We are all aware of the importance of water not just in our daily life but also for our bodies. Because water makes up more than 50% of the human body, it is considered an indispensable resource for human survival. In fact, no human can last longer than 3 days without water, which is why it is one of the first, most vital supplies preppers strive to secure when preparing for emergencies. [1]
While water (H2O) is widely associated with hydration, there are more elements involved in keeping our bodies hydrated than just hydrogen and oxygen. These other elements, collectively known as electrolytes, come in the form of inorganic minerals that carry either a positive or negative electric charge. Electrolytes are present in your blood as well as in other body fluids. [2]
Just like water, which your body needs to regulate your internal temperature and which helps your cells transport and use nutrients, electrolytes are also important for many bodily functions. [3] For instance, automatic body processes operate on a small electric current; because electrolytes conduct electricity when dissolved in water, they provide the necessary charge to drive these processes. [4]
Similarly, electrolytes help regulate nerve and muscle function by generating and conducting nerve impulses – electric signals that travel from one nerve cell to another. [5] It is through these signals that the brain communicates with the nervous system and the rest of your body. These electric signals are also what stimulate your muscles to contract and relax.
Other functions of electrolytes include regulating your blood acidity (i.e., maintaining it at a neutral pH of around 7.4) and helping repair damaged tissues. Because water and the electrolytes in it play an important role in delivering nutrients to your cells, having healthy electrolyte levels can support your body’s natural healing and repair processes. [6]
The interplay between electrolytes and your cells is crucial to maintaining fluid balance and keeping your body hydrated. According to research, about 46% of the water in your body (remember that your body is about 70% water by weight) is inside your cells, while the remaining 23% is outside, specifically in your blood plasma and other body fluids. [7]
Electrolytes allow your body and cells to maintain normal fluid levels by dictating where water should go. For instance, if the electrolyte concentration is higher outside cells, water will naturally flow out of cells to help balance it out and vice versa. Your body actively moves electrolytes in and out of cells to maintain optimal fluid balance. [8]
This process of adjusting fluid and electrolyte levels is called osmosis, and it is what prevents your cells from taking up or losing too much water and becoming overhydrated or dehydrated. Of course, how well this balancing mechanism works also depends on your consumption of fluids and electrolytes. Drinking too much water leads to overhydration while consuming too many electrolytes can cause your cells to shrink. [9]
Essential minerals for optimal hydration
There are many things that you can do to prevent dehydration during the summer. Drinking plenty of water and beverages with high water content is one of the best ways to beat the summer heat and stay hydrated. Being aware of weather conditions and tailoring your workout to the weather is also a must. Always check temperatures for the day and avoid intense physical activities on really hot summer days to prevent excessive loss of water. [10]
Wearing the right clothes will also help you to stay cool in summer. Choose fabrics like linen and cotton which allow air to circulate so you can better withstand the heat. You should also eat plenty of foods with high water content and avoid beverages that contain caffeine. Because caffeine is a diuretic, it will increase your urine production and make you lose more water by urinating frequently.
Summer is the perfect time to eat more fruits and vegetables as many of them contain high amounts of water and can help keep you hydrated. Examples of refreshing, hydrating foods you can add to your summer diet include watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, grapes, oranges, peaches, grapefruit, cucumber, lettuce, zucchini, celery, tomatoes, bell peppers, cauliflower and cabbage. [11]
You may not be aware that your body is constantly losing electrolytes through normal bodily processes, such as sweating, urination and even by simply breathing rapidly. [12] To maintain optimal hydration and fluid balance despite the hot summer weather, you should make sure you’re getting enough electrolytes from foods and drinks.
During the summer, your risk of getting dehydrated goes up considerably because the heat makes you sweat a lot, depleting your electrolyte stores. To keep yourself hydrated, just drinking water is not enough; you also need to replenish lost electrolytes to maintain normal body fluid levels.
Fortunately, you can count on a variety of dietary sources to provide you with all the hydrating nutrients that you need. Here are the 7 essential electrolytes for optimal hydration:
Bicarbonate
Bicarbonate is one of the major negatively charged ions (anions) found in human tissues and extracellular fluids. A component of your body’s main buffer system, bicarbonate is a base that neutralizes acids and plays a crucial role in maintaining normal pH balance. Bicarbonate is also involved in the transport of other ions and organic substances across cell membranes. [13]
Unlike other electrolytes, bicarbonate is a byproduct of metabolism, which means it is naturally produced by your body. [14] Your kidneys, in particular, can form new bicarbonate through the excretion of acid and ammonia. According to studies, bicarbonate is abundantly present in the heart and plays an important role in regulating cardiac function.
