Drink Mix With Decent Electrolytes
 

Hi everyone I took a suggestion last year and got this drink mix of Vitalyte
Vitalyte Natural Electrolyte Powder Drink Mix, Gluten Free, 40 2 Cup Servings Per Container (Fruit Punch)Vitalyte

Reason for this one. I was looking for something bit healthier to use vs Gaterade.

However I am finding Vitalyte to not have enough Electrolytes and the sodium content really low. Even the powdered Gaterade has more sodium in it.
Vitalyte I find I have to put in many scoops just to get enough Electrolytes

So therefore I am looking for something else.
Recommendations of something bit more healthy then Gaterade of course
But something with decent sodium in it.
Vitalyte is not really doing it well.
Recommendations please.

My riding and endurance is for long 3+ hour rides and I often run half marathon distances to long 4 hour long trail runs
So yes looking for something for long endurance activities.
Thanks and look to all your suggestions

Everyone's stomach responds differently. As a result of that premise, I'd suggest "investing" in a number of single-use packets from various vendors and trying them. Hit up your local bike shop, your running shoe store, and an REI if there's one nearby. Buy maybe 3 of a kind, and use them on successive rides (or runs). Wait for the results before you buy a big bottle or can of anything.

Now, FWIW: HEED is about the most stomach-friendly electrolyte mix I've found, but (a) it lacks flavor, so I end up mixing it with lemonade mix, and (b) it's rather low in sodium, so if I get a convenience store refill on a long ride I'll have to get something with salt in it to drink. I've also found I can tolerate a half tablet of Nuun in one water bottle, as long as the second bottle has plain water. A lemon-lime Nuun with half a dose of lemonade mix tastes all right, IME.

On day-long rides, potatoes are an excellent salt delivery system. Fried, baked, or boiled, add a ton of salt and have a big drink afterward.

Heed with about 1/2 to 3/4 scoop of their Endurolyte powder added to a 24 oz bottle for the heat I'm riding in now. (90°F/32°C)

I don't find it tasteless. To me it seems like they changed up their flavor profiles last year and they are too sweet and too flavorful leaving a little bit of the sickly sticky taste that all the others leave as an after taste. But not quite so bad as those.

I take pre-measured packets of the dry mix with me to add to water I get along the way when I do rides more than three bottles long.

a spoon of table salt and two spoons of sugar in the waterbottle.

??? I hope the salt spoon is a small one!

CanadianBiker: Are you really asking about sodium levels in different products, or are you looking for ideas about taste/sweetness, etc.?
The sodium/potassium, etc. levels are all published in the product specs, I think.
Why do you think you need more sodium?
I'm on the west coast, so it's never very hot here. I was using NUUN powder; I had a pre-migraine type thing at the end of one ride. I didn't give it much thought until somebody here at BF mentioned headache problems with NUUN. It might have been a coincidence??
Lately I've been using Tailwind Endurance which sems to have the right balance of sugar and electrolytes for me.
It's more economical than a lot of the products out there, too. Or perhaps it just seems like more weight in the package because it has sugar in the mix?
The Trail Runner Store is a good place to shop online - they're a small business in Canada with reasonable shipping rates. (No connection to me, except that I ordered Tailwind and some other stuff from them recently.)

LyteShow (https://www.amazon.com/LyteShow-Bott..._d_rp_1_t&th=1). The good thing about it is that it contains minerals only, no calories, no taste additives (it is basically tasteless, very slightly tart and salty). You can add any carbs or whatever according to your needs.

Looks interesting. How do you meaure out the 3mL to add to 32 oz of water?

Google says 3mL = .6 teaspoon

I know how much 3mL is; thanks. If I have to measure 3 mL, I use a syringe.

The 0.6 teaspoon would be more tricky.

It seems that product might be quite concentrated, so perhaps it wouldn't be good to make a mistake.
OTOH, it may not be very concentrated, so a wide range of 'serving sizes' might be OK. Hard to tell, since the Lyte website is pretty vague.

BTW, I looked at the Tailwind website and they don't have the composition info there either, so I guess not all companies publish that (essential??) data.
I think they are required to print it on the package, though.

Here's some label info:
Tailwind Endurance: More sugar as it is intended to replace gels and other foods
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0dbf1f3b17.jpg
NUUN Endurance Performance Hydration Drink Mix:
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7c5a03c5c7.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f92f5933cd.jpg

GU Energy Drink Mix- Notice that's it's basically only sugar and sodium
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c53f771a5a.jpg

DripDrop. It's the best I've tried.

Nothing magical in it. Same ingredients most electrolyte mixes use. But DripDrop really nailed the perfect combination, flavor and texture. NUUN never mixes right for me and leaves chalky crumbs in the bottle.

