Electrolyte powder or tablets

[robwalker]

What do people recommend for electrolyte power or tablets?

Thanks.

 

[TimH]

The really important thing is to have electrolyte with you. If it is hot and you really sweat, then you really need it. We used a lot on the Norte when it was both very hot and very humid. I would go for tablets. Much easier everyday.

 

[Kitsambler]

What do people recommend for electrolyte power or tablets?

Here in the US, I've had very good results with Nuun tablets (REI et al.) and ZipFizz (Costco). Usually I wouldn't worry about electrolyte replacement, but with the heat this summer, it might be a good diea.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

If you look at the ingredients in Zymm, Nunn, amdespecially Aquarius and friends. etc., you will see it is mostly sugar and salt. Get your salt and sugar for free with any meal. Mustard and Tonic soda are great to prevent muscle cramps. A tbs. Add a magnesium pill if you want, or lots of bananas. Effervescent Nuun a friends are great to mask the occasional yucky water taste.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Nuun tablets

They are not necessary; water is great in its own right, but the good taste makes hydration more fun!

 

[Deleted member 67338]

They are not necessary; water is great in its own right, but the good taste makes hydration more fun!

Nailed it mate, well said

 

[Kitsambler]

They are not necessary

This is not a universally factual statement. For example, https://ketodietapp.com/Blog/post/2013/04/16/Keto-flu-and-Sufficient-Intake-of-Electrolytes

 

[dougfitz]

I have carried sachets of electrolyte powder should I be at risk of excessive dehydration, eg from diarrhoea. Admittedly adding these powders improves water taste, and I would also buy an Aquarius from time to time, but otherwise relied on adding slightly more salt to meals, sugar to coffee and buying some bananas whenever I could find them.

 

[NualaOC]

I've managed without electrolytes on many Caminos, but they definitely help in hot weather. I particularly like the Nuun tablets, which I also use for long runs and hikes at home.

I had bad gastro-enteritis on the Primitivo last year and I found Aquarius (the full sugar version) to be really good. And it tasted a lot better than the electrolyte powder that I got from the farmacia!

 

[t2andreo]

EVERYONE has a different metabolism, sensitivity to heat and sunshine, and predisposition for heat or sunstroke. The hydration solution that is best, is the one that works for YOU.

Personally, I am a "stout" fellow. I also take several medications for chronic conditions that increases my sensitivity to sun, heat humidity, and exertion in warm and humid weather. I have also done five Caminos. Over the years (five) I have adopted a hydration routine THAT WORKS FOR ME.

Each morning, I try to consume a banana or orange, and tote a second piece of these fruits with me for consumption later. These are two excellent sources of the blood salts one's system needs. As noted by Kitsambler above, only drinking water, for most folks, can produce "down-stream" problems.

Your organs, the largest of which is the skin, needs these salts metabolized in your blood as fuel for your organs, all of them. Simply feeding them plain water depletes the available blood salts over time, and can lead to organ malfunction or failure.

To supplement this intake, I carry a tube of Nuun sports tablets, the type WITHOUT caffeine in them. I buy them either online, or obtain them in a local running store. They cost about USD 7.00 for a tube of 10 tablets.

To get them into the narrow neck of the .5 liter water bottles I always use on Camino, I simply crack the tablets in half along the score line. One full tablet makes one half liter, or about 16 fluid ounces of electrolyte solution.

I find that one tube of tablets will last more than three weeks. Here is why.

I only use them on warm sunny days, when I assess that I have not consumed enough fresh fruit, or fresh squeezed orange juice, and when I further assess that I might have a problem in the near while.

I do NOT wait until I am feint to use the Nuun solution. I have learned to listen to the symptoms and to take precautionary action when needed. Some symptoms include that you:

• stopped sweating even though others are sweating profusely
• do not FEEL thirsty
• have stopped needing to urinate
• urinate, but your urine output is deep yellow or darker. Dark is relatively worse
• feel light-headed
• woke up face-down in the soil (I face planted three times in 2015)

I have learned from experience to force myself to consume at least half a liter of some liquid every 90 minutes, even if I do not feel thirsty. I add the Nuun tablets only if I assess a bout of heat or sun stroke / exhaustion coming on.

A viable alternative for the Nuun tablets if you are caught without, or simply need an electrolyte "pick me up" is a bottle of Aquarius or Powerade sports drink (similar to Gatorade in the US). They are available in a variety of flavors and I have seen them sugar free as well. I have found them in both Portugal and Spain in tiendas and supermercados.

I hope this helps.