Calcium
A major component of bones, calcium is an essential mineral for building strong bones and teeth. [15] Calcium has also been shown to support normal cell functions (e.g., cell growth and division) as well as help maintain healthy blood pressure levels that are already within the normal range. [16]
According to studies, you lose a small amount of calcium when you sweat. But excessive sweating caused by either heat exposure or intense physical activity can deplete calcium levels. [17] In a 2016 study involving heat-exposed steelworkers, researchers found that excessive sweat-related electrolyte and water loss can put steelworkers at risk of serious cardiovascular issues. [18]
Meanwhile, a study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise reported that exercise can cause dermal calcium loss, which triggers the release of the parathyroid hormone. This hormone is said to promote bone resorption, which can reduce your bone mineral density. [19]
This is why replenishing lost fluids and electrolytes is so important during the summer, especially for athletes and people living in hot climates. Doing so can help you avoid dehydration and other consequences of electrolyte imbalance.
Chloride
The most abundant electrolyte in blood next to sodium, chloride is a naturally occurring mineral found in various foods. But the most abundant source of chloride in the human diet is sodium chloride, also known as table salt. [20] Like calcium, chloride helps stimulate nerve and muscle cells and even helps facilitate the flow of carbon dioxide and oxygen within cells. Chloride is also important for maintaining normal pH levels. [21]
As an electrolyte, chloride can move easily across cell membranes, passively following sodium and potassium to maintain charge neutrality. [22] At the same time, it helps regulate the amount of water and nutrients that flow in and out of cells. This means that chloride is crucial for keeping your cells hydrated.
Chloride is also the major anion in sweat and vomit and has a hand in your body’s natural production of hydrochloric acid, a stomach acid that is needed for digestion. Research shows that chloride also has its own protein channels embedded within cell membranes that help regulate the secretion of body fluids.
Magnesium
Similar to calcium, magnesium is necessary for the formation of strong bones and teeth, and most of the magnesium in your body is stored in your bones. Magnesium also supports the normal functions of your nerves and muscles and serves as a cofactor, or helper molecule, in more than 300 enzyme systems involved in regulating important bodily processes. [23][24]
According to studies, prolonged strenuous workouts can lead to significant reductions in blood magnesium levels. This loss occurs via sweating and is considerably amplified in hot environments. [25] When the weather is hot and you’re sweating profusely, make sure you replenish your magnesium stores to avoid experiencing symptoms of low magnesium levels, such as fatigue, muscle cramps or twitches, loss of appetite and more. [26]
Phosphorus
About 85% of the phosphorus in your body is present in your teeth and bones, while 15% can be found in your soft tissues. Phosphorus combines with oxygen to form phosphate, although unlike other electrolytes, most of the phosphate in the body does not carry an electric charge. [27] Phosphate is a crucial component of DNA, RNA and proteins, as well as the lipid bilayer of cell membranes. It also helps drive enzymatic reactions, such as the breakdown of glucose into energy, inside cells. [28]
Phosphate is also lost through sweating, especially when physical exertion is involved. Although low phosphate levels typically don’t cause any symptoms, you may develop muscle weakness if your blood phosphate level becomes very low. [29] You can easily prevent this by drinking beverages that contain electrolytes to maintain optimal hydration and electrolyte balance.
Potassium
The mineral potassium is important for the healthy functions of your nerves, muscles and heart. Potassium helps nerve cells, including those in your brain, to communicate with each other without a hitch. [30] It also helps your muscles contract and your heart maintain a regular rhythm. [31] Additionally, potassium helps facilitate the entry of nutrients into, and the removal of waste from, your cells.
As an electrolyte, potassium is the primary positive ion (cation) inside cells that helps regulate water balance together with sodium. Nutrients, including glucose, which cells use for energy, enter cells through the sodium-potassium pumps embedded in cell membranes. These pumps are responsible for balancing the concentration of electrolytes and water inside and outside of cells.
For instance, for glucose to enter cells, it uses the sodium gradient to power its movement, meaning glucose molecules are transported inside together with sodium. Water always passively follows sodium, and so do negatively charged chloride ions, to maintain charge neutrality. This means that cells receive an influx of molecules whenever they take up glucose.