Gatorade, Propel and others with artificial sweeteners have a bitter or cloying flavor, and don't work quite as well, and often leave me with a sour, burpy stomach, which is pretty awful when I'm running. I keep forgetting to add a bit of sugar to make those easier to absorb and digest. Without a bit of sugar the stuff sits in my stomach and causes bloating.

The worst I can say about DripDrop is the flavor is a bit bland. But there's nothing offensive either, just a very neutral, easy to drink, easy to digest brew.

It comes in single serve Mylar packets that are weatherproof and sweatproof. I've kept packets in my seat bag, jersey pockets, even socks, and the powder was still good months later after repeated exposure to rain and sweat.

DripDrop contains just a bit of sugar to help with digestion. Check the info on their website (linked above) for explanation about why a little sugar is essential to an easily digestible rehydration mix.

Depends on what you want. JUST Electrolytes or do you want some fuel to go with them?

I've been using Nuun for years now because I personally don't care to mix my calories with my electrolytes. Also I can carry a tube of Nuun tabs in my pack so if I need to top off I can also make sure there are electrolytes in there too. That said they aren't for everyone.
If you're looking for electrolytes plus carbs, keep reading the thread, 'cause I got nothing for you on that. 🤷‍♂️

I used OSMO for century rides, but it's pretty pricey for regular training rides.

I've started mixing up my own drink mix, based on the WHO's Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS).

It's formulated to maximize rehydration, has easily obtained ingredients, and has a very mild flavor.

I'm adding some lemon crystals and a bit more sugar to give it some flavor. A little powdered ginger is nice, too.

Here's the WHO formula:


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5d2a476472.png

Where do you get the ingredients (aside from the NaCl)?

On the bottle it offers a few easy ways to measure, the easiest IMHO is to count drops - 3 ml ~ 40 drops from their bottle. Realistically a very big precision is not required in this case.
I just put the same amount of drops as amount of ounces in the water bottle (my bottles are 21 oz) + a few extra drops.

From bulksupplements.com

Thanks, I'll check it out.

:thumb:

The pink lemonade flavor of NUUN tablets are my preference. Drop one in a water bottle and go.

Why do you think you need more sodium? I eat a low sodium diet both on and off the bike. I never see white on my shorts or have a problem riding in high temperatures as long as I have water and enough electrolytes, about 150mg sodium/hr., plus the other electrolytes. I don't believe in putting electrolytes in my water. IME it's best to separate them One doesn't sweat the same amount on every ride. Much water is lost in exhalation. My standard for hot rides is 2 Endurolytes/hr. I also take 1g of calcium before a sweaty ride and 300 mg magnesium after.

A few weeks ago I did an 80 mile organized bike ride and the rest stops had the usual jugs of water and Gatorade-like stuff, but also had Hydrant hydration mix individual packages. Much less sugar/calories than Gatorade-like drinks, which are too sweet for me. I tried lemon/lime, liked the taste and felt pretty good after the ride. The instructions recommend 1 packet per 8-16 ounces, I used it on the small (500 ml/16 oz) water bottle I carry in addition to a large water bottle on longer rides.

They had a discount code, so bought a pack of 30 and it worked out to about $.80 per water bottle, not cheap but less than Vitamin Water, my other favorite. I sweat like a pig but never felt need for lots of sodium in these drinks, enough coming in from food/snacks.

Unless I didn't look at the right products, then Hydrant... in all their categories of products are just mostly sodium and other electrolytes. And more than I'd put in my bottles for any but a really hot days ride.

The few Calories they provide come from cane sugar. And the only "energy" component other than the little bit of cane sugar seems to be caffeine or other stimulants.

I think you are sort of saying you don't like Gatorade because of it's sugary, slimey slick taste that is annoying.... at least to me, when riding at a fair effort in the heat. Just leaves a nasty aftertaste in the mouth. Vitamin water was one of the few drinks I found that was palatable when riding. And it provided a decent amount of energy in the form of Calories.

Hammer's Heed has been what I liked for several years. It didn't use to have the aftertaste that Gatorade does. However I think they changed their flavor profile a while back to try and placate those that didn't like it's slightly astringent taste that didn't leave much after taste. So now they are more like Gatorade and leave an after taste. However not quite as bad. Watermelon or lemon lime seem to not have as much of the annoying taste, but I might have to start making my own mix again.

Take a look at Ultima Replenisher.

https://www.ultimareplenisher.com/pr...30324810285159

Normal rules of what is healthy are different when you are doing endurance sports. Normally having a lot of processed sugars as part of your diet has all sorts of drawbacks. However, during long and intense workouts there is really nothing unhealthy about processed sugars, and they are actually quite beneficial for performance.
So don't think that a drink with just electrolytes and less sugar is healthier for your 3hr workouts. You need to take some energy in the form of carbs and preferably something that can be absorbed quickly, i.e. processed sugars.