Salty Electrolytes and Hydration Mix - Zero Sugar

Salty Electrolytes and Zero Sugar Hydration Mix

Func. Lab salty electrolytes are a zero sugar hydration mix that comes in single-serve sachets. Each sachet lists 1,000 mg of sodium, 210 mg of potassium and 70 mg of magnesium per serving, and you stir it into 500 to 750 ml of cold water. The range includes Berry Blast, Citrus, Orange, Pineapple, Raspberry, Unflavoured and an Assorted pack, in packs of 15 or 30 sachets. It is made for gym goers, runners, athletes, travellers and anyone who sweats through a long day and wants a hydrating drink without the sugar.

Plain water replaces fluid, but sweat also takes sodium and other minerals with it. A salty electrolyte powder helps you replenish what you lose on a hot day, in a long workout or on a busy day of travel, and supports hydration without the added sugar found in many sports drinks. Want the longer explanation? Read why you can be dehydrated even when you drink 3 litres a day.

At a Glance

Exact nutrition values and ingredients are listed on each product page.

Salty Electrolytes: What They Are and Why the Body Needs Them

Electrolytes are minerals that carry an electrical charge when they dissolve in water. In the body they help regulate fluid balance, nerve signalling and muscle function, and they sit inside and around your cells, where they help move water in and out. Sodium is the main mineral lost in sweat, which is why a hydration mix for training, heat or travel is built around salt rather than sugar. That is also why salty electrolytes taste salty: the sodium is doing its job.

Your body keeps the balance of these minerals tight. When you sweat a lot, your levels of sodium and other minerals fall, and drinking only plain water does not put them back. Over a long session or a hot week, that is how people end up feeling depleted even when they drink plenty.

How Electrolytes Work: Osmosis, Cells and Nerves

Water moves in and out of your cells by osmosis, and sodium and potassium act like magnets for that water. Sodium holds fluid in the blood and the spaces between cells, while potassium does the same job inside the cells. Together they keep fluid balance in check, and they help set the volume of blood moving through your system.

The same minerals carry the signals that run your nervous system. Electrolytes create an electrochemical gradient across cell membranes, and that gradient lets nerves fire and muscles contract. Magnesium helps muscles relax again afterwards. Electrolytes also act as chemical buffers that help keep the pH of your blood steady, which is one more reason the body guards these levels so closely.

Plain water does not contain these minerals. If you sweat heavily and drink large amounts of plain water, you can dilute the sodium in your blood, which is why athletes in long events are told to replace salt as well as fluid. Sodium also helps the body absorb water in the intestines, so a hydrating drink with sodium in it works with your body rather than against it. Replacing sodium after heavy sweating can also support recovery between sessions.

Essential Electrolytes and Essential Minerals in Each Sachet

Our mix is built around three essential electrolytes. Sodium is the mineral that helps the body hold on to the fluid you drink, so it sits at the centre of the formula. Potassium works alongside sodium and contributes to normal muscle function. Magnesium also contributes to normal muscle function. Calcium, chloride and zinc are essential minerals too, but they are not the focus of this mix, and most people get them from food.

Some electrolyte products add sodium citrate or other mineral salts. Others use a different mix of minerals altogether. The only reliable way to compare is the nutrition panel, so read the amount of each mineral per serving rather than the number of minerals on the front.

Nutrition Per Serving: Sodium, Potassium and Magnesium

Here is what the unflavoured sachet lists per serving. Each sachet is 5.6 g. The flavoured options list their own values on their product pages.

• Sodium: 1,000 mg
• Potassium: 210 mg
• Magnesium: 70 mg
• Sugar: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 0 g
• Energy: 0 kcal

Sodium is the headline number because it is the mineral you lose most of in sweat. Potassium and magnesium are there to round out the mix, not to replace a balanced diet. If your usual sports drink lists much less sodium per serving, that is a difference worth noticing when you compare labels.

Cellular Hydration, Fluid Absorption and Sodium

Hydration is not only about how much you drink. It is about how much of that fluid ends up where the body needs it, including inside your cells, which is sometimes called cellular hydration. Sodium plays a part in fluid absorption in the gut, so it helps the water you drink stay in the body instead of passing straight through.

