Electrolyte test kitchen!
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Dragonwolf
Posts: 5,600 Member
So, camping is a big part of my life, and unlike when I was a kid, camping on lakes and rivers, where we go camping now is landlocked, and the usual campgrounds has a lot of fields. That means hydrating is even more important than ever (especially when alcohol is added to the mix).
I learned my lesson last year, so I decided to pick up some electrolyte drink mixes, like Mio and Propel. But I make a habit of looking at ingredients and I found that both use artificial sweeteners and don't really have a great amount of electrolytes in them. Mio electrolyte is actually pretty abysmal on their own, let alone for dealing with the needs of spending summer weekends in the sun. Propel is better, but both aren't really worth the $3-4 for 10 8oz servings with a paltry 100-200mg of sodium per.
So! I've had the brilliant idea to make my own. If nothing else, it'll be better, because it won't use aspartame (which causes my husband issues), ace K, or sucralose. I don't know if it'll be cheaper per serving, but I suspect it'll be cheaper per dose of electrolytes.
I have a few requirements for a successful combination:
1. Can't be liquid. Most homemade electrolyte drinks I've found are liquid. We're going camping and space is limited, and cooler space even more so. That precludes most of those recipes, as they'd go bad on day one. A powder mix allows us to keep packets on us to dump into our water bottles.
2. Taste as good or better than electrolyte drinks, particularly Mio and Propel mixes, bonus if better than Gatorade. Given the lemon lime Mio I tried the other night, that's not a particularly high bar.
3. Provide sufficient electrolytes for 90 degree plus sun weather and generous alcohol consumption.
4. Good enough that the kid will drink it at least a little.
5. Can make enough to put in 32oz water bottles and serve three people for 3-4 days.
So, because I routinely look at ingredient labels and have a background in science and cooking, I've got a decent plan for the first batch:
1. Kool-Aide drink mix powder, the unsweetened kind in the $.25 packets for flavoring. It's got a couple of things, like colorings, that I'd prefer to forego, but other than that, they're not terrible. If this works, I'll probably seek out something better, but the store doesn't have anything comparable. It's also a cheap source of vitamin C as kind of an added bonus. I've got lemon lime to taste match with the Mio, and a couple of lemonade ones, because they're the most basic and most likely to taste decent in this use case.
2. Natural calm for magnesium.
3. Sea salt for sodium and chloride, as well as various other trace minerals. May also use a little pink Himalayan for other trace minerals.
4. No-salt for potassium and more chloride. I'd have preferred a different source of potassium to avoid the double dose of chloride and the additives in the No-Salt, but I have this around already, so I'll use it and switch if this works.
5. Stevia and a little real sugar for sweetening. (Given the circumstances, I'm not concerned with the sugar, though I'm not looking to overdo it. It's largely for balancing the Stevia.)
The next step will be to determine the ratios and amount per Kool-Aide packet (which I've decided to start with it making two gallons worth of drink and go from there, because I'm not looking to make Kool-Aide, just add flavor to the drink), then adjust for flavor and deal with material size and dissolving time. I suspect I'll toss the mix into a food processor to make it a fine powder, which will make it dissolve faster and more thoroughly, and absorb more readily.
I'll be updating with experiment results and successful recipe.
I learned my lesson last year, so I decided to pick up some electrolyte drink mixes, like Mio and Propel. But I make a habit of looking at ingredients and I found that both use artificial sweeteners and don't really have a great amount of electrolytes in them. Mio electrolyte is actually pretty abysmal on their own, let alone for dealing with the needs of spending summer weekends in the sun. Propel is better, but both aren't really worth the $3-4 for 10 8oz servings with a paltry 100-200mg of sodium per.
So! I've had the brilliant idea to make my own. If nothing else, it'll be better, because it won't use aspartame (which causes my husband issues), ace K, or sucralose. I don't know if it'll be cheaper per serving, but I suspect it'll be cheaper per dose of electrolytes.
