For most people on most days, plain water and regular meals cover it, because food already supplies the sodium, potassium and other electrolytes you need. Electrolyte drinks earn their place when you lose a lot through sweat: long or hot workouts, physical jobs, or several games in a day.
What electrolytes are, and how you lose them
Electrolytes are minerals that carry an electrical charge in your body fluids. The main ones are sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium and calcium. They help keep fluid balance in check and are involved in nerve signals and muscle contractions, and your kidneys do a remarkable job of keeping their levels steady.
Day to day, you get them from food. Salt (sodium and chloride) is in most meals, and fruit, vegetables, beans, dairy and whole grains supply potassium, magnesium and calcium. A banana and a salty snack after a walk is, technically, an electrolyte plan.
You lose electrolytes mainly through sweat, and sodium is the big one. How much varies a lot from person to person, which is why one teammate finishes a game with salt-streaked clothes and another doesn't.
Water or electrolytes: the short answer
Plain water
Enough for an ordinary day, a walk to work, a short gym session or an hour-long class, especially with a normal meal before or after. When there's time to recover and food on hand, water plus food does the rehydration job.
Water plus electrolytes
Worth it when you sweat heavily for well over an hour, work hard in the heat, or play several games with little time for a proper meal in between.
Signs it's an electrolyte day
- Long or hard sessions. Long runs, rides, hikes and tournaments where you can't eat much along the way.
- Heat and humidity. A familiar route in July feels very different from the same route in October.
- Physical work. Roofing, landscaping, kitchen shifts and other long days on your feet in the heat.
- Heavy sweating. White salt marks on your hat or shirt usually mean you're losing more sodium than average.
- Back-to-back events. Several games in one day, with short breaks in between.
Training for something long?
A sports dietitian can help you build a hydration plan. Our Bedford clinic has physiotherapists and naturopathic doctors if you'd like to talk it through in person.
Tablets, powders, sachets and drops compared
Electrolytes come in more formats than they used to. Our electrolytes page lets you browse by format and brand; here's the short version.
| Format | How it works, and what we carry |
|---|---|
| Tablets | Drop one into about 500 mL of water. A light tube of 10; some versions add caffeine. Nuun Sport |
| Powder tubs | A scoop per bottle, and one tub covers a lot of bottles. BioSteel, Organika, Designs for Health |
| Sachets | Tear, pour, shake. Good for gym bags, lunch kits and travel. BioSteel, Organika, Hydralyte |
| Ready to drink | Open and drink. Easiest, but heaviest to carry. BioSteel Sports Drink, ROAR |
| Drops | A few drops in water. Mostly magnesium and trace minerals; low in sodium. Aussie Trace Minerals |
The tablets and mixes people ask us about most:
NuunSport tabletsFizzy tablets with sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium.Shop →
NuunSport + Caffeine40 mg of caffeine per tablet, from green tea.Shop →
BioSteelHydration MixZero sugar, no caffeine; about 45 servings per tub.Shop →
BioSteelHydration Mix sachetsThe tub formula in a box of 7 single servings.Shop →
Nuun tablets
Nuun Sport dissolves in about 16 oz (roughly 500 mL) of water. We carry several flavours, including tri-berry, fruit punch, tropical, grape and watermelon. Nuun Immunity is a different product, with added vitamins and herbs.
Check for caffeine
Nuun Sport + Caffeine in cherry limeade adds 40 mg of caffeine per tablet from green tea, so it's one to keep away from evening workouts.
BioSteel Hydration Mix
BioSteel Hydration Mix in blue raspberry is a zero-sugar, caffeine-free powder with electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, zinc and calcium), plant-based amino acids and B vitamins, sweetened with stevia. The same formula comes in 7-sachet boxes, and the BioSteel Sports Drink is the ready-to-drink, sugar-free version in a carton.
More mixes, sachets and drops
Organika Electrolyte Sachets come 20 to a box, with potassium, sodium, magnesium and vitamin C. Designs for Health Electrolyte Synergy is a lemon-orange powder with potassium, sodium, chloride and magnesium, plus vitamin C, taurine and D-ribose. Hydralyte comes as single-serve sticks; one stick goes into about 200 mL of water.
Aussie Trace Minerals Electrolytes is concentrated Australian ocean water with most of the sodium removed, leaving a magnesium-rich concentrate you add by the drop. If sodium from heavy sweating is what you're replacing, look for a product that lists sodium.
