With those hard exercise sessions we lose water and salts in our sweat. Dehydration can be a problem. Apparently, the marketers have caught on! I stopped off at a gas station recently and was shocked to see their selection of sports drinks, energy drinks, bottled and fitness waters fighting for shelf space with soft drinks. I reached out to nutrition consultant Colleen Parsons for a simple (credible) recipe that you can make at home. Do remember: Soft drinks have no electrolytes and, “energy drinks” contain caffeine (which cause you to lose water). If your exercise session isn’t very hard, good old water will do just fine.
Homemade Sports Drink (Nancy Clark R.D.)
- 4T sugar (you may use honey for added flavour but may not need as much)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup boiling water
- ¼ cup orange juice or 2T lemon juice
- 3 ¾ cups cold water
- In the bottom of a pitcher, dissolve the sugar (honey) and salt in the hot water. Add juice and remaining cold water; chill.
Total – 200 calories, 12g carbohydrate, 110mg sodium, 30mg potassium.
