I know gator-aid and its like advertise that they have lots of them. And I know sometimes I feel bad if I sweat a lot and just drink water. But are they just advertising… salt? Are there different kinds of electrolytes, and if so are they interchangable?
So in times of heavy exercise, is it better then to effectively drink saline? Assuming one doesn’t mind the salty taste.
You could buy ORS (oral rehydration salt) from a pharmacy and mix it in water. Make sure the packet follows the WHO formula, and that you add the correct amount of water. If these are not available, the WHO recommends 3 g salt and 18 g sugar per litre (roughly 1 teaspoon and 6 teaspoons per litre) of water. But this will not have potassium and other minerals.
Well, during heavy excercise, a lot more than salt is lost. Another thing lost is blood glucose. It can help you recover to replece the glucose as well, so the sugar in sports drinks can be useful as well.