 

[KinkyOne]

I rarely use hydration/electrolyte powders but they were essential in 2015 on Levante having two weeks at 40-48C almost without any considerable shade while walking. Aquarius you can find pretty much everywhere in Spain. I also used Suer Oral powder which can be bought in all farmacias.
But still the main goal is intake. I drink about 1,5l of water in the morning before I start walking and have one or two 0,5l plastic bottles in my front/photo pack so I don't need to stop and take backpack off all the time. I usually walk with GPS track recorder on and at each kilometer walked it announces that and that's good reminder that I have to take a sip. Extremely high temperatures are very cunning because your sweat evaporates even before you can see it and you think there's no need for drinking. Be careful

Buen Camino!

 

[Purple Backpack]

Orange juice and Pringles at bar stops.

 

[SYates]

What do people recommend for electrolyte power or tablets?

Thanks.

Like others have already said, it really depends when and where you walk and your personal health situation if you need them at all. In most cases drinking enough water combined with sufficient salt intake and eating bananas/nuts/dried fruit will be enough. Buen Camino, SY

 

[hecate105]

My husband suffers terribly from cramp when working in heat - we are landscape gardeners - so a very physical job at times. We found that taking electrolyte tablets at the start of the day helped but the powders seemed to totally cure the problem. When we cycled the VdlP - we had 30+ degree heat most days, even in april! And as it is a tad demanding as a route (!) we both put powders in our water bottles each day. We bought them as we travelled from pharmacies - and they were far cheaper than in the uk. We only mixed them at half strength, and then added fresh water to top up as we cycled. We found this meant they were not too sweet/strong tasting, and neither of us got dehydrated or got cramp.
Another benefit of the VdlP was picking the seville oranges - which are everywhere as street trees. The fruits are too sour to eat, but rammed into a water bottle they give a lovely flavour to it!

 

[Michelle Rosalie]

What do people recommend for electrolyte power or tablets?

Thanks.

The food is salty, plenty of water, and orange Fanta/juice hit the spot for me.

 

[dougfitz]

Orange juice and Pringles at bar stops.

I clearly need to reconsider the ways of increasing my salt intake.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

I clearly need to reconsider the ways of increasing my salt intake.

You can get decent pork scratching in Spain if you look hard enough

 

[Tincatinker]

You can get decent pork scratching in Spain if you look hard enough

Protein, fats, salt, exercise - whats to deny

 

[Jeff Crawley]

What do people recommend for electrolyte power or tablets?

Thanks.

Litre of clean water, 1/2 teaspoon of table salt, 6 teaspoons of sugar. You can substitute orange juice for some of the water. Some people add "no sodium" salt (potassium chloride) or just eat a banana instead.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Protein, fats, salt, exercise - whats to deny

Tis true, the food of the gods! Wallace's the butcher in East Wittering does very nice ones!

 

[Pathfinder075]

The big thing that no one ever factors in is Magnesium. You can top up Potassium and Sodium all day, but if you are deficient in Magnesium, the cramps will get you at some point. For me it was always at night, at some point when i needed to hit the toilet at an early time. Was interesting trying to deal with it silently. But one of the problems of the meds I take are they deplete electrolytes, mainly Potassium. Also before anyone suggest nuts, I cant eat them due to allergies.

My recommendation is High Five tablets. That is what I use a lot. Does the three main electrolytes. I usually throw one or two of them in a litre of water in the morning and then drink it before setting out for the day. Also I wouldnt worry about sugar content. if you are walking 10-20 miles per day, you are probably burning a fairly decent amount of energy. So putting 200 or so calories in is unlikely to greatly contribute to massive weight gain.

 

[Kanga]

I'm a fan of magnesium tablets. Theoretically it should be possible to ingest sufficient magnesium through good food, but as a shortcut...

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Let's not forget mustard and tonic water.

Mustard is available in all bars and restaurants. A can of tonic goes for 0.40€ a can. Always carried one on VDLP to drink during the day, and had another one in the afternoon/evening.

 

[Purple Backpack]

I clearly need to reconsider the ways of increasing my salt intake.

Mimosas for breakfast, Pringles for lunch. Diet of champions!

 

[Marti Goldring]

I am a huge fan of Hammer Nutrition's Endurolytes capsules. I have coached marathon groups in the Southern US for years and we have found these work the best in the intense heat and humidity here. Endurolytes capsules are small and easy to swallow, they weigh almost nothing, and they offer a full spectrum balanced formulation. I used them while cycling in Phnom Penh, Cambodia a few years ago and they were a lifesaver.

I do like Nuun tablets, but generally prefer to use them when I am at home and Endurolytes when I travel.

Finally, I echo an earlier post about the importance of starting the day well-hydrated. Even before I have my first coffee, I try to chug at least 12 ounces of water to get my day started.