Drinking enough clear clean water it's one of the most important things we can do for overall health. In most cases, water alone is wonderful. When it's hot weather or when we're exercising and sweating, though, we lose minerals through our sweat. A homemade electrolyte drink can help replenish minerals and correct electrolyte imbalances.
Do we really need electrolytes?
You may have heard that our bodies are 80% water, but they are actually 80% salt water.
Plain water does not have high levels of electrolytes. And our body loses a lot of minerals during exercise and hot weather. Adding electrolytes and minerals helps rehydrate after periods of high-intensity exercise or heavy sweating. They are also useful during times of illness if one has vomiting or diarrhea to maintain fluid balance.
We need electrolytes to maintain healthy blood pressure, for our nervous system and to prevent muscle cramps. They help move waste through the body and are generally needed for every function! In a perfect world, we wouldn't need supplements, but electrolyte water and drinks can be very helpful for some.
My cautionary tale
This post might as well be titled “How to Avoid a Big Hospital Bill for IV Fluids While on Vacation.” Hopefully, you can learn from my mistake in this one.
Years ago I went on vacation and spent days at the beach snorkeling, sailing and scuba diving.
Normally, if I'm out in the sun I have my homemade electrolyte drink with me, but this time I had forgotten some of the ingredients. I thought I would just drink enough water, which worked out fine until I had wine for dinner that night, coffee the next morning, and not enough water.
At that moment, I noticed that I had a headache. I started drinking water but the headache got worse and I also started having rapid pulse, dizziness and nausea. Even after drinking lots of water, I still had symptoms of dehydration and heat exhaustion.
This resulted in a trip to the international hospital to receive fluids. After the most painful IV of my life with a 12-gauge needle, the fluids were in and I started to feel better!
After a few hours of sitting in the hospital being hydrated by IV, I couldn't help but think how much easier, cheaper, and less painful things would have been if I had remembered my DIY electrolyte drink.
Why not regular electrolyte sports drinks?
So why not just drink one of the many electrolyte drinks available in stores (Gatorade, Powerade, etc.) these days?
Common sports drinks contain a lot of glucose, artificial flavors and colors and not many nutrients.
I'm all for rehydration, but it's the preservatives, mystery flavors, and artificial colors really necessary? I know from experience that these ingredients usually make me feel terrible and it's just not worth it. Now when I need something more than water to hydrate, I make my own version.
Recipe for sports drinks with natural electrolytes
Coconut water is one of the simplest sports drink alternatives and can be used as is. It is similar in structure to the fluid used in IV rehydration. For this reason, it is rumored to have been used during the Pacific War as an IV electrolyte substitute. Makes a pretty good natural electrolyte drink on its own or with a splash of lime juice.
Coconut water is a great source of potassium and sodium and I used it during labor too. The only downside to coconut water is the price. If you want an inexpensive (but still healthy and delicious) alternative, this recipe is the next best thing.
Homemade electrolyte drink recipe
You can make this recipe in many different ways, but the ratios are the most important part. The base is any healthy juice of your choice and some good options are:
To turn the base juice into a sports drink, add some or all of these ingredients:
- Salt – A high-quality salt adds sodium and other essential minerals. Table salt is pure sodium chloride and has no trace minerals, but the Himalayas or sea salt are great options.
- Calcium and Magnesium – Addition calcium magnesium powder helps replenish minerals.
- juice – Optional, but add sweetness and natural sugars if needed during exertion. Orange juice, lemon juice, and fresh lemon juice are some of our favorites and add vitamin C and potassium.
- Natural taste – Add natural flavors such as fresh ginger, fresh herbs, or even natural flavoring stevia extracts
This recipe is naturally gluten free and can easily be made low carb by leaving out the added liquid.
Do you want to buy it?
Looking for a quick way to have electrolytes on hand, especially while traveling? These are my favorite non-electrolyte powdered drinks.
- LMNT – I'm a big fan of these flavored electrolyte powder which replaces vital electrolytes lost through sweating. They work wonderfully on their own with water and have different flavors like citrus, grapefruit or watermelon.
- Jigsaw Health Electrolyte Supreme – My favorite flavor is Berry-licious.
Homemade electrolyte drink recipe
Save money and avoid artificial ingredients by making your own natural electrolyte sports drink recipe. There are endless possibilities to make a flavor you like!
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Make tea if using, or slightly warm stock.
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Add sea salt and calcium magnesium powder and mix.
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Add stock and sweetener if using and mix or shake well. A mason jar works well for this.
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Cool and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
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This will last up to four days in the fridge, but I prefer to make it as needed.
Nutrition facts
Homemade electrolyte drink recipe
Amount per serving (1 cup)
Calories 70
Calories from fat 5
% Daily Value*
Fat 0.5 g1%
Saturated fat 0.4 g3%
Unsaturated fat 0.01 g
Monounsaturated fat 0.02 g
Sodium 395 mg17%
potassium 620 mg18%
Carbohydrates 15 g5%
Fiber 3 g13%
Sugar 13 g14%
Protein 2 g4%
Vitamin A 1 IU0%
Vitamin C 28 mg34%
Calcium 77 mg8%
Iron 1 mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
- My normal recipe includes 1 quart of tea (brewed with red raspberry leaf, alfalfa, nettle, and stevia), ¼ teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon calcium magnesium powder, and ¼ cup grape or apple juice.
- Another easy alternative is mixing vitamin C powder with water, salt and a little liquid.
- The magnesium in this recipe is 27 mg per serving. Nutritional data was calculated using raw honey, coconut water and grape juice. The exact nutrients will depend on the ingredients you use.