Be wary of any label that promises rapid hydration, quick hydration or faster fluid absorption. How fast you rehydrate depends on how much you have lost, what you ate and how you drink. What a mix can do is support hydration by putting sodium and other minerals back into your water.

Rapid Hydration Claims: What a Hydration Mix Can and Cannot Do

A hydration mix can put sodium, potassium and magnesium back into your water, help the water you drink stay in the body, and give you a drink without added sugar. It cannot make you hydrated instantly, replace a meal, fix a medical condition or stand in for a good night of sleep. Treat any promise of rapid hydration with the same caution you would give any other quick fix.

• Can do: replace some of the sodium and other minerals lost in sweat.
• Can do: give you a flavoured, zero sugar drink that is easy to carry.
• Cannot do: act as a source of energy.
• Cannot do: treat cramps, fatigue or illness.

Zero Sugar Hydration Mix: Added Sugar, Glucose and Sports Drinks

Many sports drinks carry a lot of added sugar or glucose, which suits a long endurance session but is more than most people need on a normal day. Our sachets list 0 g of sugar. The flavoured options use stevia as the sweetener, and the unflavoured option has no flavouring at all. Whatever you buy, compare the numbers per serving: sodium, potassium, magnesium, sugar and the sweetener named in the ingredient list.

Electrolytes do not give you energy. Calories do. The unflavoured sachet lists 0 kcal, so it hydrates without adding to your daily energy intake, and it will not replace a meal or fuel a long run on its own. Check the product page of the flavour you choose.

Why a Zero Sugar Electrolyte Drink Suits Everyday Hydration

A zero sugar electrolyte drink gives you the sodium, potassium and magnesium without the sugar, so it fits an ordinary day as easily as a workout. Plenty of people want a flavoured drink to sip through the day, and zero sugar hydration lets you do that without the sugar load of a soft drink or a sweetened sports drink. If you are watching sugar, this is the simplest swap: keep the habit of drinking something with flavour, and drop the sugar.

Zero sugar does not mean zero effect. The salt in the sachet is what helps your body hold on to fluid, and the water does the hydrating. That is why a zero sugar hydration mix works for exercise, for a long day in the heat and for days when you simply forget to drink enough. Pair it with food, as you would with any other drink, and your energy still comes from meals. Sodium citrate, calcium and chloride appear in some other electrolyte products; compare the label to see which minerals a drink actually lists, and how much of each.

What Clean Hydration Means on a Label

Clean hydration should mean a label you can read. Whatever you buy, look for artificial colours, preservatives and fillers in the ingredient list, and check that the sweetener is named. Every Func. Lab product page lists its full ingredients, the nutrition panel and the directions, so you can see exactly what is in the sachet before you buy. The unflavoured page, for example, lists salts, magnesium gluconate, citric acid and malic acid.

Reviews and Ingredients on Every Product Page

Each product page shows ratings and reviews collected from store visitors who bought that flavour, so you can read what other buyers think of the taste before you choose. The same page lists the ingredients, the sodium potassium and magnesium values per serving, and the directions. Reading a recent review collected for the flavour you are considering is the quickest way to pick between options when you are new to salty electrolytes.

Choose Your Flavour

• Assorted: a mixed pack, the easiest way to find the flavour you like.
• Berry Blast and Raspberry: the berry end of the range.
• Citrus, Orange and Pineapple: the lighter, fruitier options, with a citrus taste that suits a hot day.
• Unflavoured: no flavouring, for anyone who wants a plain salty taste or wants to add it to their own drink.

How to Use a Hydration Mix

Mix one sachet into 500 to 750 ml of cold water and drink it before, during or after exercise or a workout, on a hot day, while travelling or whenever you have been sweating. Cold water mixes best and keeps the salty taste mild. Mix it fresh, keep a few sachets in your bag, and drink it as you would any other drink. On a lighter day you may not need a sachet at all.

Hydrating on a Hot Day, in the Gym and While Travelling

On a hot day, sweat rates climb even when you are not exercising, and a cold bottle with a sachet in it is an easy way to keep up. In the gym, a sachet in your bottle covers a long session without a trip to the shop, and you can sip it between sets. When you are travelling, whether on a train, a flight or a long drive, sachets weigh almost nothing and save you from buying a sugary drink at the station.

