Thoughts on sports drinks & why we’re going DIY

As I mentioned last time, part of our Annapurna 100 challenge is to fuel our trainings with natural foods, and part of it is ditching those commercial sports drinks that have been with us throughout our running lives.

Gatorade’s most effective sales pitch asserts that its sweet and colourful drinks can rehydrate the body more efficiently than water, that it is a source of energy and effectively replenishes electrolytes during a workout, which are essential in helping the body retain water.  And it’s true.  But tell you what, those electrolytes in commercial sports drinks can also be found naturally in many other foods – like fruits, vegetables, grains and coconut water, less the chemically processed refined sugars and sketchy natural flavour to cover up the fact there is absolutely no fruit juice in this drink to make their fruity flavors.

Nutrition encompasses math, chemistry and a lot of confusion.  There are just so many resources available online and after reading various articles most times I end up feeling a little foggy brained.  But then again I reached a point where I (kind of) understood the proper scheme of things and came up with something useful.  The key here is to simplify things and focus on the most important elements of hydration/electrolyte and glucose replenishment: water, sodium, sugar (or glucose) and potassium.

Sodium increases thirst thereby promoting fluid intake and fluid retention (you don’t pee it all out right away), and it increases blood volume so nutrients can more easily reach the working muscles and vital organs. I’m sure by now you already know that salt is the most convenient source of sodium.

Glucose is the primary fuel for the brain, but the brain uses it quickly it so you need a regular supply. Fruit juice, as long as it is from 100% juice is an excellent source of glucose.

Potassium helps the water stay inside each cell. If you added only sodium to a drink you would still get some benefits but some of the water inside the cell may get drawn out by extracellular (outside the cell) sodium which in turn may “dehydrate” the cells. Dehydrated cells are obviously less effective than cells which are fully hydrated. Just a little potassium, such as the potassium obtained from a vibrant juice (like pomegranate, grape or cranberry) is enough to keep fluids optimally balanced both inside and outside the cells. So when you are adding fruit juice to give you that needed glucose, you also get potassium as a bonus.

Sodium and potassium follow water which means that they not only leave the body as a group but also enter the body better en masse. Sugar or glucose (as it is referred to in the blood) also travels with water, so these four elements hang out in all of the body’s social circles.

Okay now that we know there are natural sources for these elements, the tricky part are the measurements (warning: some maths involved):

Energy/sports drinks tend to work best in a “sugar” or glucose solution that is between 4% and 8%.  For example, for every 240ml (about 227 grams by weight) of a sports drink, there should be 9g to 18g of carbohydrates.  On the other hand, oral rehydration drinks are ideally 2% to 3% glucose (about 5g to 6g of carbohydrates).

The sodium content should be 20-60 milliosmoles per litre. Milliosmoles per litre measures the concentration of a solute, such as sodium, in a liquid such as water. This translates into 109mg to 326mg of sodium in 240ml of water.

Potassium should be at least 18mg to 46mg per 240ml of fluid and can be easily obtained by using fruit juice which is also the source of glucose.

I know it sounds a little confusing but seriously, it’s super simple!  Here we go:

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Amor’s Super Simple DIY Sports Drink:

• 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) vibrant-coloured juice such as cranberry, pomegranate or grape juice
• 1/8 tsp sea salt – or less, just a pinch will do.

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Just mix everything up, or multiply the recipe depending on your hydration requirements during training.

Very important! Make sure you use 100% juice and don’t settle for nectars, especially fruit-flavoured drinks with very less or even no fruit content.  Always, always read the label.  I use Lacnor’s Healthy Living 100% Pomegranate Juice, or Al Rawabi/Dewlands 100% Grape Juice, nothing fancy and all are below Dh7 per litre.  I am still on a search for 100% Cranberry juice brands (Ocean Spray is just about 45-50% juice) – will let you know once I found one.

Serving size: 240ml 28 calories, 7g carbs, 276 mg Sodium, 73 mg Potassium. Plus up to 46% daily values for Vitamin C.

But of course, there are so many ways to replace electrolytes naturally.  My ever-favourite is the coconut water+chia combo, but for us who are running for a minimum of 3 hours in an outing, relying on coconut water for hydration can be a little pricy so we go with lemon+water+chia before the run, my home made sports drinks during the run and coconut water+ chia post run.

Here are some more ways to replenish electrolytes the natural way:

Photo credit: FoodBabe

If you’ve been around reading my blogs for a while, you know I’m crazy about chia seeds, you can read about my fascination on this incredible energy food here.

So that’s my take on hydration and sports drinks.  You see, replacing electrolytes is very important but it’s not rocket science.  You don’t need any tricky formula, refined sugars and unnecessary additives.  By doing it naturally you also give your body some serious nutrition at the same time.  And don’t be fooled by the idea that taking processed sports foods and neon-colored drinks will turn you into an athlete.  It is YOU who does. x

PS: Read more about the controversial science of sports drinks here.

PPS: I am a runner, not a medical professional.  Ask yourself/your doctor before changing your drinking habits (sports drinks and otherwise). xx

Tags: chia, coconut water, Homemade sports drinks