Electrolyte supplements?

[bobs yeruncle]

I sweat like crazy and work in a humid continental climate (hot summer subtype) so for the summer months I make a diy electrolyte blend using the sodium-free salt substitute sold in grocery stores. They're mostly potassium salts, sometimes with added magnesium and calcium:

To make a blend I use a kitchen scale: 300 grams sugar, 100 grams salt, 30 grams salt-substitute in a mason jar, shake thoroughly. The ratio I base on oral rehydration therapy, about twenty grams of mix goes in one litre of water, or about a teaspoon per cup (8 fluid oz) for our imperial friends. Not enough sugar to be sweet, the reason for its inclusion is that glucose aids absorption of sodium and water in the gut. The salt sub is just for the added potassium and magnesium because I find it helps keep me from cramping as much, and a little potassium wont hurt (but its a relatively small part of the mix because too much will) plus some added calcium so I don't sweat out all my bone density. The easy way to do a single serving is one tablespoon of sugar and one teaspoon of salt in a one litre bottle of water. I do add a bit of stevia-based sweetener so it doesn't taste like a gun barrel, but if you're a more virtuous man than I then you don't need to worry about it.

I only use that mix at work, when I get home I guzzle unsweetened iced green tea like it's going out of style (and brush with novamin toothpaste, teeth don't like sugar and salt)

 

[bobs yeruncle]

A long-gone friend of mine who had been in the marines said when he was at twentynine palms he 'ate a thimbleful of salt with a liter of water every hour' lol

 

[Vicente]

Sodium is an important part of your diet especially if you're sweating a lot it's easy to not get enough if you eat a pretty healthy diet not tons of processed crap.

 

[Crazy_Jimmy]

I've been using LMNT lately and am liking it. I have a hockey game tonight and will take some in advance for sure.

As much as we've been talking about it, I feel they should come be a sponsor here at Treebuzz, what do you think?

LMNT | Zero Sugar Electrolytes | Paleo-Keto Friendly Hydration

An electrolyte drink mix with everything you need & nothing you don't. No sugar. No artificial ingredients. No fillers. LMNT kickstarts your day, suppor...

drinklmnt.com

they have(lmnt) treated me really good and sent me lots of free samples

 

[cerviarborist]

Squincher electrolyte powder packs. Sugar free. Just add them to a bottle of drinking water. I usually alternate a bottle of water with squincher, with a plain bottle throughout the day. Buy em' on Amazon.

 

[Brando CalPankian]

Salt pills and zip fizz.

 

[Mike Islander]

Salt pills and zip fizz.

Zipfizz = 56 ingredients, many of which are unpronounceable. No. Just no. ;-)

Salt pills and good food. Just my preference. TEHO

 

[macrocarpa]

I’ve been enjoying these. No sugar no BS.

 

[Vicente]

I’ve been enjoying these. No sugar no BS.

Those are good, I'd drink my paycheck if that's all I use though.

 

[Bendroctanus]

Those are good, I'd drink my paycheck if that's all I use though.

Treemen usually do…

 

[Vicente]

Treemen usually do…

Not me 1 or 2 beers and a very small neat bourbon or scotch is about it.

 

[Webfoot]

I have only tried a few. "Key Nutrients Electrolytes Powder" is the first one that worked and I stopped looking. My use was a water fast with this the only thing besides water that I consumed. If you have tried it I wonder how it compares to others.

 

[bobs yeruncle]

i did some experimenting and altered my formula for this season. bought acidulants and stevia so the mix is complete and i dont need to bother adding anything else. been making this in bulk and bringing it in a big freezer ziploc bag for my coworkers and summer students the past few weeks. pink grapefruit flavour was a big hit. i mix everything in a big bowl using a kitchen scale, makes it very simple to put together.

for approximately 10 litres:
150 grams white sugar
50 grams kosher salt
17 grams potassium-based salt substitute, iodized. bonus points if it contains calcium and magnesium, check the ingredients
15 grams malic acid
15 grams citric acid
10 grams stevia extract powder (i used 'herbal select' brand, no unpleasant aftertastes)
4-5 drops flavour extract of choice.

combine all dry ingredients then add liquid extract and stir thoroughly until texture is consistently like a slightly damp beach sand, ever so slightly clumpy so it heaps up high on a spoon.

how to use: add 26 grams to one litre of water, or about one rounded teaspoon to one american cup (8 fluid oz). i carry plain water with me during the day and supplement on those unpleasantly hot days at breaks or before i start work by mixing up and drinking a few cups as needed. finding it very helpful on those days it stays hot and humid overnight and i wake up dehydrated because i was sweating in my sleep, ill knock back a litre in the morning and feel a lot better.

 

[ghostice]

Had a really interesting discussion with a budding young scientist about fungal contaminants in commercial food grade citric acid - apparently there's growing evidence of allergic reactions/ inflammatory response in some individuals to fungal proteins in the product ingredient (MCA), produced almost universally by our friends in China for food manufacturing in N America (have a read of product labels in the supermarket - it's really quite incredible how ubiquitous it is in our food supply). Apparently, after fermentation, there is no real way commercially to get the fungal bits/ proteins out of the stuff. Not sure if there are any "natural" sources but no doubt cost is a factor commercially. FYI Cheers

 

[Matias]

And that was six years ago. Amazing how people get a warning and just stick their heads in the sand

 

[ghostice]

And that was six years ago. Amazing how people get a warning and just stick their heads in the sand

Well haven't done a literature review for recent studies (easy to do in PubMed with NLM in the US I suppose) but it's always on my mind when I look at food labels when we go and run up the Costco bill . . . Cheers

 

[Matias]

Well haven't done a literature review for recent studies (easy to do in PubMed with NLM in the US I suppose) but it's always on my mind when I look at food labels when we go and run up the Costco bill . . . Cheers

Any chance you could hit up that budding young scientist for any more recent info he may know of?

 

[ghostice]

I'll have a look next couple of days - there is probably info on this also on IBS/ Crohns websites somewhere too because the proteins have been implicated as possible contributors to these conditions (i.e. the inflammatory response). To me it's a lot like the "care" they take with Norwegian farmed salmon - fed pellets containing a food preservative from our favourite US chemical company that Drs in EU say a pregnant woman should never eat. But hey. lowest cost producers . . . .

 

[bobs yeruncle]

yeesh. guess ill swap it out for more malic acid, currently derived from safe allergen-free butane lol

 

[ghostice]

So a cruise through some of the literature (23-June-2024) regarding citric acid fungal fermentation and health effects did produce these:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10779990/

https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-09/documents/fra006.pdf

A PubMed search "commercial citric acid fungal reaction allergy" came up with this

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3986142/

The point should probably be made that duration of exposure to fungal proteins or fungal spores or the whole organism and the route of exposure (inhalation or ingestion or some combination) has much to do with potential health outcome in an individual as does individual susceptibility. It is still an interesting thread. Many other "fermentation products" tho, have great health benefits (I can think of sauerkraut and beer) so not all is bad! Cheers