Did you know that your body produces electricity? Consuming mineral-rich foods and drinks fills your body with electrolytes – which carry an electric charge. Electrolytes are crucial for many bodily functions, such as taking care of nerves, muscles, pH balance, and fluid balance.

Exercise, summer heat, and detoxing in saunas cause your body to excessively lose water, and most importantly, essential minerals. But what are electrolytes really, and how can we consume them?

The power of electrolytes in your body

Imagine your body as a powerhouse, needing fuel or energy to function properly. Electrolytes are chemicals that produce electricity in your body to keep nerves, muscles, blood pressure, and much more running smoothly.

 Electrolytes come from essential minerals:

• Sodium, which manages fluid control in the body, regulates blood pressure, and is essential for muscle and nerve function.
• Chloride, which balances electrolytes, acidity, and alkalinity, all to keep your pH healthy.
• Potassium, which regulates muscle contraction, bone health, heart, and blood pressure.
• Magnesium, which helps with DNA and RNA production, keeps your heartbeat in good rhythm, balances glucose levels, and boosts your immune system.
• Calcium, which is crucial for your bones and teeth, nerve impulses, muscle movement, and blood clotting.
• Phosphate, which strengthens your teeth and bones and promotes tissue growth and repair.
• Bicarbonate, which maintains a healthy pH and regulates heart function.

Health benefits of electrolytes and why they are important

Let’s take a look inside your body. About 40% of your body weight is made up of fluids inside your cells, and 20% comes from fluids outside of cells. Why is this important? That's where electrolytes step in and keep those liquids in balance.

How do these minerals take care of you?

• Hydration is the top priority for sodium, potassium, and chloride, as they ease water movement through your body and control body fluids inside and outside of cells to ensure proper hydration (a simple glass of water can’t do that).
• Electrolytes are essential for muscle function because they help muscles relax and contract properly, especially during physical activity.
• Sodium and potassium are the superstars in regulating blood pressure by balancing the fluids in your body.

But what would happen if you didn’t replace the lost electrolytes?

9 signs of electrolyte imbalance

Sometimes, just like hormones, electrolytes also jump off the track. Electrolyte imbalance happens when your body creates too many or too few minerals or electrolytes (or you forget to replace them).

In case you’re wondering if it's possible to lose that many electrolytes, it’s good to know that you lose body fluids all the time – while breathing, through your skin, and during frequent toilet visits.

But by sweating, you lose even more. Physical activity or visits to the sauna make you lose electrolytes (and toxins, so keep it going). Also, heated rooms in the winter and air-conditioned environments in the summer make you flush out body fluids even faster.

If you’re on a calorie-restricted diet, you consume much less food and minerals. That means your body can’t produce enough electricity to function properly.

Now that you know all the culprits, here are the 9 signs to look for if you’re trying to recognise an electrolyte imbalance:

1. Confusion and everyone getting on your nerves even when it’s not PMS.

2. Diarrhoea or constipation without eating any special foods.

3. Fatigue despite sleeping through the night.

4. Headaches for no apparent reason. 

5. Muscle cramps, spasms or weakness after a workout.

6. Feeling sick and vomiting and not being pregnant.

7. Numbness or tingling in the limbs, fingers and toes.

8. Anxiety and not being able to calm down.

9. Excessive thirst, although it’s obvious you should drink a glass of water, you probably also lack minerals.

Where else can you get electrolytes: food sources

All sorts of veggies, fruit, and dairy contain lots of electrolytes because they're full of minerals. Let's see which foods are rich in every mineral responsible for electrolyte balance:

• You can get magnesium from almonds, Brazil nuts, and baby spinach to help your muscles and bones. Still, after eating a handful of Brazil nuts, you would only consume 38% of the daily recommended amount of magnesium (and don’t even think about the calories).
• Bananas, boiled potatoes, and raw baby spinach are all potassium food sources, but how much of this mineral would you get from them by an average portion? Around 15% of what you need!

• Chloride is essential for digestion and balancing fluids, and you can find it in raw carrots (only 7% of your daily chloride need). Another solution is table salt, which provides you with 97% of the recommended amount, but you know how too much salt makes you feel (bloating, swelling, headaches).
• Dairy is famous for being a calcium-rich food, but eating one yoghurt provides you with only 21% of your daily calcium need.

So, how can you get 100% of the needed minerals without eating 10 meals a day? Electrolyte sachets are your answer.

Why are electrolyte sachets beneficial and when you should drink them

Mixing electrolyte sachets in your drinks gives your body a real refreshing boost. Not only do electrolytes keep everything functioning, but they also hydrate you quicker and for longer than plain water ever could.

Keeping some electrolyte sachets in your backpack can do wonders for muscle recovery. By sweating, you lose a ton of this electric charge, and it’s essential to support your muscle function and recovery after exercising.

Also, when you fall ill with a fever or cold, take care of your hydration because you are probably excessively sweating to get the virus out of your body.

And a little girl tip: going out with your girls for cocktails may not sound so fun the following day. Because alcohol dehydrates your body, electrolyte sachets might do the trick even with headaches and hangovers! 

Even though you’re not sick or right out of the gym (or a bar), we all have those times when we feel completely drained out of energy and lack the mental power to complete all the tasks in our busy schedule. In this case, an electrolyte drink can provide a quick energy recharge, so fill up your glass and bottoms up!

Recharge Electrolytes with Tummy Tox

Enough is enough when your problems escalate to constant tiredness, muscle cramps, and dehydration. If you’re searching for the best electrolyte powder on the market, you came to the right place.

Knowing that getting minerals from food is usually insufficient to support your body, we designed an electrolyte-loaded drink to get you hydrated fast and restore your energy.

Recharge Electrolytes from Tummy Tox contains 2290 mg of electrolytes, with more potassium and magnesium than other electrolyte sachets on the market.