Saturday, fishing in the Everglades, I ran out of water and Mike handed me a cold drink in a big cup and said it would hydrate me as well as satisfy my thirst, and it did. It tasted good – much better than Gatorade or like drinks. He said: “My wife just started making it and we can’t keep a pitcher for a day – the kids love it. She modified the recipe using Truvia as a more healthy sweetener and she only uses fresh squeezed juices. I’ll get her to email you the link.” I’ve made it using the modified version and it’s excellent and cheap.
By Angela Brandt
Sports drinks are pricey – even if you catch a sweet deal
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]f you need refreshment and a boost of electrolytes, you can make it cheaply yourself. Re-creating flavors like Frost Glacier Freeze or Xtremo Tropical Intenso may be a tad challenging, but get creative with your flavorings and you might mix up something that tastes even better.
MYOWNMADEADE
In the interest of full disclosure, I am ironically sipping on a Propel Zero Sport as I type this. I dropped two bucks on the bottle – on sale. The following recipe would have only cost me about 10 cents for a similar orange-flavored drink.
Depending on the recipe you choose, the DIY beverages can also contain much less sugar and sweeteners. The base for all of the homemade mixtures is water but the ingredients vary from there.
One of the simplest recipes calls for items you probably already have handy. Runners Feed‘s recipe for homemade Gatorade has close to the same nutritional profile as the much more costly commercial drink. It has about 60 calories per 8-ounce serving and about 110 milligrams of sodium.
Ingredients
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup hot water
¼ cup orange juice (not from concentrate)
2 tablespoon lemon juice
3 1/2 cups cold water
The directions are simple and the whole process should take less than five minutes.
Put the salt and sugar in the bottom of a pitcher and cover with hot water to dissolve.
Add the juices and cold water.
Chill in the refrigerator.
Voila, homemade Gatorade.
Another recipe is featured by Wellness Mama. This one gives you the option to substitute the water with herbal tea or coconut water. The main ingredients you need are a quart of slightly warmed liquid and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Wellness Mama suggests the use of Himalayan sea salt because it has more trace minerals than regular table salt.
Everything else is optional in this recipe: Add 1/4 cup of juice (lemon, lime, grape, apple, pineapple, etc.) if you like. Prefer a sweeter drink? Add a tablespoon or two of sweetener such as honey or stevia.
Mix your chosen ingredients and store the drink in the fridge.
For more recipe ideas click here […]
