How to Make the Most Nourishing Homemade Lemon Lime Electrolyte Drink
The best thing about making your own homemade pale sodas is the fact that they’re super quick and easy to whip up from scratch. This particular recipe is no exception as you can have it ready to go in only five minutes from start to finish.
Simply take ¼ cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice along with two tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice and combine them with honey, pink Himalayan salt, and coconut water in a large measuring cup. Mix everything together until your drink is well combined.
From here it’s a simple matter of filling your glasses with ice and dividing the drink between them all. This drink is fantastic for cooling off and refreshing on those blistering hot days.
3 Reasons Why Homemade Electrolyte Drinks Are Better Than Soda
One of the biggest misconceptions that many people have is that drinking electrolyte drinks like Gatorade or Powerade are healthier options than drinking soda.
A lot of folks are surprised to learn that in spite of the clever marketing, many of these electrolyte drinks are not much better than soda. They may contain fewer calories, but quite often they’re loaded with even higher amounts of sugar and colorants.
However, by making your own homemade electrolyte drink and adhering to some simple paleo guidelines, you can absolutely make an electrolyte drink that’s far better for you than soda, or even the aforementioned brand name electrolyte drinks.
Here are three great reasons why this homemade electrolyte drink is a better choice than soda:
- Using both freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice provides an abundance of essential vitamins and antioxidants, and studies have even found that citrus juices have a ton of potential when it comes to preventing certain types of cancer (1)
- As long as you’re using raw honey, it’s another excellent source of essential vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that also has a ton of potential when it comes to perhaps keeping inflammatory diseases at bay according to the research (2)
- Coconut water is a great natural source of electrolytes that has been found to provide nearly equal benefits as drinks like Powerade and Gatorade when it comes to rehydrating and refueling after physical exercise (3)
What’s the Difference Between Pink Himalayan Salt and Regular Table Salt?
I mentioned in a previous post how there’s not a huge difference between sea salt and kosher salt, and the same can be said for pink Himalayan salt and regular table salt. There aren’t a lot of huge differences between pink Himalayan salt and regular table salt. The subtle differences that are there are definitely worth pointing out however.
In general, pink Himalayan salt is a better option for your health because it contains higher concentrations of trace minerals like potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron, while having a bit less sodium compared to table salt.
However, it’s also important to stress that the amount of these minerals in pink Himalayan salt are quite low. However, when mixed with coconut water like in this recipe, the two ingredients provide a one-two punch combo of electrolytes.
I wouldn’t stress over it, but if you have pink salt anyway, go for it!
Is an Electrolyte Drink Better For You Than Regular Water?
Just as it’s a common misconception that brand name electrolyte drinks are healthier than soda, many people also mistakenly think they’re superior to plain old water as well. The truth of the matter is that it actually depends on a few circumstances.
If you’re experiencing symptoms of dehydration or if you’ve just sweat out a massive amount following a grueling workout, then you’ll probably be better off going with some kind of all natural electrolyte drink to quickly replenish lost minerals.
However, for average daily use, you’re going to be better off just sipping water throughout the day in order to remain hydrated. Most people should aim to drink between 6-8 glasses of water on a daily basis. However you should keep in mind to aim for more if you’re more physically active than the average person as well.
(You may also like: Lemon, Ginger and Basil Iced Tea)