I have a few requirements for a successful combination:
1. Can't be liquid. Most homemade electrolyte drinks I've found are liquid. We're going camping and space is limited, and cooler space even more so. That precludes most of those recipes, as they'd go bad on day one. A powder mix allows us to keep packets on us to dump into our water bottles.
2. Taste as good or better than electrolyte drinks, particularly Mio and Propel mixes, bonus if better than Gatorade. Given the lemon lime Mio I tried the other night, that's not a particularly high bar.
3. Provide sufficient electrolytes for 90 degree plus sun weather and generous alcohol consumption.
4. Good enough that the kid will drink it at least a little.
5. Can make enough to put in 32oz water bottles and serve three people for 3-4 days.
So, because I routinely look at ingredient labels and have a background in science and cooking, I've got a decent plan for the first batch:
1. Kool-Aide drink mix powder, the unsweetened kind in the $.25 packets for flavoring. It's got a couple of things, like colorings, that I'd prefer to forego, but other than that, they're not terrible. If this works, I'll probably seek out something better, but the store doesn't have anything comparable. It's also a cheap source of vitamin C as kind of an added bonus. I've got lemon lime to taste match with the Mio, and a couple of lemonade ones, because they're the most basic and most likely to taste decent in this use case.
2. Natural calm for magnesium.
3. Sea salt for sodium and chloride, as well as various other trace minerals. May also use a little pink Himalayan for other trace minerals.
4. No-salt for potassium and more chloride. I'd have preferred a different source of potassium to avoid the double dose of chloride and the additives in the No-Salt, but I have this around already, so I'll use it and switch if this works.
5. Stevia and a little real sugar for sweetening. (Given the circumstances, I'm not concerned with the sugar, though I'm not looking to overdo it. It's largely for balancing the Stevia.)
The next step will be to determine the ratios and amount per Kool-Aide packet (which I've decided to start with it making two gallons worth of drink and go from there, because I'm not looking to make Kool-Aide, just add flavor to the drink), then adjust for flavor and deal with material size and dissolving time. I suspect I'll toss the mix into a food processor to make it a fine powder, which will make it dissolve faster and more thoroughly, and absorb more readily.
I'll be updating with experiment results and successful recipe.
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Replies
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Dragonwolf wrote: »So, camping is a big part of my life, and unlike when I was a kid, camping on lakes and rivers, where we go camping now is landlocked, and the usual campgrounds has a lot of fields. That means hydrating is even more important than ever (especially when alcohol is added to the mix).
I learned my lesson last year, so I decided to pick up some electrolyte drink mixes, like Mio and Propel. But I make a habit of looking at ingredients and I found that both use artificial sweeteners and don't really have a great amount of electrolytes in them. Mio electrolyte is actually pretty abysmal on their own, let alone for dealing with the needs of spending summer weekends in the sun. Propel is better, but both aren't really worth the $3-4 for 10 8oz servings with a paltry 100-200mg of sodium per.
So! I've had the brilliant idea to make my own. If nothing else, it'll be better, because it won't use aspartame (which causes my husband issues), ace K, or sucralose. I don't know if it'll be cheaper per serving, but I suspect it'll be cheaper per dose of electrolytes.
I have a few requirements for a successful combination:
1. Can't be liquid. Most homemade electrolyte drinks I've found are liquid. We're going camping and space is limited, and cooler space even more so. That precludes most of those recipes, as they'd go bad on day one. A powder mix allows us to keep packets on us to dump into our water bottles.
2. Taste as good or better than electrolyte drinks, particularly Mio and Propel mixes, bonus if better than Gatorade. Given the lemon lime Mio I tried the other night, that's not a particularly high bar.