OrganikaElectrolyte Sachets20 caffeine-free sachets with vitamin C.Shop →
Designs for HealthElectrolyte SynergyLemon-orange powder; about 30 scoops per tub.Shop →
HydralyteElectrolyte Powder12 single-serve sticks, berry flavour.Shop →
Aussie Trace MineralsElectrolyte dropsMagnesium-rich drops; low in sodium.Shop →
Grab-and-go options
If you'd rather not mix anything, these come ready to drink:
BioSteelSports DrinkSugar-free and caffeine-free, in a carton.Shop →
ROARStrawberry LemonadeCoconut water base with sea salt; caffeine-free.Shop →
How to compare electrolyte drinks
- Read sodium per prepared serving. Check the sodium and how much water the directions call for. Two mixes with the same sodium per scoop make different drinks if one goes into 500 mL and the other into a litre.
- Decide whether you want sugar. Classic sports drinks supply carbohydrate as fuel, which matters in long events. Zero-sugar mixes like BioSteel's, or low-sugar tablets like Nuun, don't do that job, but they're usually the better fit for everyday sipping.
- Check for extras. Caffeine, vitamins, amino acids and herbs show up in a lot of hydration products. Read the label so a "hydration" drink doesn't double up on your morning coffee.
- Count the sodium if you're not sweating it out. The usual guidance for most people 14 and over is to keep sodium under 2,300 mg a day, and an electrolyte drink at your desk adds to that total.
Electrolytes are for the days you really sweat. The rest of the time, water and a good meal do the job.
Things that look like electrolytes, but aren't
A few products sit near electrolytes on the shelf and in searches. They're good products, just doing a different job.
| Product | What it actually is |
|---|---|
| Vital Zing Water Drops | A sugar-free flavour enhancer: water, citric acid, natural flavour and stevia. No electrolytes. |
| True Lime and True Lemon | Crystallized citrus, about the flavour of one wedge per packet. Flavour, not electrolytes. |
| Work Water | A non-carbonated energy drink with 180 mg of caffeine per can. |
| Flow | Alkaline spring water from Ontario with naturally occurring minerals. It's water, and a perfectly good one. |
If you reach for Work Water, the usual guidance is that healthy adults keep caffeine to 400 mg a day from all sources, coffee and tea included.
Drinking more isn't always better
Too little fluid and too much can both cause problems. Overdrinking during long events, even of sports drinks, can lead to low blood sodium (exercise-associated hyponatremia). Athletic trainers recommend individual fluid plans that avoid both extremes. Drink to thirst for everyday activity, and practise your plan in training before race day.
Feeling sick is different
Sports drinks and electrolyte mixes aren't oral rehydration solutions for vomiting or diarrhea. For a child, an older adult or anyone who can't keep fluids down, ask a pharmacist or get medical care.
Get advice first if you have kidney or heart conditions, high blood pressure, a prescribed fluid, sodium or potassium limit, or take medications that affect these, such as diuretics.
Questions we get a lot
How do I know if I need electrolytes?
Look at the situation more than symptoms: long or hot sessions, heavy sweating, physical work or several events in a day. For ordinary days, water and food are enough.
Is it okay to drink electrolytes every day?
For most healthy adults it's usually unnecessary, and it adds sodium to your day. Save it for the days you sweat, unless your healthcare provider suggests otherwise.
Is Nuun good for you?
Nuun Sport is a low-sugar electrolyte tablet that works well for workouts and hot days. Check whether your flavour includes caffeine.
Does BioSteel Hydration Mix have sugar?
No. BioSteel Hydration Mix is zero sugar and sweetened with stevia. It also has no caffeine.
Are muscle cramps a sign I need electrolytes?
Not necessarily. Cramps have several possible causes. If they're frequent or severe, talk with a doctor or physiotherapist.
Is coconut water a good electrolyte drink?
Coconut water naturally contains potassium, but it's usually low in sodium. It's refreshing, though not a full sweat replacement on its own.
Not sure which electrolyte is right for you?
Tell us how you train or work, and we'll help you compare labels in the supplement aisle at either store.
Electrolyte tablets, powders, sachets and ready-to-drink options are at both stores: 486 Starboard Drive in Bedford and 590 Portland Street in Dartmouth. If you're training for strength, our guide to creatine gummies compares gummies with powder. In HRM, order by 11 am with Luminate Express for same-day delivery, or choose pickup. Anywhere else in Canada, orders over $80 ship free.
Sources: Canada's Food Guide, water; Sodium in Canada; Australian Institute of Sport; National Athletic Trainers' Association; MyHealth Alberta, rehydration. This article is general information, not medical advice.
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