Is Liquid IV a good option for those looking to supplement with electrolytes? Liquid IV is marketed as a sports supplement to increase hydration. However, this is quite ironic. Here is why.

First, it is packed with sugar. There is an added 11g in just ONE serving. Americans already consume an average of 77g of added sugar each day (“How Much Sugar is Too Much?”). Your little packet of electrolytes would be contributing to 1/7 of that. The first ingredient is pure cane sugar! The second ingredient is dextrose, another type of sugar! So, there is not only one type of sugar, but two. Not to mention that excess sugar can contribute to feelings of dehydration rather than take it away.

Second, there are a lot of vitamins and minerals on the label that are hard to pronounce. If you can barely say the ingredient, you probably shouldn’t be consuming it. Dipotassium Phosphate, one of the ingredients, is commonly used as fertilizer and a buffering agent. Cyanocobalamin, or “vitamin B12”, is a man-made form of B12.

lmnt electrolyte ingredients — LMNT citrus salt ingredients

Electrolytes can help your body recover from hard workouts and stay hydrated on hot days but they need to be made well. I highly recommend the brand LMNT. They have 0g of added sugar and use minerals in their natural form. They only have 6 ingredients, 4 of which are minerals. The other two ingredients include stevia leaf extract and natural flavors derived from real ingredients. Not to mention they also taste delicious! My favorite is the citrus salt.