We always hear about the importance of
hydration, and as temperatures heat up with summer approaching and people are getting more exercise outdoors, it’s especially important to stay hydrated and replenish the
electrolytes lost in sweat.
Electrolytes are minerals that carry a charge when they are dissolved in a liquid, such as blood. The main electrolytes in the human body are sodium, potassium, magnesium, fluoride, phosphorus and bicarbonate.
Among a variety of important functions, electrolytes are essential for helping maintain proper fluid balance and acid-base balance, and helping conduct nerve impulses and supporting muscle contraction and relaxation.
Below, we’ve rounded up our recommendations for the best electrolyte supplements to keep you hydrated all summer long.
11 Best Electrolytes for Hydration
The Ultima Replenisher Electrolyte Powder is my personal go-to choice for a daily electrolyte drink mix. It comes in some basic flavors, such as lemon, grape and orange, as well as more unique options such as cherry pomegranate, blue raspberry, passionfruit and watermelon.
Each flavor tastes great (I’ve tried every one!) and offers just the right amount of sweetness (from natural stevia leaf) relative to the saltiness you always find with electrolyte drinks.
I especially like pink lemonade, and I don’t even normally like citrus, but this tastes just like the pink lemonade that my mom made us when we were young without all of the sugar!
A serving contains 55 mg of sodium, 65 mg of calcium, 250 mg of potassium, 100 mg of vitamin C, 70 mg of phosphorus, 100 mg of magnesium, and trace amounts of zinc, chloride and manganese.
Perhaps most importantly, Ultima Replenisher Electrolyte Hydration Powder is a keto-friendly, gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO, sugar-free electrolyte powder and contains zero calories and zero junk.
The Ultima Replenisher Electrolyte Hydration Mix Powders come in canisters with 90 servings or 30 servings or individual serving sticks, giving you the flexibility to have a more economical or on-the-go option.
I recently tried the Trace Minerals Research Electrolyte Stamina Power Pak after really enjoying the brand’s
watermelon magnesium gummies.
One perk of this electrolyte mix is that it provides 1200 mg of vitamin C per serving, which is significantly more than even many immune system drinks. Each serving also provides B vitamins and 72 trace minerals to support overall health.
I love that this electrolyte drink comes in a convenient single-serve packet. There are also tons of flavors besides the orange blast, such as açaí berry, cherry lime, grape, pomegranate blueberry, raspberry, tangerine, mixed berry, guava passionfruit and pineapple coconut.
This is a boon because many of the best electrolyte mixes seem to only come in citrus flavors, which can be limiting if you prefer some other type of fruit flavor—or prefer to have a variety of options.
There are numerous reasons why I love the Vitacost Vibran-C Effervescent Drink Mix. My top two differentiating perks are that it’s super affordable and there’s half as much sugar as the brand-name competitor
Emergen-C.
Each convenient packet provides 1200 mg of immune system-supporting vitamin C, along with a significant percentage of the daily value of the B vitamins. I like the effervescent crispness. Each packet can be poured into a water bottle or glass of water and fizzes up to a slightly bubbly, refreshing electrolyte drink.
The orange flavor is zingy and refreshing and made from natural ingredients. Plus, there are no artificial sweeteners such as sucralose or stevia. Instead, the electrolyte drink is lightly sweetened with fructose.
I first tried Cure Hydration Electrolyte Powder several years ago and I’ve been a big fan ever since. It comes in delicious flavors like berry pomegranate, orange, pink grapefruit and watermelon, and every flavor I’ve tried has been delicious and well-matched to how it’s labeled. For example, watermelon tastes like watermelon and has a distinctly different taste than the berry.
Cure Hydrating Electrolyte Mix contains real ingredients like coconut water and pink Himalayan sea salt.
Each single-serve packet provides 240 mg of sodium and 300 mg of potassium. This is a nice balanced ratio and a little higher in sodium than some of these electrolyte drinks, which is great for athletes or people who sweat more. In fact, this electrolyte mix is said to be designed to replicate the composition of electrolytes in sweat to help you effectively replace the electrolytes you lose while working out.
There’s definitely a notable saltiness to this electrolyte drink, but the sodium is necessary for heavy sweaters, and the touch of sweetness offsets the saltiness.
There are 4 grams of natural sugar, which can help
increase the absorption of water and electrolytes, but no added sugar or artificial ingredients. The product is vegan, gluten-free and Kosher.
If you prefer electrolyte capsules rather than a powder mix that you add to water as a drink, you’ll love the Codeage Keto Electrolytes Supplement.
Electrolyte tablets are a really convenient delivery method for travel because even though you need to drink eight ounces of water with each serving, you don’t have to deal with powders that can make a mess when you try to dump them into a bottle of water on the go.
Most importantly, these electrolyte capsules are perfect if you are on the keto diet and need to limit your carbs and sugar, or simply prefer an electrolyte supplement without any artificial sweeteners or flavors. This product is also a cost-affordable way to get your electrolytes because each bottle provides a three-month serving.