3. Provide sufficient electrolytes for 90 degree plus sun weather and generous alcohol consumption.
4. Good enough that the kid will drink it at least a little.
5. Can make enough to put in 32oz water bottles and serve three people for 3-4 days.
So, because I routinely look at ingredient labels and have a background in science and cooking, I've got a decent plan for the first batch:
1. Kool-Aide drink mix powder, the unsweetened kind in the $.25 packets for flavoring. It's got a couple of things, like colorings, that I'd prefer to forego, but other than that, they're not terrible. If this works, I'll probably seek out something better, but the store doesn't have anything comparable. It's also a cheap source of vitamin C as kind of an added bonus. I've got lemon lime to taste match with the Mio, and a couple of lemonade ones, because they're the most basic and most likely to taste decent in this use case.
2. Natural calm for magnesium.
3. Sea salt for sodium and chloride, as well as various other trace minerals. May also use a little pink Himalayan for other trace minerals.
4. No-salt for potassium and more chloride. I'd have preferred a different source of potassium to avoid the double dose of chloride and the additives in the No-Salt, but I have this around already, so I'll use it and switch if this works.
5. Stevia and a little real sugar for sweetening. (Given the circumstances, I'm not concerned with the sugar, though I'm not looking to overdo it. It's largely for balancing the Stevia.)
The next step will be to determine the ratios and amount per Kool-Aide packet (which I've decided to start with it making two gallons worth of drink and go from there, because I'm not looking to make Kool-Aide, just add flavor to the drink), then adjust for flavor and deal with material size and dissolving time. I suspect I'll toss the mix into a food processor to make it a fine powder, which will make it dissolve faster and more thoroughly, and absorb more readily.
I'll be updating with experiment results and successful recipe.
What about cream of tartar for potassium?
It's rather potent so you can't use much but that would be bonus.
It does come with a small amount of carbs
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Just add water:
http://www.zipfizz.com/Product-Powder.aspx
http://www.zipfizz.com/Assets/ingredients/zf_BlueberryRaspSupplement.pdf
http://www.zipfizz.com/Assets/ingredients/zf_GrapeSupplement.pdf
http://www.zipfizz.com/Assets/ingredients/zf_BerrySupplement.pdf
http://www.zipfizz.com/Assets/ingredients/zf_FruitPunchSupplement.pdf
http://www.zipfizz.com/Assets/ingredients/zf_OrangeSodaSupplement.pdf
http://www.zipfizz.com/Assets/ingredients/zf_CitrusSupplement.pdf
http://www.zipfizz.com/Assets/ingredients/zf_PinkLemonadeSupplement.pdf
http://www.zipfizz.com/Assets/ingredients/zf_OrangeCreamSupplement.pdf
http://www.zipfizz.com/Assets/ingredients/zf_LemonIcedTeaSupplement.pdf
http://www.zipfizz.com/Assets/ingredients/zf_PinkGrapefruitSupplement.pdf
http://www.zipfizz.com/Assets/ingredients/zf_CherrySupplement.pdf1 -
I love zipfizz (!) though I hate the packaging. But, you can buy electrolyte tablets. They sell them at Walmart, health food stores like GNC, and online. Tablets seem like they would be the best option for you regarding storage, portability, And ease-of-use. There are many manufacturers so you might find a recipe that works just right for you. Good luck!2
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Something like these might be useful with your DIY drink mix.
I kinda want to do this myself now!
BIPEE 50ml Flat Bottom Plastic Centrifuge Tube with Graduation and Screw Cap, Pack of 10pcs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D4IMF6G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_0Jjazb7A1HKJ02 -
Great idea!
