Homemade Sports Drink: 5 Best Recipes
After the article on what sports drinks are and why they are needed, we move on to the practical part. Here are only those homemade sports drink recipes that we have tested on ourselves.
Homemade Sports Drink Importance
Drinking in all possible forms before, during, and after training prevents abrupt changes in blood composition, participates in the mechanisms of regulation of the cardiovascular system, muscle metabolism, and thermoregulation.
With sweat and liquid, we lose trace elements and salts – this leads to increased acidity (acidosis) and general intoxication. In addition, a lack of potassium and sodium severely affects the state of the muscular system (including the myocardium), and sometimes a lack of calcium during dehydration of the organism causes spasms or convulsions.
Why Make Homemade Sports Drink Importance
Sports drinks with electrolytes will help to quickly restore such losses. If you are going through a period of intense exercise, supplementing with calcium, magnesium, sodium, and other minerals is beneficial. The density of an isotonic solution is approximately equal to the density of blood plasma, so the necessary substances are absorbed very quickly.
At the heart of electrolyte-enhanced waters that you can do at home yourself, as a rule, the next components are used:
- Water – as a base;
- Salt – because sodium and chloride ions play an important role in maintaining a constant volume of fluid in the body, and retention or loss of sodium causes proportional retention or loss of water;
- Sugar – as a source of glucose and sucrose, which saturates the body with nutrients and provides energy;
- Honey – as an alternative sweetener and a storehouse of calcium, sodium, magnesium, iron, sulfur, iodine, chlorine, phosphorus, important trace elements (manganese, silicon, aluminum, boron, chromium, copper, lithium, nickel, lead, tin, zinc, osmium), malic and oxalic, folic acid, vitamins of group B, E, K;
- Fruit and berry juices – as a source of vitamins and minerals.
Often, citrus juice is used in the isotonic base instead of water. Juice, like a vitamin first-aid kit, saturate the blood with a complex of vitamins and minerals important for restoring the electrolyte balance: the entire group B, a good dose of vitamin C, salts.
For the same reason, you can use the juice of berries: cranberries, viburnum, sea buckthorn, raspberries, currants.
5 Best Homemade Sports Drink Recipes
Basic Sports Drink Recipe
- 300 ml of fruit juice (apple, orange, or even better freshly squeezed);
- 200 ml of water;
- a pinch of salt.
Mix ingredients in a 500 ml bottle. This drink will help regulate water-salt metabolism and blood glucose levels during long workouts. Lemonade with a pinch of salt will also perfectly restore strength.
Anti-Inflammatory Sports Drink Recipe
- large ginger root
- 1 liter of water
- juice of 3 oranges
- a good pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons of honey
Grate ginger root, add 500 ml of water, put on fire, bring to a boil and cook for 3-4 minutes. Allow cooling. Pour the orange juice in the remaining water, add salt and honey and mix it up thoroughly.
Rehydration Electrolyte-Enhanced Water Recipe
- 500 ml of water
- juice of 2 lemons
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 sachet of Rehydron
An excellent trick, it is also the “pharmacy” recipe, to use in the composition of restorative sports drinks a regular pharmaceutical preparation, which is prescribed to restore and maintain the water-alkaline balance in case of poisoning, infectious diseases, and also to prevent violations of blood pH.
The main purpose of using Rehydron is to restore acid-base balance, disturbed due to the loss of electrolytes, which occurs with profuse sweating. Dissolve a bag of Rehydron in a glass of water, add lemon juice, the remaining water, and honey, mix it up.
What is Rehydron?
Rehydron is a dietary supplement sold in pharmacies without a prescription. It contains dextrose, sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and sodium citrate dihydrate. In fact, Rehydron is a mixture of mineral salts and carbohydrates, being a simple isotonic powder.
A third of a teaspoon of the drug is diluted per liter of water – a sachet (19 g) is enough to make 12 liters of isotonic.
After dilution of Rehydron in water, carbohydrate sources and flavorings are added to it. The amount of carbohydrates depends on the type of exercise. The usual dose is 10 grams (about 2 teaspoons) per liter, but with prolonged high-intensity workouts, the figure can go up to 50-70 grams of carbohydrates per liter. Their source can be either maltodextrin powder or honey or juice.
Berry Sports Drink Recipe
- 150 g cranberries or other sour seasonal berries
- 80 g sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 600 ml water
Wash fresh or take frozen berries, place in a saucepan, and mash with a crush. Squeeze out the juice with cheesecloth or wipe it through a fine sieve, pour it into a glass, and set it aside. Pour berry skins with water, boil, cook for 2 minutes. Turn off heat and strain it. Add sugar, salt, pour in the squeezed juice.
Refreshing Drink Recipe
- 1 orange
- 1/2 lemon
- a pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp honey
- 500 ml of water
Squeeze orange and lemon juice, mix with honey and salt, then grind it all thoroughly until smooth. Dilute with water.
The Bottom Line
Scientific studies show that normal water is sufficient for training no more than 45-60 minutes. Isotonic drinks and electrolyte drinks are only recommended for long runs and marathons – especially in hot weather. In this case, athletes are advised to use isotonic drugs not only during the race itself but also the day before the start.
Moreover, you can adjust the aforementioned recipes according to your preferences and taste. Home sports drinks recipes often include energy components – that is, caffeine in various variations. The source of caffeine can be either strong brewed tea or instant coffee, or caffeine tablets (sodium benzoate). In most cases, synthetic caffeine is more convenient because it does not attack the stomach – unlike strong tea.
However, we recall that caffeine has both a number of advantages (first of all, it increases focus and enhances performance) and several undesirable disadvantages. In addition to the fact that caffeine is a fairly potent diuretic and increases sweating, it can increase heart rate, which may be undesirable for some athletes. In this case, the source of caffeine is not critical.
More about this topic:
- Pu’er Tea Benefits, Side Effects and Uses
- Magic Calories or Ice Cream Diet Helps to Lose Weight
- Homemade Gatorade {All-Natural Sports Drink with Electrolytes} – fivehearthome.com
Follow us on Social Media Platforms:
