Most people are chronically dehydrated — not because they drink too little water, but because they're missing what goes with it.
Before anything else — let's clear up the word electrolytes. It sounds complicated. It's not.
Sodium, potassium, and magnesium are all just different salts your body needs to function. The fancy word "electrolyte" just means a mineral that carries an electrical charge in your body's fluids. That's it. When someone says "take electrolytes" — they mean replenish your salt.
Everyone tells you to drink more water. And they're right — but only half right. Water without electrolytes doesn't hydrate you properly. In fact, drinking too much plain water can actually dilute your sodium levels and make things worse.
You don't just lose water when you sweat. You lose salt. Replace both — or you're still dehydrated.
Sweat isn't just water. It's a mix of fluids and minerals your body pushes out to regulate temperature. Here's what leaves your body every litre you sweat:
The average active person loses 1–3 litres of sweat per hour during training. That's a significant mineral loss. If you finish a workout 1kg lighter than you started — your body lost about a litre of fluid and everything in it.
After training, don't just drink water. Replenish electrolytes. Muscle cramps, headaches, dizziness and extreme thirst after exercise are all signs of electrolyte loss — not just dehydration.
Bubble size = how much of each you lose per litre of sweat
Work together to regulate and maintain fluid balance in the body
Essential for optimal muscle function and energy metabolism
Look for an electrolyte product with ratios close to what you actually lose. This is roughly what you should see on the label per serving:
Zero carbs. Always. If you're fasting or low-carb — flavoured electrolytes with sugar will break your fast and spike insulin. Get unflavoured or zero-carb versions. Effervescent tablets or powder sachets both work — just check the label.
There are three types of dehydration — and the type matters because each one requires a different fix. Most people only know about one.
Too much water, not enough sodium. Water moves into cells, they swell. Can cause brain swelling, headaches, nausea, confusion and in extreme cases — coma. This happens from drinking too much plain water without salt. Surprisingly common in endurance athletes.
Too much sodium, not enough water. Water is pulled out of cells. Classic dehydration from not drinking enough. Causes intense thirst, dry mouth, muscle weakness. Like drinking seawater — more salt without water makes things worse.
This is the goal. Fluid and electrolyte concentration matches your blood. Cells stay balanced. This is what a good electrolyte drink achieves — not too much water, not too much salt. Just the right ratio of both.
The goal is isotonic. Match water with minerals — don't just flood your body with plain water.
There's a simple formula for how much fluid to drink during intense exercise. It's not a guess — it's based on body weight and has a name.
The Galpin equation is for extreme or high-intensity exercise only. In normal daily life — just drink when you're thirsty. Your body's thirst signal works. The old "8 glasses a day" rule and forcing yourself to drink 2–3 litres regardless of thirst is not necessary and can actually dilute your electrolytes. Thirst = drink. No thirst = don't force it.
Salt has been blamed for high blood pressure for decades. And while people with chronic hypertension should be careful, for most people salt is not the problem — it's actually essential. Most people are under-salted, not over-salted.
Sodium binds to water and improves blood osmolarity. When blood volume drops, you feel dizzy, unfocused, and weak. A small pinch of salt in water can fix this in minutes — faster than any food.
Many hunger signals are actually sodium deficiency signals. Before you reach for food, try a pinch of salt in water. Most of the time the hunger disappears. This is especially useful during fasting.
Coffee and other caffeinated drinks act as diuretics — they flush water out, and sodium goes with it. If you drink coffee regularly, you need to replace that sodium. This is why coffee drinkers often feel jittery and unfocused — it's not the caffeine, it's the sodium loss.
A small pinch of himalayan or sea salt in water — maybe with lemon — can produce real mental clarity within minutes. It stabilises nerve signals and helps the brain function. Many people reach for food when what they actually need is salt.
102,000 people. 17 countries. 3.7 years of tracking. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
People eating the least sodium had a 27% higher risk of death and major cardiovascular events compared to moderate sodium consumers. The low-salt group was the most dangerous group in the study.
The WHO/government recommended intake (under 2g sodium/day) sits at the high-risk end of the curve — where mortality increases. The safest zone in the study was 4–8g of sodium excretion per day.
A 2014 meta-analysis published in the American Journal of Hypertension found that both low AND excessive sodium diets were associated with increased mortality compared to normal intake. U-shaped curve. Both extremes are dangerous.
Sodium Excretion vs Risk of Death — O'Donnell et al., NEJM 2014
Government
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Our minimum
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Our maximum
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Eating too little salt is more dangerous than eating a moderate amount. The science is there. The guidelines haven't caught up.
pH measures how acidic or alkaline something is. Scale runs from 0 (pure acid) to 14 (pure alkaline). Your blood must stay between 7.35 and 7.45 — slightly alkaline. Your body defends this range with everything it has. Organs, lungs, kidneys — all working constantly to keep it there.
Here's the truth about alkaline diets: food has almost no effect on blood pH. Your body is too good at maintaining it. Eating alkaline foods will change the pH of your urine — not your blood. The alkaline diet trend is mostly marketing.
What does matter is avoiding chronic acidosis — when the body's buffering systems get overwhelmed. This can cause organ dysfunction, muscle weakness, bone loss, and digestive problems. It's rare, but real.
Your stomach is pH 1–3. Extremely acidic — on purpose. That's how it kills pathogens and digests protein.
These foods are alkaline before or during digestion. Doesn't mean eating them changes your blood pH — but they're generally anti-inflammatory and nutrient-dense.
Lemon, watermelon
Asparagus, cantaloupe, red pepper, celery, figs, fruit juices, grapes, kiwi, mango, papaya, parsley, pineapple, raisins, seaweed, watercress
Apples, apricots, avocado, ripe bananas, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cherries, dates, garlic, grapefruit, herbs, oranges, peaches, fresh peas, pumpkin, raspberries, strawberries, sweet corn, apple cider vinegar
Almonds, artichokes, Brussels sprouts, chestnuts, fresh coconut, raw dairy, cucumber, eggplant, eggs, raw goat milk, raw honey, leeks, most herbs
Drink water. Add electrolytes when active. Don't fear salt. Alkaline diets don't change your blood pH — your body does that automatically. Focus on eating whole foods and staying consistently hydrated with minerals, not just water.