Hmm... could put spices, etc., in those little tubes for my restaurant rescue travel kit.1 -
Just add water:
http://www.zipfizz.com/Product-Powder.aspx
http://www.zipfizz.com/Assets/ingredients/zf_BlueberryRaspSupplement.pdf
http://www.zipfizz.com/Assets/ingredients/zf_GrapeSupplement.pdf
http://www.zipfizz.com/Assets/ingredients/zf_BerrySupplement.pdf
http://www.zipfizz.com/Assets/ingredients/zf_FruitPunchSupplement.pdf
http://www.zipfizz.com/Assets/ingredients/zf_OrangeSodaSupplement.pdf
http://www.zipfizz.com/Assets/ingredients/zf_CitrusSupplement.pdf
http://www.zipfizz.com/Assets/ingredients/zf_PinkLemonadeSupplement.pdf
http://www.zipfizz.com/Assets/ingredients/zf_OrangeCreamSupplement.pdf
http://www.zipfizz.com/Assets/ingredients/zf_LemonIcedTeaSupplement.pdf
http://www.zipfizz.com/Assets/ingredients/zf_PinkGrapefruitSupplement.pdf
http://www.zipfizz.com/Assets/ingredients/zf_CherrySupplement.pdf
Maybe I'm looking at the wrong ones, since the MFP app doesn't like the PDF links, but a quick look on Amazon says it only has a tiny amount of sodium, and it has caffeine... Not a good idea for a 7 year old.I love zipfizz (!) though I hate the packaging. But, you can buy electrolyte tablets. They sell them at Walmart, health food stores like GNC, and online. Tablets seem like they would be the best option for you regarding storage, portability, And ease-of-use. There are many manufacturers so you might find a recipe that works just right for you. Good luck!
All the ones I've found use the artificial sweeteners I'd rather avoid. There's also the issue of packaging. I'm trying to avoid generating so much trash.Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »Dragonwolf wrote: »So, camping is a big part of my life, and unlike when I was a kid, camping on lakes and rivers, where we go camping now is landlocked, and the usual campgrounds has a lot of fields. That means hydrating is even more important than ever (especially when alcohol is added to the mix).
I learned my lesson last year, so I decided to pick up some electrolyte drink mixes, like Mio and Propel. But I make a habit of looking at ingredients and I found that both use artificial sweeteners and don't really have a great amount of electrolytes in them. Mio electrolyte is actually pretty abysmal on their own, let alone for dealing with the needs of spending summer weekends in the sun. Propel is better, but both aren't really worth the $3-4 for 10 8oz servings with a paltry 100-200mg of sodium per.
So! I've had the brilliant idea to make my own. If nothing else, it'll be better, because it won't use aspartame (which causes my husband issues), ace K, or sucralose. I don't know if it'll be cheaper per serving, but I suspect it'll be cheaper per dose of electrolytes.
I have a few requirements for a successful combination:
1. Can't be liquid. Most homemade electrolyte drinks I've found are liquid. We're going camping and space is limited, and cooler space even more so. That precludes most of those recipes, as they'd go bad on day one. A powder mix allows us to keep packets on us to dump into our water bottles.
2. Taste as good or better than electrolyte drinks, particularly Mio and Propel mixes, bonus if better than Gatorade. Given the lemon lime Mio I tried the other night, that's not a particularly high bar.
3. Provide sufficient electrolytes for 90 degree plus sun weather and generous alcohol consumption.
4. Good enough that the kid will drink it at least a little.
5. Can make enough to put in 32oz water bottles and serve three people for 3-4 days.
So, because I routinely look at ingredient labels and have a background in science and cooking, I've got a decent plan for the first batch:
1. Kool-Aide drink mix powder, the unsweetened kind in the $.25 packets for flavoring. It's got a couple of things, like colorings, that I'd prefer to forego, but other than that, they're not terrible. If this works, I'll probably seek out something better, but the store doesn't have anything comparable. It's also a cheap source of vitamin C as kind of an added bonus. I've got lemon lime to taste match with the Mio, and a couple of lemonade ones, because they're the most basic and most likely to taste decent in this use case.
2. Natural calm for magnesium.
3. Sea salt for sodium and chloride, as well as various other trace minerals. May also use a little pink Himalayan for other trace minerals.
4. No-salt for potassium and more chloride. I'd have preferred a different source of potassium to avoid the double dose of chloride and the additives in the No-Salt, but I have this around already, so I'll use it and switch if this works.
