Electrolyte Marketing
Did you drink your electrolytes today!?
The health and fitness industry would have you believe that electrolyte supplements are the key to unlocking a whole new potential in your life. Could this be true, or are you just wasting money on salty, fruit-flavored water? What is an electrolyte anyway?
Electrolytes are charged ions, which are involved in fluid balance, cellular function, muscle contraction, and nerve signaling. They come from our food and the fluids we drink, and when electrolyte levels are either high or low, they affect the way our bodies operate.
When discussing electrolytes, we are mostly referring to sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, and magnesium. Each one has a different physiological function in the body. For example, calcium is helpful for muscle contraction, nerve impulses, hormone secretion, and bone formation. Potassium can help with muscle cramps, muscle weakness, and cardiac arrhythmias.
This newsletter would be very long if I focused on every electrolyte, so I want to specifically focus on sodium. The most popular electrolyte supplements all have a disproportionately high amount of sodium - the main ingredient is table salt. The sales pitch presents these supplements as a solution to dehydration, fatigue, as well as enhanced cognitive and physical performance.
There is a big difference between the question “How much sodium is ideal to maximize athletic performance?” and “How much sodium does the average person need in order to maintain health?”
Electrolyte drinks and supplements were designed for competitive athletes training for several hours per day, especially endurance athletes. This remains the only population who needs to consider an electrolyte supplement.
The health and wellness industry has rebranded electrolytes to the general population, because endurance athletes are a very small population to sell products to. Naturally, these large companies wanted to expand their products to people who are interested in fitness or simply interested in health and longevity.
Like many things sold in the health and wellness space, it all starts with a grain of truth and then the benefits get extrapolated and exaggerated in order to sell the consumer something they didn’t know they needed.
Yes, in certain circumstances, taking in some sodium with the water you drink can help with the hydration process. However, if you are not doing enough activity at a particular intensity, you do not need to supplement with sodium or electrolytes.
You can get all of the electrolytes that you need from consuming fruits and vegetables. There has been a silly argument on the internet that you can’t just drink water in order to hydrate properly - you must include salt. This just isn’t true. If you were not consuming any food, then maybe this would make sense. However, if you are consuming fruits and veggies, just drink water and you are fine.
According to the FDA, ninety percent of Americans are consuming more sodium than is recommended (the recommended daily amount is 2,300 milligrams). Most Americans are consuming closer to 3,400 mg per day.
More than 70% of that extra sodium comes from processed, packaged, and prepared food - not from adding salt to your home-cooked meals.
If you think about this for one moment, it seems kind of silly to think that your average person needs an electrolyte supplement.
If you were going to create an electrolyte supplement for the general population, sodium would be the very last thing included. Potassium is actually the one that is lacking in most cases.
For those participating in bouts of 90 minutes or more of exercise, simply focus on hydrating properly before, during, and after the event. Drink 13-20 ounces of water 2 hours before the event, then drink 5-10 ounces every 15-20 minutes during the event.
You definitely don’t need to supplement for an hour-long workout in the gym, lifting weights in a climate controlled environment. Even when you are doing a high intensity interval training group class and sweating really hard for 45 minutes, you only need water.
This doesn’t mean that you don’t need to worry about hydration. Almost everyone could be doing a better job of drinking more fluids, but you don’t need to waste money on these supplements.
If you don’t enjoy drinking plain water, there has never been a better time to be alive. Go to any gas station or grocery store and you will find a vast array of carbonated water with an endless amount of flavors to choose from. You can also drink coffee, tea, milk (or non-dairy milk alternatives), diet sodas (yeah, I said it), and small amounts of fruit juice.
There is not a magic number of ounces to drink per day. The best way to ensure that you are hydrated is to check the color of your urine. You should be aiming for a pale yellow or clear. Anything darker than pale yellow means that you need to consume more liquid.
The electrolyte supplement craze is yet another example of how fancy marketing can make things more complicated than it needs to be. Don't be fooled - save your money and go buy more fruits and veggies, and drink some water.
