These Are the Best Electrolyte Powders To Buy, According to a Certified Athletic Trainer
Whether you're a professional athlete or just want to up your hydration game, here's how to find the right option for you.
Gainful/Amazon
The electrolyte powder landscape is a whole new frontier. Countless brands all promise to provide coveted electrolytes and promote hydration, but that’s where the similarities come to a full stop. With so many options to choose from — flavors, electrolyte doses, and other functional ingredients — it can be nearly impossible to choose the best one for your needs.
From professional athletes to recreational exercisers to folks that just need to up their hydration game, here's how to determine the right electrolyte powder for you, and which ones you should buy the next time you need a little boost.
Electrolytes 101
Electrolytes are minerals that carry electrical charges responsible for regulating body processes. These mineral levels are impacted by several factors including exercise, organ function, diet, and medication use. Most people associate electrolytes with sweat. Sweat losses call for replenishment of electrolytes for nerve conduction, muscle contraction, fluid balance, and heart function. The most plentiful electrolytes lost in sweat include sodium, chloride, and potassium; magnesium, calcium, and phosphate are also lost in smaller amounts. Electrolyte status varies significantly from person to person and can also be impacted by environmental conditions. This is why paying attention to your personal characteristics should be the first step in choosing an electrolyte powder.
How Can I Choose the Right Electrolyte Powder?
Despite the endless options and compelling marketing, supplementing with electrolyte powders isn’t for everyone. Electrolytes are plentiful in the food supply and present in other dietary supplements like multivitamins, greens powders, protein products, pre-workouts, and energy drinks. Paying attention to where you might be dosing elsewhere should be considered when using an electrolyte product. These powders do add flavor to water, which can entice poor hydrators to improve their intake, but always check labels to prevent getting too much of nutrients like sodium, potassium, and magnesium, which can be harmful in large amounts.
When Should You Use an Electrolyte Powder?
If sweat rates are elevated, you are more likely to benefit from higher doses of electrolytes. Intense exercise or any kind of outdoor labor lasting longer than 60 to 90 minutes — especially in hot and humid weather — can lead to excessive sweat losses. If you anticipate sweaty conditions, you should dose electrolytes ahead of time to help ward off the unwanted symptoms of fatigue that can come from dehydration. You can also use powders as part of post-workout recovery to replace fluid and electrolytes that were lost.
After you have assessed how much you typically sweat, check powders for electrolyte levels, beginning with sodium and potassium. Low to moderate sweating can be replenished by a powder that provides 150 milligrams to 350 milligrams of sodium per serving. Very active individuals involved in heavy training should aim for 500 milligrams to 1,000 milligrams doses. Average exercisers should look for potassium levels from 45 milligrams to 250 milligrams; heavy sweaters and very active athletes can even go as high as 700 milligrams to 800 milligrams.
Do Electrolyte Powders Contain Sugar?
Sugar is another eyebrow-raising ingredient found in electrolyte powders, but it serves an important purpose by allowing for optimized absorption. Digestion of sugar pulls electrolytes into the blood faster, plus it can provide some extra calories to help fuel those longer, intense workouts.
Sugar-free and "zero" electrolyte powders are also widely available. Low and no-calorie sweeteners are used in place of sugar for flavor and palatability. Since tolerances for stevia, monk fruit, and sugar alcohols can vary, it is another thing to consider when deciding which brand of electrolyte powder to use. These are best used along with pre- and post-workout meals and snacks to allow for the same optimized absorption as a sugar-sweetened product.
The Best Electrolyte Powders You Can Buy
So, which electrolyte powders are the best? Here’s a hit list with a range of electrolyte levels.
Tons of fun flavors (I highly recommend Passion Fruit and Black Cherry!) and effectively dosed sugar, sodium, and potassium all make this electrolyte powder a top choice. The sleek packs of powder dissolve easily and are super convenient for dosing electrolytes on-the-go.
- Sugar 7 grams
- Sodium 330 milligrams
- Potassium 180 milligrams
- What We Love Single-serve packets, variety of flavors, less sugar than other leading sports drinks
For those that need a heftier dose of sodium, I recommend this electrolyte powder from the makers of the original sports drink, Gatorade. The three flavors of Gatorlyte offer 420 milligrams of sodium and 300 milligrams of potassium along with calcium, magnesium, and chloride, making it an excellent choice as part of a pre-workout meal on a hot and humid day.
- Sugar 10 grams
- Sodium 420 milligrams
- Potassium 300 milligrams
- What We Love Free from artificial sweeteners or flavors, variety of flavors, low in calories
This lesser-known brand has a lot to offer. This line of light and refreshing electrolyte powders features a full panel of the important electrolytes lost in sweat, including a 250 milligram dose of sodium. The best flavors include Piña Colada and Cherry Limeade.
- Sugar 4 grams
- Sodium 250 milligrams
- Potassium 100 milligrams
- What We Love Free from artificial colors, gluten- and soy-free, NSF Certified for Sport®
LMNT packs feature 1,000 milligrams of sodium, 200 milligrams of potassium, and 60 milligrams of magnesium per serving, and, therefore, should be used responsibly and reserved for high-volume sweat rates. Since LMNT is free of added sugar, take in some carbs from a meal or snack to maximize the absorption benefits.
- Sugar 0 grams
- Sodium 1,000 milligrams
- Potassium 200 milligrams
- What We Love Zero-sugar, variety of flavors, gluten-free, vegan-friendly
Fizzy electrolytes are hard to come by, so this one is expertly formulated. Pop a tablet into 16 fluid ounces of water to create a fizzy elixir with 360 milligrams of sodium, 100 milligrams of potassium, and small amounts of magnesium and calcium.
- Sugar Less than 1 gram
- Sodium 360 milligrams
- Potassium 100 milligrams
- What We Love Tablet form, variety of flavors, gluten-free, vegan-friendly
One of the best brands for all types of performance products, Thorne offers a variety pack of three, no sugar added flavors each with 750 milligrams of chloride, 480 milligrams of sodium, 99 milligrams of potassium, 70 milligrams of calcium, and 40 milligrams of magnesium. This product is also NSF Certified for Sport, a top-tier third party testing certificate for competitive athletes.
- Sugar 0 grams
- Sodium 480 milligrams
- Potassium 99 milligrams
- What We Love All-natural colors and flavors, variety of flavors, sugar-free, NSF Certified for Sport®
You may already be buying clothes from this viral online retailer, but they also offer a line of supplements. This blend of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and zinc is available in three flavors with or without added sugar.
- Sugar 5 grams
- Sodium 300 milligrams
- Potassium 250 milligrams
- What We Love Free from artifical colors and flavors, available with and without sugar, variety of flavors, vegan- and allergen-friendly
Fresh and fruity and not overly sweet, Gainful offers great flavors (shout out Strawberry Lemonade!), along with moderate to high sodium and plentiful amounts of magnesium glycinate — the form that tends to be gentler on the stomach.
- Sugar 2 grams
- Sodium 400 milligrams
- Potassium 150 milligrams
- What We Love Free from artifical flavors, variety of flavors, caffeine-free
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