5. Stevia and a little real sugar for sweetening. (Given the circumstances, I'm not concerned with the sugar, though I'm not looking to overdo it. It's largely for balancing the Stevia.)
The next step will be to determine the ratios and amount per Kool-Aide packet (which I've decided to start with it making two gallons worth of drink and go from there, because I'm not looking to make Kool-Aide, just add flavor to the drink), then adjust for flavor and deal with material size and dissolving time. I suspect I'll toss the mix into a food processor to make it a fine powder, which will make it dissolve faster and more thoroughly, and absorb more readily.
I'll be updating with experiment results and successful recipe.
What about cream of tartar for potassium?
It's rather potent so you can't use much but that would be bonus.
It does come with a small amount of carbs
HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS?!Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »Something like these might be useful with your DIY drink mix.
I kinda want to do this myself now!
BIPEE 50ml Flat Bottom Plastic Centrifuge Tube with Graduation and Screw Cap, Pack of 10pcs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D4IMF6G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_0Jjazb7A1HKJ0
Hrm... I'll have to look more into those. I'm not sure they're as portable as I'd like, but they look to be a good start.1 -
Mio makes 2 flavors with stevia.1 is tropical cherry and i'm not sure of the other. Blackberry something or other. Stur brand is also made with stevia. Either might do in a pinch for hydration. Get some of those restaurant salt packs and dump them in when you squeeze in the Mio.
I've known 7 year olds who would get a kick out of chewing/sucking on a boullion cube and saying "Ewwww" while making faces. Maybe there's a cube that doesn't have too many unfavorable ingredients.0 -
Mio makes 2 flavors with stevia.1 is tropical cherry and i'm not sure of the other. Blackberry something or other. Stur brand is also made with stevia. Either might do in a pinch for hydration. Get some of those restaurant salt packs and dump them in when you squeeze in the Mio.
I've known 7 year olds who would get a kick out of chewing/sucking on a boullion cube and saying "Ewwww" while making faces. Maybe there's a cube that doesn't have too many unfavorable ingredients.
Unless they're specifically electrolyte, the Mios have next to nothing, and restaurant salt packets defeat the purpose of minimizing waste, and don't help on the potassium/magnesium front. Sture is even worse, and doesn't come in anything other than liquid or individually wrapped powder, so I can't even use it in place of the Kool-Aide.
As for bouillon, that might work once, maybe. There's no getting my son to eat something he doesn't want to eat, and water still needs to factor in, anyway. Again, we're talking 90 degrees, plus sun, and high humidity, with no body of water or air conditioning for respite.0 -
LOL. Sounds like a typical North Carolina day. I'd head to the beach. Sorry no help.0
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You could try this....
https://www.myprotein.com/sports-nutrition/electrolyte-powder/10529892.html?autocomplete=productsuggestion
However, my personal opinion is that this is completely unnecessary. Unless you are depleting your stores drastically each and every day (think 60+ minutes of marathon running), daily supplementation is fine, or just make sure you have a healthy diet with bananas and such.0 -
AlexandraCarlyle wrote: »You could try this....
https://www.myprotein.com/sports-nutrition/electrolyte-powder/10529892.html?autocomplete=productsuggestion
However, my personal opinion is that this is completely unnecessary. Unless you are depleting your stores drastically each and every day (think 60+ minutes of marathon running), daily supplementation is fine, or just make sure you have a healthy diet with bananas
and such.
(Large banana = 25-30g net carbs.)0 -
I'm sure other options are available. I just think electrolytes aren't always as necessarily part of a regime, as some believe it to be. If you're following your usual dietary intake, rather than fasting or reducing calories, I think just sticking to a balanced intake is all that's needed....0
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AlexandraCarlyle wrote: »I'm sure other options are available. I just think electrolytes aren't always as necessarily part of a regime, as some believe it to be. If you're following your usual dietary intake, rather than fasting or reducing calories, I think just sticking to a balanced intake is all that's needed....
