When I was pregnant with baby Beckett, I was having trouble feeling hydrated despite drinking what felt like gallons of water a day. My midwife advised me to add in some electrolytes and to increase my water consumption. Well, I didn’t think it was possible to drink any more than I already was, especially considering I had to plan every outing I took around my bladder at the time!
If you’re wondering what electrolytes have to do with hydration, they help your body regulate fluid levels. If you’re deficient, fatigue and muscle cramping are usually the first symptoms to show their rear.
While I know that sports drinks have lots of added electrolytes, they also have lots of added sugar. And the diet options are arguably worse depending on who you talk to. So either way, I knew they were a no-go for me.
I found the perfect solutions.
1. Salt Your Food
The simplest solution is to eat more salt. I definitely use a generous amount of salt in my cooking. Not only does it enhance the flavor of my food and immediately replace sodium lost through sweat, but it’s packed with electrolytes like potassium, calcium, and magnesium.
My preferred salt is Himalayan pink sea salt but another option is…
2. Add Minerals to Your Water
I’m so glad I found Concentrace Minerals because they are the perfect source of minerals, trace minerals… and natural electrolytes.
The best thing about these drops is that they help make your water taste so much better!
3. Incorporate Fresh Lemon (or Other Citrus) in Your Water or Tea
Lemon and other citrus fruits are another great natural source of electrolytes. Like sea salt, they’re full of electrolytes like magnesium, potassium, and calcium.
Get yourself a citrus press like this one to make adding lemon easier. I especially love using the press because I don’t have to worry about the seeds falling into the water or the lemon irritating a small cut I didn’t even know I had.
3. Add Chia Seeds to Your Drinks or Meals
Like electrolytes, chia seeds help you stay hydrated for longer periods of time. But they take it one step further by helping you retain electrolytes because they hold thirty times their own weight in water. Have you ever seen a chia seed get wet? It appears to double in size.
Sprinkle these on your meals or add them to your water bottle before a workout to help stay hydrated longer.
4. Drink Coconut Water
This is my personal favorite on this list because coconut water just tastes so darn good. My brands of choice are Harmless Harvest or Amy & Adam’s (with the pulp). I pick up Harmless Harvest at the health food store and order Amy & Adam brand for our home.
I love to drink it plain or use it as a replacement for water (and sometimes even nut milk!) in smoothie recipes.
5. Eat More Fruit
Citrus fruits are the only ones packed with electrolytes. Most any fruit is. My all-time favorite is watermelon. If you follow along with me on Instagram, you probably know I eat a whole watermelon nearly every week by myself, seeds and all. It just might be my favorite food ever.
Now that you have some natural alternatives, I hope you’ll join me and say “bye bye sports drinks with all your sugar and artificial ingredients! Thankfully, there’s no need for you in my kitchen.”
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