaningfully accelerates fluid absorption and improves fluid retention. 

• 1 cup coconut water (~600 mg potassium, ~250 mg sodium, ~60 mg magnesium)
• 2 tablespoons honey (~34 g carbohydrate / ~17 g glucose — provides the glucose for SGLT1-mediated absorption)
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt (~580 mg sodium)
• Juice of ½ orange (~25 mg vitamin C, ~60 mg potassium, ~6 g carbohydrate)
• 16 oz water to dilute
• Optional: 1 tablespoon pumpkin seed butter on the side for an extra ~80 mg magnesium 

Mix coconut water, honey, salt, orange juice, and water. Shake or stir well. This yields roughly a 5–6% carbohydrate solution in ~24 oz total volume, which is within the optimal range for gastric emptying and absorption.  

The sodium concentration lands at ~0.5 g/L, matching ACSM recommendations. 

Can Electrolyte Drinks Cause Side Effects?

With all this in mind and the cost of a box, are electrolyte drinks even safe? Yes, they’re generally safe. But, it all depends on the dose, formulation, and the individual drinking the product as they can cause side effects. Side effects become particularly relevant with high-dose products, repeated use, and folks with kidney disease, cardiac concerns, or who are on medications that may interfere.

Side effects are generally pretty mild with gastrointestinal effects being the most common side effect. This could include nausea, vomiting, gas, belly pain, and/or diarrhea.

More serious side effects would be:

• Hyperkalemia (too much potassium in the blood)
  • Symptoms could include fatigue, muscle weakness, in severe cases paralysis, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and even cardiac arrhythmias.
• Hypernatremia (too much sodium)
  • Symptoms include fatigue, weakness, nausea, headache, muscle twitching, confusion, seizures, an abnormally fast heart rate, low blood pressure while standing, choma, and death.
• Or on the flip side, hyponatremia (when sodium drops down to too little because of drinking more beverage than was necessary to account for losses in sweat/urine).
  • Nausea, weakness, headache, vomiting, confusion, trouble walking, delirium, seizures, or in rare cases brain herniation and death.

The Bottom Line: Are Electrolyte Drinks Worth It?

Final dietitian review: Electrolyte drinks are not without their uses. However, for everyday hydration, water and a balanced diet will provide everything that most people need. Electrolyte drink may be a tool for rare circumstances such as endurance exercise, intense heat, illness, and a handful of medical conditions, but they are not a necessity or something everyone needs to be drinking.