Excellent Electrolyte Replacement

songbyrdsweet

We all know we need to drink water regularly to maintain general health, fat loss, etc. While it's hard to drink enough water to cause serious health problems, it's fairly easy to lose a large amount of electrolytes by drinking a lot of water and urinating a couple times an hour, especially when combined with exercise, which depletes electrolytes.

'Sports' drinks like Gatorade are extremely high in sugar, and unnecessary for exercise lasting less than an hour. However, there is an alternative, and it has veggies too... V8 juice! It is LOADED with potassium and high in sodium as well. There are reduced-sodium versions for those of you watching salt. Plus it's all veggies, so it makes getting an extra serving a little easier. This is a great pre or post workout drink as it's light and easy to digest. Keep in mind that I'm not talking about the juices...they are high in sugar, often due to table sugar. I'm just promoting the 'plain' V8 juice. I didn't like it at first, but it is nice to have after a long run! It tastes like cold tomato soup. You could probably also drink it warm like soup.

songbyrdsweet

We all know we need to drink water regularly to maintain general health, fat loss, etc. While it's hard to drink enough water to cause serious health problems, it's fairly easy to lose a large amount of electrolytes by drinking a lot of water and urinating a couple times an hour, especially when combined with exercise, which depletes electrolytes.

'Sports' drinks like Gatorade are extremely high in sugar, and unnecessary for exercise lasting less than an hour. However, there is an alternative, and it has veggies too... V8 juice! It is LOADED with potassium and high in sodium as well. There are reduced-sodium versions for those of you watching salt. Plus it's all veggies, so it makes getting an extra serving a little easier. This is a great pre or post workout drink as it's light and easy to digest. Keep in mind that I'm not talking about the juices...they are high in sugar, often due to table sugar. I'm just promoting the 'plain' V8 juice. I didn't like it at first, but it is nice to have after a long run! It tastes like cold tomato soup. You could probably also drink it warm like soup.

Ezzie

Many, many, many moons ago when I had a sick little one our doc wrote an electrolyte solution on his prescription pad for us...I still have it and the son is now 31!!! It lives in my cook book ( Think I'll laminate it and give it to son and DIL when they have a little one of their own )

8 oz orange juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2tbsp sugar or karo syrup
Add water to make 1 quart

He also used it during basketball practice, I used it when hubby had the start of heat stroke, nice to have as its quicker than running to the store...doesn't taste bad and is MUCH cheaper than all the bottled stuff.

PS I V8....helps me get those veggies in!

songbyrdsweet

Awesome! The pedialyte stuff is super expensive, not something you could buy to drink daily.

OomarianneoO

WOW! This is great info. from both of you. I wish I had known that recipe for my kids - sure is cheap. And V8 juice...I've tried the V8 Fusion (Light) Strawberry-Banana. It was yuuuuummmmy. But I still have yet to try just the regular old V8 juice. I will have to pick some up my next trip to the grocers.

shorerider

I tried V-8 years ago and just remember it as being AWFUL! :sick:

Maybe though, now that my tastes have changed some, I might give it another try.

may_marie

tell us,,, what happens when you get too low on electrolytes ?

shorerider

tell us,,, what happens when you get too low on electrolytes ?

Songbyrd can give the "medical" answer but I'll say this--it's part of what's called "bonking." and that's not good.

