Sport Drinks: low cost and healthy alternatives

Sports drinks, like Gatorade, are intended to improve athletic performance by replacing fluid and electrolytes lost in sweat and carbohydrates burned for energy. Unfortunately they are also packed with sugar. Here is a healthier alternative since you need to replace the electrolytes you just lost while sweating. Electrolytes are basically a salt that can carry an electrical charge. The cells of your body rely on them to carry the electrical impulses responsible for muscle contractions and nerve impulses to other cells. Without electrolytes, your body cells couldn't communicate efficiently. Electrolytes affect the amount of water in your body, blood acidity (pH), muscle action, and other important processes. You lose electrolytes when you sweat, and you must replace them by drinking fluids

It turns out that two tablespoons of lemon juice contain almost exactly the amount of potassium in 8 oz of a typical sports drink. So, if you want to make your own low-carb sports drink, it's quite easy. Just mix together:

· -1 cup (8 oz) water (not carbonated)

· - 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

· -small pinch of Celtic Sea Salt

· -sweetened with Stevia to taste

Another alternative is this drink:

· -coconut water

· -pinch of Celtic Sea salt

· - Stevia to taste

This second alternative is even better because the coconut water contains medium chain triglycerides(MCT) which are a unique form of dietary fat. Their reduced chain length also means that MCTs are more rapidly absorbed by the body and more quickly metabolized (burned) as fuel. The result of this accelerated metabolic conversion is that instead of being stored as fat, the calories contained in MCTs are very efficiently converted into fuel for immediate use by organs and muscles. They boost energy levels and increase fatty acid metabolism to aid in reducing fat deposits. Hence this makes them perfect from a weight loss aspect. And on top they have been shown to suppress appetite.

Be smart, stay healthy