Since听Gatorade helped popularize sports drinks in the mid-sixties, companies have concocted an assortment of听beverages to help athletes replenish electrolytes and carbohydrates. While many of the drinks succeed at that main goal, they鈥檙e often loaded with dyes, sugar, and additives. Kevin Sprouse, a sports-medicine physician based in Knoxville, Tennessee, and head of medicine for the , bristles at the idea of an athlete fueling with poor-quality food听and drink. 鈥淚t seems illogical to me that someone would听engage in an activity for their overall health听but fill the body with unnatural chemicals,鈥 he says.
One alternative to these听highly processed beverages is to听craft听your own. It only takes听a few minutes and听simple ingredients.听We asked some experts听and athletes听for their favorite go-to drinks that are听rich in hydrating nutrients and restorative ingredients and a cinch to make.
Pro-Am Electrolyte Drink
Each September, Blackberry Farm, a luxury resort听in Walland, Tennessee, holds a grueling, three-day bike race known as the Blackberry Pro-Am Classic. To keep听athletes fueled, Blackberry keeps a ready supply of a chilled homemade听sports drink available during both breakfast and lunch. While Sprouse concedes that there鈥檚听no such thing as the听鈥減erfect sports drink,鈥听he says听that this recipe听would work for many athletes, even if the sodium concentration may be听a bit light. That鈥檚 an easy fix, though: just add more salt when needed.
- 8 cups water, divided in half
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup juice (cherry, watermelon, or orange)
- Juice of 2 lemons and 2 limes
Bring four cups of water to boil in a pot over high heat. Lower to a simmer, and add honey and salt. Stir until dissolved. Combine mixture with remaining听four cups of cold water in a large pitcher. Add final听ingredients and chill. Makes nine eight-ounce servings.
Coconut-Citrus Electrolyte Drink
This recipe is a favorite of Amy Marolf, a Denver-based fitness and nutrition coach. Coconut water is good source of potassium, and the听honey provides simple sugars听in the form of glucose and fructose, says Kat Sweatt, a nutritionist and exercise physiologist in Birmingham, Alabama. The raw ginger may also be especially good for more strenuous exercise, as Sweatt notes that consuming the root could听help alleviate muscle cramps.听She听recommends alternating between this drink and water when working out.
- 1 1/2 cups 100 percent coconut water
- 1/2 cup filtered tap water
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons organic honey
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 slices听of a one-inch piece of peeled, fresh ginger (to float in drink)
Mix all ingredients, except for ginger,听in a pitcher or water bottle until honey and salt are dissolved. Add ginger. Can be made the night before and chilled. Makes one 16-ounce sports drink.
Watermelon Refresher
Hannah Green, an ultrarunner based in听Silverton, Colorado, makes this听postworkout refresher when she鈥檚 home and near a blender. Sprouse suggests that athletes enjoy the recovery beverage with a small meal rich in protein and carbohydrates.
- 1 cup frozen watermelon cubes
- 1 cup coconut water
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
- Lime to taste
- A dash of salt (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a blender, blitz, and serve. Makes one 16-ounce serving.