Electrolytes typically refers to the minerals Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium and Calcium. As electrolytes, they fulfil two main functions in the body, namely to hydrate your body, and to make your nerves work properly (which explains the electro part of their name).
Of course, these minerals do have many other functions as well, but as electrolytes this is their main job.
Why do we need them?
The body keeps a proper balance of water and these electrolytes in the body. When you drink too much water without electrolytes, you’re not properly hydrating yourself. To keep the balance of water / electrolytes, you’ll pee all your water out, and potentially even drain your body from electrolytes.
Our tap water is typically devoid of these electrolytes, and most bottled water only contains trace amounts.
Moreover, when we sweat, we lose a lot of electrolytes through our sweat. This is also why your sweat tastes salty. This is especially relevant for people doing lots of sports, or living in hot climates.
Lastly, the foods we eat are low in Magnesium and Potassium. It is estimated that more than 90% of Americans are Potassium deficient, and at least 50% are Magnesium deficient. Indicating a severe deficiency of these nutrients in the average diet.
The result is that despite the fact that we drink copious amounts of water, we might not be properly hydrating ourselves, and our nerve function might not be what it could optimally be.
It is therefore no surpise that the benefits that people typically experience when taking electrolytes is increased energy, and increased muscle pump and visibility of vains (for bodybuilders), indicating increased nerve function and hydration.
Where to get them?
There are plenty of electrolyte products on the market. Most people know Gatorade, the sports drink with electrolytes. But there are also mixes available that you could add to your water, or even electrolytes in capsule form.
Good brands that sell premixed electrolytes are LMNT, and Sol Salts.
The problem with most of them is that they are either underdosed, come with a lot of added sugar or other unwanted ingredients, or are great products, but simply quite expensive.
How to mix them yourself?
It’s typically cheaper to mix them yourself. All you need is regular sea salt (without iodine), a potassium powder, and a magnesium powder. For example this Magnesium Malate powder and Potassium Bicarbonate powder from Nutricost (you can use code WOUTERD10 for -10%).
Now the trouble is that the Magnesium and Potassium come in a bound form, for example bound to Malic Acid, which forms Magnesium Malate. As a result, 1 gram of the powder is not equal to 1 gram of Magnesium, as you can see in the image below (2 grams of the product is equal to 420 mg Magnesium).
This makes mixing more difficult, as you’re only interested in the Magnesium, not the Malic Acid (or any other compound it is bound to). However, with the calculator I made (download button below) this becomes really easy.
The optimum ratio of electrolytes is debated, but looks roughly like this:
- 1000 mg Sodium
- 200 – 500 mg Potassium
- 25 – 75 mg Magnesium
The amount of potassium and magnesium you choose is up to your preference. A good explanation on electrolyte ratios can be found here.
The reason Calcium is not included here, is because it is very easy to get from food sources, and that studies have shown that Calcium supplementation could potentially increase your chance of heart disease (such as in this study).
To help you to create your own mixture, I created this spreadsheet with instructions, everything you need to know is described inside.
Since the amount of each element you need in one serving is really small, it is best to mix up say 40 or more servings in one go, so it is easier for you to measure the amount you need from each.
All you need is the ingredients, a kitchen scale, and the calculator. Good luck, and let me know on Instagram if it was useful to you!