100% of people who take salts on a regular basis will develope high blood pressure. I like supplements...nunn.
I haven't before, but I am thinking about bringing along some Nuun tablets for this season.
"Not many miles, but a whole lot of smiles." Vegan Packer
For me (a week at a time), I've found that there's enough sodium and sugar in the food I eat during the day that I don't need to add stuff to the water. The mountain spring or stream water tastes so much better than the treated "city water" I'm used to drinking.
Perhaps, in hot sections when I sweat a lot, I may bring some packets of additive. *shrug* I work outside frequently, and in the summer time I often drink 4 to 5 quarts of water every day. My opinion (based on anecdotal evidence) is that cramping is more often caused by being dehydrated rather than from salt or potassium deficiencies - as are most headaches.
I use packets of Electrolyte Fizz from the Vitamin Shoppe. It's the only one I've found that actually tastes really good.
AT Leapfrogging in 2016i (Central Virginia next) http://walkinghometodc.wordpress.com
saturday was the second time i've had leg cramps on a long, tough hike. i bought some Nuun tablets yesterday which i hope will help. My only dilemma is i use a hydration bladder so maybe its best to just pop it in there before I go. Does it leave a residue? does it spoil if i pack my bag the day before? does it mean all my water will be flavored while in there? thanks in advance!
Doin' the trail one section at a time
You can read about my adventures at http://happyonthetrails.wordpress.com/
I know the mixes leave a residue taste. I personally use a separate, empty half liter plastic bottle for all of my powdered mixes (both teas and electrolyte solutions).Originally Posted by linus72
AT Leapfrogging in 2016i (Central Virginia next) http://walkinghometodc.wordpress.com
Salts good. Ask a WWII South Pacific or Vietnam vet.
Salts good. Ask a WWII South Pacific or Vietnam Vet.
in lieu of carrying another bottle, are there gels or suckers i could pop in my mouth when cramping? salt sounds viable but not sure i'd want to drink salty water all day. not very refreshing.
Doin' the trail one section at a time
You can read about my adventures at http://happyonthetrails.wordpress.com/
Salt doesn't do it alone, you need potassium. You can always carry a banana or two.
The big grin is very informative....85% of thru hikers that consume electrolyte mixes on a thru hike fail.
Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.
Woo
You can easily fill capsules or buy them if that's your wish. I can tolerate a low level in a drink but would rather use capsules.
The biggest problem with any electrolytes or sports drinks in bladders is that they become lovely nutrient broths for bacteria and you have to clean your bladder way, way more often to keep it from getting gross. I also like to have just pain water to drink, so keeping my electrolyte drinks in a separate bottle works very well.
The easiest is either salt tablets like Saltabs or capsules like Hammer Edurolytes. That way you just pop the pills in your mouth as needed, chase them with a drink and be done with it.
Actually, if you are putting enough salt in your water to make it taste like salt water, you are putting too much in. Really, just a liberal pinch per liter works well. And then, yes, you cant just barely taste the salt, and it isn't bad. I highly recommend that you try it at home tonight to see.
I'm not lost. I'm exploring.
Most of the "electrolyte" drinks people use are exactly that. Skip the Gatorade and powerade stuff.I had never realized that dietary salt and potassium were glorified sugar.
Haven't read all of this but leaving it here for others
http://paleoedge.com/best-and-worst-electrolyte-drinks/
https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults
A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White
Not at all true. And not all salt is equal. We use either Himalayan salt or Celtic Sea Salt.
https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults
A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White
Not always. My BP is typically dangerously low. But in my physician's efforts to help me avoid meds, I am on a high potassium, high salt diet. IOW, in this case, I don't have to watch what I eat (but must add extra salt - I am prone to fainting without it.)
Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there. --Rumi
Here's a tip, get the Original Alka Seltzer that has no acetemenophen. I thinks its Alka Seltzer Gold. It has the same ingredients as most commercial rehydration "salts" or tablets and the same ingredients as the UN rehydration salt packets, sans sugar. Its 1/10th of the cost of commercial hydration stuff. Its all the electrolytes you really need.
Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.
Don't do it, it does leave residue. I did it to my favorite MSR bladder and had a heck of time trying to get it clean. After that I make sure I have a gatoraide bottle with me and mix up Nuun in the bottle.
I never was much of an electrolyte-supplement person until I suffered mild hyponatremia on a grand canyon rim-rim-rim a few years ago... yikes, this can be really dangerous stuff. Not really applicable though to hiking the AT though (for me). Still, I take a combination of good old Gatorade and Nuun tablets, just modest amounts to keep the various potassium / magnesium / sodium's topped off. I find that these also help with staving off cramping. Yes, it's possible this is only a placebo thing, but I think not. I do get sick and tired of Nuun, though, after a couple weeks. Gatorade is easier to drink for me in general.
I also run very low on blood pressure, 100-110/60-70 so therefore have no restrictions on salt, so tend to carry and eat very salty foods that help keep the sodium, at least, up. It's those other electrolytes that can run low if you aren't diligent with your diet (and I'm certainly not diligent!).
BTW: salt does not create blood pressure problems unless you run high already. Pure nonsense. Also: Sugar is sugar and salt is salt, despite marketing hype/nonsense.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