Many options other than bananas exist, and supplementation isn't always necessary if you're actually getting enough sodium in your diet. But I don't know about just eating a normal healthy diet on days you're stomping around in hot weather. The question in that case would seem to be, what are the best practical ways to keep your electrolytes in balance?
PS Regime(n)?
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probably. Although sometimes, when I wag my finger at my H about his sweetie addiction, he says it's like being in one....!
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/1966/whats-the-difference-between-regime-and-regimen
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AlexandraCarlyle wrote: »I'm sure other options are available. I just think electrolytes aren't always as necessarily part of a regime, as some believe it to be. If you're following your usual dietary intake, rather than fasting or reducing calories, I think just sticking to a balanced intake is all that's needed....
They probably aren't as necessary if the person is eating bananas, but not because of the potassium (avocado has twice the potassium btw). The insulin rise the banana would cause would create sodium and water retention. But unfortunately cokes with the negatives of sugar as well.
Supplementing at least sodium if actually eating LCHF is necessary. More so if in ketosis due to the nateuresis of ketosis.
But, it was mentioned above the idea is the child needs the extra sodium due to a specific condition.0 -
AlexandraCarlyle wrote: »I'm sure other options are available. I just think electrolytes aren't always as necessarily part of a regime, as some believe it to be. If you're following your usual dietary intake, rather than fasting or reducing calories, I think just sticking to a balanced intake is all that's needed....AlexandraCarlyle wrote: »You could try this....
https://www.myprotein.com/sports-nutrition/electrolyte-powder/10529892.html?autocomplete=productsuggestion
However, my personal opinion is that this is completely unnecessary. Unless you are depleting your stores drastically each and every day (think 60+ minutes of marathon running), daily supplementation is fine, or just make sure you have a healthy diet with bananas and such.
Given you linked a British website, I suspect you don't have much context when I say 90 degrees. We're looking at 32C+ weather.
I'm experimenting with this specifically for the purposes of a 4 day camping event where my son, my husband, and myself would be drastically depleting our electrolyte stores constantly, due to the combination of high activity level (according to my Fitbit, I averaged 3,500 calories a day there), high humidity we get in the summer, and high temperature, plus a lot of the event is in areas without any shade, and it's in the hills (so not-flat terrain).
If you didn't miss that part before, I think you're underestimating the circumstances. The closest comparison is Rome or Istanbul on a hot day, which are in the same climate zone.
As @Sunny_Bunny_ pointed out, too (though I mentioned it in a different thread), my son has a congenital condition that has him at high risk of sodium deficiency to begin with, regardless of diet.
Then, alcohol is involved on top of all that, which further dehydrates.
To try to illustrate, last year, come Sunday morning, I was to the point that I couldn't move, because sitting up and looking around made me dizzy and sick, let alone moving, with a splitting headache. It had been in large part because I hadn't properly replenished my electrolytes throughout the day before, where I don't think I had more than 2 16oz Gatorades among the water. Had it been in normal circumstances, I'd have been fine.
This goes beyond the usual intake requirements for most people, which is why I've been emphasizing the circumstances, as I'm not likely to be the only one that engages in such activities, though it may still be useful to people who have higher sodium needs to begin with (one can always use less).1 -
I apologise if you're offended, or if I caused offence. As with any member comment, it was designed to be supportive and constructive and you're right, I missed the bit about your son.
Ignore me, I wasn't intending to be argumentative or controversial, and as with anyone else, I never stop learning.
Hope you find a good and workable solution... 1 -
Maybe regular sodium pills, to be drunk with water, if high sodium is critical? For that matter potassium pills as well, so why not take along mag pills as well? Just drink the water plain and take the pills as needed. A 4 day supply would fit into a zip locked bag easily.
I'd still like to know what you come up to go with the kool aide, tho'.0