Liquid I.V. Has been a popular hydration product for several years. The lemon lime is a common flavor, but my favorite is the strawberry. It also comes in watermelon and passionfruit, which are also both delicious.
There are 500 milligrams of sodium (22% of the DV) and 73 milligrams of vitamin C per serving (80% of the DV).
The sugar and salt content are certainly higher than most of the top electrolyte beverages on this list, but are specifically intended for rapid hydration such as during high-intensity endurance exercise, wherein it’s important to replace electrolytes lost in sweat and take in
carbohydrates to keep muscle glycogen levels topped off.
For example, a
large review of 50 randomized controlled trials found that endurance athletes who consumed sports beverages with electrolytes
and sugar improved performance over electrolyte-only sports beverages or plain water for exercise lasting over an hour.
Additionally, there’s evidence to suggest that glucose can help
increase the absorption of fluids and electrolytes in sports drinks, improving your hydration levels.
There’s definitely a notable saltiness to this electrolyte drink, but the sodium is necessary for heavy sweaters and the higher sugar content helps offset the saltiness.
One nice thing about this powder is that it doesn’t have that “artificial” lemon flavor because it’s made with natural plant-based flavors (and colors).
The taste is vibrant and the formulation provides all six key electrolytes to optimize hydration. There is also over 100% of the DV of vitamin C.
The Force Factor Liquid Labs Rapid Hydration Electrolyte Drink Mix comes in lemon lime and tropical fruit flavors. I really like the tropical fruit because it almost tastes like the fruit punch juice I enjoyed as a kid with much less sugar—just 2 grams per serving (from natural cane sugar.)
The Liquid Labs™ Hydration Optimization Matrix provides a unique ratio of five key electrolytes—calcium, magnesium, chloride, potassium and sodium (from Himalayan pink salt). There is also a proprietary Aquamin® sea mineral complex. This is said to be a naturally hydrating plant-based multi-mineral harvested from the ice-cold waters of the North Atlantic.
There is also coconut water, which is a popular hydration fluid because it naturally contains many of the electrolytes lost in sweat like potassium, sodium and magnesium.
What I like most about this electrolyte mix is that it provides over 1000% (you read that right!) of the DV of vitamin B12 as well as more than 100% of the DV of vitamin B6.
What is unique about the Hydrant Hydrate + Energy Electrolyte Drink Mix Is that it not only provides essential electrolytes and a small amount of cane sugar to increase the absorption of these electrolytes and the fluid you are drinking, but you also get 100 mg of caffeine per serving from green tea extract. This is approximately the same amount of caffeine as is found in a standard cup of coffee.
Caffeine has been shown to improve endurance exercise performance. For example,
one study found that consuming caffeine before a workout increased time to exhaustion during high-intensity exercise.
This caffeinated electrolyte drink can be a great substitute for coffee or diet soda if you want a jolt of energy.
Another benefit is that the formulation includes 200 mg of L-theanine, an amino acid that may
improve focus and can potentially
offset some of the jitteriness that people feel from caffeine. The raspberry lemonade flavor is tart and vibrant, and comes from real fruit powder with no artificial sweeteners used.
This is definitely one thing I noticed when trying this caffeinated electrolyte drink: it had a much more organic or natural taste relative to drinks that are artificially flavored. The color also comes from natural beetroot powder, rather than artificial food dyes.
If you’re a fan of gummy vitamins, you’ll be pleased to know there are also electrolyte gummies. I’ve tried tons of the Olly vitamin gummies, but I had no idea that there was an electrolyte gummy option.
These have a satisfying, chewy texture like gummy peach rings with a tropical pineapple and passionfruit flavor.
In addition to providing three of the key electrolytes (sodium, phosphate and calcium), there is also 2000 IU of vitamin D, which is 250% of the DV. My husband started taking these as his vitamin D supplement and absolutely loves them.
Finally, there is also turmeric, which contains a compound known as curcumin. This compound has been shown to be an effective anti-inflammatory and is often recommended for people who have arthritis or
suffer from joint pain.
I also like that these gummy vitamins use natural flavors and colors such as blackcurrant and carrot juice and you don’t have to take them with water or food.
The Sunwarrior Sport Active Hydration comes in two delicious and unique flavors: coconut berry and strawberry lemon twist. I love how they taste nice and tangy and the electrolyte powder mixes really well in water.
This electrolyte drink is also designed to support immunity with ingredients like vitamin C and elderberry. I like that there is also 500 mg of vitamin B12,
a vitamin that is important for energy production.
I’m vegan and it is difficult to get vitamin B12 from most vegan foods, so I really appreciate the fact that I can get this key vitamin to support my metabolism in this hydration beverage. To support hydration, there is coconut water and real sea salt, which provide natural potassium and sodium, respectively.