I found this-


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Just as your car's battery needs charging with water and electric force, your body demands the same. In fact, both you and your body just won't run without the proper balance of this vital power combination.
Body fluid balance is particularly critical to people with urinary diversions or gastrointestinal stomas. That's because the needed surgical changes and the required compensations in body functions may accelerate changes in fluid balance and accentuate the impact of the imbalance on the ostomate's total body health.
Year-round awareness!
Maintaining proper body fluid balance is important to everyone. It applies to well-conditioned athletes engaged in rigorous competition and to more sedentary workers involved in demanding physical or mental activities or environments. It applies to females just as much as it does to males. It isn't seasonal. Extremely hot and humid summer weather stresses its need. But winter's weary physical attrition and draining illnesses create equally serious body fluid imbalances. Regulation of bodily fluid balance is the year-round business of everyone.
Why are electrolytes so important?
Electrolytes are basic life substances that dissolve in water and conduct your vital body electricity. These charged ions are positive cat-ions (sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium) or negative anions (bicarbonate, chloride, phosphate, sulfate, organic acids, and protein compounds). Electrolytes are related to the body's water distribution, absorption, diffusion, acid-base balance, and nerve and muscle reaction. The presence and balance of these Electrolytes determine just how well or poorly our body's entire system performs its complex vital functions.
What causes body fluid and electrolyte deficiency?
The most common causes are (1) severe or extended illness involving high fever, vomiting, or diarrhea, (2) long periods of extremely hot weather and perspiration, (3) extraordinary physical exercise or work activity, and (4) extreme changes in diet or reduced fluid intake. Your body will release large amounts of body fluid through your skin, lungs, and kidneys when elevated temperatures occur. This is a natural response as a safety valve to relieve an overheated system. In the process you not only deplete normal body fluid content but also dissipate its natural balance of electrolytes and body chemistry.
What does body fluid and electrolyte deficiency do to you?
A very wide and differing combination of nervous and muscular disorders may occur depending both on the degree or extent of the electrolyte deficiency or whether the fluid imbalance is a deficit or an excess condition. The nature of the fluid shift within your body is also a factor. The impact can vary from small to great, from tremors to convulsions, from diarrhea to constipation, from fatigue to paralysis, from slow to rapid breathing, from low pulse rate to cardiac arrest. None of these conditions is likely to happen to you. But the important thing is that with any measurable default in your electrolyte levels or your body fluid balance you just are not going to feel like your normal self. You may feel lazy, indifferent, have a tingling sensation in your fingers, or just generally feel out of sorts. But you need not if you keep your body battery balanced with fluids and electrolyte content.
What is the solution?
The obvious solution is the intake of greater amounts of water and at the same time a much greater than average intake of vital electrolytes. The average person with a reasonably good diet regime may get sufficient electrolyte and fluid input for his everyday energy replenishment but after severe body stress will require an increased electrolyte supplement to the extra intake that the body is demanding. For ostomates, particularly those with urinary diversions or gastrointestinal stomas, it is probably beneficial to supplement your electrolyte intake not only in these special periods of body stress but also to consider a reasonable regular electrolyte supplement to your normal diet. When serious illness or surgery is the cause of body fluid/electrolyte imbalance, the physician will recommend a restorative program. But for the more common occurrences related to weather, minor illness, overwork, or exercise, there are simple home remedies you can apply. Orange juice and bananas can add potassium and vitamin C. Bouillon or canned soups will boost sodium.
The important thing to remember is, don't let your body battery run low on fluid and electric force. Maintain a proper body fluid and electrolyte balance and take restorative action whenever heavy physical work, play, illness, or weather diminishes your fuel supply!

songbyrdsweet

tell us,,, what happens when you get too low on electrolytes ?

VERY basically...

Electrolytes are used in producing an 'action potential,' which causes nerves to fire. We always need our nerves working to keep our heart beating, muscles contracting, etc. When our electrolytes get low, it pretty much makes things HARD. It's simply harder to move. When they get dangerously low, we can actually die because the neurons can't produce a signal. Shore's article on this is great.

Bonking is more closely related to glycogen depletion...it's the groggy feeling we get when we run out of sugar and start breaking down fats and amino acids for energy. It slows us down because it's a slower process. But electrolyte deficiency is definitely a part of it. And it's no fun! Bonking is probably one of the worst feelings everrrrr. :sick:

firegirlred

Hmmm.. I think I posted some studies about the sodium thing a while back. It's nice to see an expert weigh in on this.

songbyrdsweet

Hmmm.. I think I posted some studies about the sodium thing a while back. It's nice to see an expert weigh in on this.

Hehe I feel like I need to make a commercial wearing a lab coat and stethoscope now :laugh:

I didn't see the sodium one, but I did read the one you posted on a high fat diet for endurance athletes. It was really cool, made perfect sense.

firegirlred

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23989-sodium?hl=salt+institute#posts-218820

I actually took a lot of heat for this.

ErinRNinMaine

Awesome! The pedialyte stuff is super expensive, not something you could buy to drink daily.

Yah, and tell me the stuff doesn't taste like crap!! :sick:

songbyrdsweet

Awesome! The pedialyte stuff is super expensive, not something you could buy to drink daily.

Yah, and tell me the stuff doesn't taste like crap!! :sick:

I drank it once when I had the stomach flu....I threw up neon green! :laugh:

songbyrdsweet

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/23989-sodium?hl=salt+institute#posts-218820

I actually took a lot of heat for this.

That's an interesting article.
I'm not surprised people questioned it. I've gotten heat for some of the things I've written (or said lol) because I often 'go against the grain'. We live with this anecdotal evidence for so long that it just develops into 'common knowledge'. It happens in cycles...first fat, then specifically cholesterol, then high fructose corn syrup (that's what I got some heat for), then carbs, then sodium, etc. The unfortunate thing is that real literature isn't widely available. A very small % of people have access to text books or databases full of peer-reviewed, recent studies. I'm not saying people are ignorant, I'm just saying that it's difficult to determine just what to believe. High blood pressure can be linked to high-sodium diets, but what was there first? Did they individual already have high BP and this made it worse? Or did they have normal BP and this increased it? Did they measure hydration levels in this person? How viscous was their blood? And so on... So these random foods become villainized for a little while.