On busy days at work, many people forget to drink anything until the afternoon. A flavoured sachet in a desk bottle gives you a reason to keep sipping. If you prefer a plain taste, the unflavoured option goes into any drink you already like.

When You May Need More Sodium

People who sweat heavily, train for long sessions or spend hours in the heat lose more sodium than people who sit in an air-conditioned office. For them, a mix with more sodium than a standard sports drink can make sense. Each sachet has 1,000 mg, so follow the directions on the pack and do not stack sachets without thinking about the rest of your diet.

Who Uses a Hydration Mix

Athletes, gym goers, runners and anyone training in the heat use a mix to help them stay hydrated through long workouts and endurance sessions. Commuters, travellers and people with busy days use sachets because one sachet fits in a bag and needs only a bottle of water. People who consume a lot of plain water through the day, or who fast, also use them. A mix is most useful when you sweat heavily or spend time in the heat. On a quiet day, food and water usually cover it, and performance rarely depends on a sachet.

Do you need electrolytes every day? Not necessarily. Our guide to what to drink, when and how much goes through it in more detail.

How much you need depends on how long you exercise, how hard you work and how much you sweat. Most people only need extra electrolytes during prolonged activity in hot weather. Many healthy adults use one sachet on active or hot days, and some use one daily. Follow the directions on the pack and listen to your own sweat rate and thirst.

Muscle Cramps, Fatigue and Electrolytes

Muscle cramps have many possible causes, including fatigue, heat and long training sessions, and electrolyte loss is only one of them. Potassium and magnesium contribute to normal muscle function, and a mix can help replace minerals lost in sweat, but it is not a treatment for cramps or for ongoing fatigue. If either is frequent or severe, see a doctor.

Blood Pressure and Sodium

Sodium influences blood volume and blood pressure, and too much sodium can raise blood pressure in some people. Each sachet has 1,000 mg of sodium. If you have high blood pressure, a kidney or heart condition, or you have been told to limit salt, ask your doctor before using a salty electrolyte mix. Check with a doctor too if you take regular medication.

Dehydration and When Electrolytes Are Not Enough

Mild dehydration shows up as thirst, a dry mouth, dark urine and tiredness. Just water is usually enough for a short, easy day, and a mix adds the minerals you lose when you sweat for longer. Vomiting or diarrhoea is different. A sports hydration mix is not an oral rehydration solution, so speak to a doctor or pharmacist about the right product, especially for children.

Powder, Tablet or Ready-to-Drink?

• Powder sachets: light and easy to carry, and you choose how much water to use. This is the format Func. Lab makes.
• Tablets: very portable, but they usually carry fewer minerals per serving.
• Ready-to-drink bottles: convenient, but heavier and often more expensive per serving.
• Coconut water: contains potassium, but usually much less sodium than an electrolyte mix. See coconut water vs sports drinks.

What to Check Before You Buy an Electrolyte Powder

• The label states sodium, potassium and magnesium per serving.
• Added sugar per serving is stated clearly, and is zero if you want a low-calorie mix.
• The ingredient list names the sweetener and every other additive.
• The sachet size and the amount of water to use are clear.
• You compare the price per sachet, not just the price per pack.

A Simple Homemade Hydration Mix

If you are out of sachets, mix 500 ml of water with a small pinch of salt, a squeeze of lemon or lime and a splash of juice for taste. It gives you fluid, some sodium and flavour. It will not match the potassium and magnesium in a formulated mix, and the amounts change every time you make it.

Pair It With Your Training

Many customers drink an electrolyte mix around longer sessions and have whey protein isolate afterwards, or creatine monohydrate as part of a daily routine. To buy electrolytes together with a protein tub, see our protein combo packs. To carry protein as well, browse the single-serve travel sachets.

Learn More

• Salt is not the enemy: why electrolytes are crucial for performance
• Hydration 101: what to drink, when to drink and how much you need
• All hydration articles

This page is for general information and is not medical advice. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant, take medicines, or have been advised to limit salt, check with a doctor before using an electrolyte supplement. Ongoing fatigue, vomiting or diarrhoea can have causes other than electrolytes and need medical advice.