To equalize the concentration of electrolytes inside and outside of cells, the sodium-potassium pumps then release some of the sodium ions within, followed by water and chloride. For every three sodium ions pumped out, cells receive two potassium ions. Every cycle of this exchange costs one molecule of ATP, the energy currency of cells, which contains three phosphate groups. This is how fluid balance is maintained between cells and their environment. [32]
Sodium
Sodium is one of the major minerals that your body needs in large amounts. Because of the vital role it plays in controlling blood pressure, having too much or too little sodium has a negative effect on cardiovascular function. Sodium is also heavily involved in balancing the amount and distribution of water in your body, so it’s an important nutrient for maintaining optimal hydration. [33]
Because sodium is the main cation in extracellular fluid, it is always exchanged for potassium when it moves in or out of cells. [34] Aside from helping cells maintain the right balance of fluid and electrolytes, sodium also helps facilitate the movement of calcium ions into muscle fibers, which causes muscles to contract. Muscle relaxation occurs when magnesium counteracts the influx of calcium in muscle cells. [35]
Stay hydrated this summer with these clean, lab-verified sources of Minerals and Electrolytes
The importance of electrolytes in driving proper bodily functions cannot be overstated, which is why it is important that you maintain healthy electrolyte levels at all times. During summer when you sweat a lot, you lose large amounts of water and electrolytes, so it’s crucial that you replenish what you have lost through the foods that you eat and the fluids that you drink.
To help you stay hydrated this summer, the Health Ranger Store is offering four lab-verified hydration-boosting products that can help you maintain optimal fluid and electrolyte balance.
Health Ranger Select Organic Coconut Water Powder is derived from green coconuts grown under strict organic standards. Dubbed the “water of life,” coconut water is a natural isotonic beverage that contains an abundance of essential nutrients and electrolytes, such as sodium, calcium, magnesium and potassium.
Health Ranger Select Organic Coconut Water Powder delivers all the nutritional goodness of clean, fresh organic coconut water in a convenient powder form. You can add our coconut water powder to your favorite shakes, smoothies and other beverages for maximum hydration and a delicious nutritional boost.
Specially formulated to help you replenish your electrolyte stores and support optimal hydration, Groovy Bee® Hydrate Elementals – Organic Coconut Water and Aquamin combines two of the most abundant dietary sources of minerals and electrolytes: organic coconut water and aquamin.
Derived from the red marine algae Lithothamnion corallioides, Aquamin is an off-white powder that contains a balanced ratio of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, sodium and 72 other trace minerals. The potent combination of Aquamin and electrolyte-rich organic coconut water makes Groovy Bee® Hydrate Elementals – Organic Coconut Water and Aquamin the perfect hydration beverage to beat the heat of summer and support a healthy, active lifestyle.
For people who are always on the go, the Health Ranger Store is also offering Health Ranger Select Electrolyte Drops – a convenient supplement that allows you to boost your electrolyte intake with just a few drops. One of the most potent hydration solutions on the market, our premium electrolyte drops are in an ionized liquid form that is easy for the body to assimilate.
Health Ranger Select Electrolyte Drops are naturally distilled from the waters of Utah’s Great Salt Lake, which is known as a self-purifying ecosystem. It contains four of the main electrolytes your body needs – magnesium, chloride, sodium and potassium – to maintain optimal fluid balance and healthy internal pH levels and support optimal strength, endurance and energy levels.
Similarly, Health Ranger Select Concentrated Mineral Drops are the ideal hydrating solution because they makes it easy for you to get a pure, concentrated dose of more than 24 different trace minerals every day. Also sourced from Utah’s pristine Great Salt Lake, our premium mineral drops are concentrated using a natural solar-evaporation process to retain each mineral’s ionic properties.
Some of the important minerals you can find in Health Ranger Select Concentrated Mineral Drops include magnesium, sodium, potassium and sulfate – the fourth most abundant anion in your blood. To get your daily dose of essential minerals and keep your body properly hydrated and nourished, simply add a few drops to your drinking water, juice or post-workout shake or smoothie.
Our premium coconut water powder and coconut water powder and Aquamin blend are made with only high-quality ingredients and are non-GMO, non-China, certified Kosher and organic. Our premium electrolyte and mineral drops have virtually no taste and are non-China, non-irradiated and certified Kosher. All four products are also extensively lab tested for glyphosate, heavy metals and microbiology to ensure quality and purity.
Stay optimally hydrated this summer the natural way with our refreshing organic coconut water and concentrated mineral and electrolyte drops!
*These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to treat, cure or diagnose any diseases.
References
[1] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com
[3] https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu
[4] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com
[5] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
[6] https://queenstownphysiotherapy.com
[7] https://bscb.org
[8] https://www.merckmanuals.com
[9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
[10] https://extension.usu.edu
[11] https://www.healthline.com
[12] https://www.rush.edu
[14] https://www.urmc.rochester.edu
[15] https://my.clevelandclinic.org
[16] https://www.mdpi.com
[17] https://news.cuanschutz.edu
[18] https://www.optimaldx.com
[20] https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu
[22] https://med.libretexts.org
[23] https://www.msdmanuals.com
[25] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
[26] https://www.healthline.com
[27] https://www.msdmanuals.com
[28] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
[29] https://www.msdmanuals.com
[30] https://link.springer.com
[32] https://pressbooks-dev.oer.hawaii.edu
[34] https://www.sciencedirect.com
[35] https://www.phenomena.org
