Homemade Electrolyte Drink

Hey there! Amanda here (Leslie’s crafty impaired friend). I’m back with another guest post today.

I am excited to share my homemade electrolyte drink. Ever had the dreaded stomach bug or the flu? I would say that just about all our readers have had either at some point in their life. I can remember as a little girl drinking lots of ginger ale when I was sick. To this day, I still cannot drink that stuff without bringing back horrible memories of being sick. As soon as I started feeling better, momma would start pushing the fluids. Funny how a certain food or drink can spark those memories.

But as I have learned this past year in my quest to make better choices for my health, many so called electrolyte drinks tend to have added chemicals and plenty of added sugar. So I decided to come up with my own natural electrolyte drink. Not only is it healthy, it is also delicious!

So what are electrolytes and why are they important? Without giving a chemistry lesson that I am not qualified to give, let me give you a quick intro to electrolytes. Electrolytes are positively and negatively charged particles (ions) that are formed when mineral or other salts dissolve and separate in water. They allow our cells to generate energy, maintain stability, and to function in general. They are essential for normal function of our cells and our organs. These little guys can quickly become imbalanced after profuse sweating or a quick loss of fluids. There are several electrolytes in our body and each serve a unique purpose. The most common electrolytes are sodium and potassium.

So why not just pick up some sports drinks to help replenish fluids? I am so glad you asked! Take a look at the ingredients of a popular sports drink: Water, Sugar, Dextrose, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor, Salt, Sodium Citrate, Monopotassium Phosphate, Gum Arabic, Glycerol Ester of Rosin, Yellow 5.

Let’s start with the sugar content. This particular drink contains 34g of sugar in only 20 ounces. One Twinkie only contains 19g of sugar! That’s almost two Twinkies! While I could go on for days as to why too much sugar is bad for our health, excess sugar can exacerbate loss of fluids.

Yellow 5 is very common dye processed from coal tar. It is commonly found in processed foods and is banned in some countries. It has been linked to asthma, migraines, cancer, and many other disorders.

Natural Flavors are highly processed by-products of food. These flavors are unregulated and are typically just trade secrets of the product.

Doesn’t all that sound appetizing? Sounds quite scary to me. But not to worry, there is a healthy and all natural alternative. Below you will find my go-to recipe for electrolyte replenishment. I picked citrus fruits as the main ingredient because they are packed with potassium. The Himalayan salt provides the needed sodium. Sugars also play an important part in rehydration. Honey is an all-natural sweetener and is easier for the body to process. Artificial sweeteners should never be used in electrolyte drinks.

Homemade Electrolyte Drink
• ½ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt (click here to see why I chose Himalayan salt)
• 16 ounces water (or coconut water)
• 1 tablespoon honey (or more)

Combine all the ingredients into a blender and serve or you can heat up the ingredients on the stove so that the honey will blend better. Either way is fine.

You can pick up a juicer from Walmart for about $17 or order one (like below) from Amazon.

So give it a try and let me know what you think. You will be pleasantly surprised by how simple and delicious this drink is.

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Leslie, here. This looks like the perfect alternative to sports drinks since it is all natural and chemical free. My husband likes to drink something other than water to help nourish him while working long days outside in the heat. This is the answer! I am excited to get some oranges and lemons and give it a try!

Thanks to Amanda for writing another post for us. It is great to learn from others! Maybe she will flatter us in the future with another.

Happy Friday!
~Leslie