Need another Hydration Source- NUUN is making me sick!

[Aggie_Ama]

I have been in love with the NUUN tablets for over a year, but this summer the sorbitol is too much. I have never had the problem before but I think it is just trying to drink it in the heat. Anyone have something else I could try?

My preference is to not have sugary stuff like Gatorade since it leaves a weird feel in my mouth. We tried Clif Shot drink yesterday and it was too sugary, so it had the syrupy feel of gatorade. Hammer HEED all tastes like vanilla to me (ick). I think I have covered the things I have tried now!

[sundial]

Have you tried Cytomax? One cyclist I talked with uses this because it has complex carbs in the drink--no simple sugars to make you crash later. It's supposed to keep the lactic acid from building up in the muscles, too.

[LBTC]

Cytomax worked quite well for me, always at 1/2 strength (same thing I do with gatorade).

Another option may be adding electrolyte drops to water. Elite is the name of one brand, I think. No worries about added sugar there.

And, yes, if sorbitol is sucralose (I think it is), then I cannot tolerate it either. Migraine maker for me.

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[jobob]

Try Elete

http://www.eletewater.com/index.html


You can buy it from Nashbar

[SadieKate]

Like Jobob said, Elete. No calories, no protein, just the electrolytes you need. My husband is cramp-free for the first time in years. You can even put the stuff in a hydration pack.

Then you can use whatever you want to get your calories - maybe even Chili Cheese Fritos and Haagen Daz bars.

So there, maillotpois.

[Resi]

Eletewater works for me.

[smilingcat]

Cytomax is pretty good.
I also like Accelerade. Downside is you really have to mix it well and you have to wash the bottle with a brush to get this "slimy" feel out. Neither gives me trouble.

Smilingcat

[Dianyla]

And, yes, if sorbitol is sucralose (I think it is), then I cannot tolerate it either. Migraine maker for me.

They're not the same thing.

Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol similar to xylitol, mannitol, etc. It is derived from glucose molecules by reducing the terminal aldehyde into a hydroxyl group. It is well known to cause gas and diarrhea - in fact one of its approved uses is as a laxative.

Sucralose (brand name: Splenda) is a chlorinated sucrose molecule (3 of the hydroxyl groups are replaced by chlorine atoms). They haven't found anything harmful or unhealthful about it. Not yet, anyway.

[maryellen]

I can't tolerate sorbitol either (GI distress). I use Ultima Replenisher -- no simple carbs, sweetened with stevia (a 'natural' sweetener). I don't like stevia on its own but in Ultima Replenisher it works.

I like the lemon flavor the best but it's no longer available in the largest containers. See if you can get a packet of each of the flavors and see if you like it.

[KnottedYet]

sorbitol and I are Not Friends.

I use Clif Shot electrolyte, but I really need the carbs. And you already know you don't like Clif's stuff. Nanci had some very cool electrolyte capsules she was taking every half hour, and then she was just drinking water. She didn't have any gut trouble with them. Anybody know what they were?

[crazycanuck]

What about Hi-5 products? Power Bar & Endura also have an electrolyte drink mix.

Never heard of any of the drinks you guys are referring to Can you get the above items in the US??

C

[GLC1968]

Are you looking for electrolyte but NOT carbs? If so, I've heard good things about the Elete stuff, too.

If you do want carbs, but hate the sweet stuff, I have two options. HydroBoom (from the makers of CarbBoom) is good but strong. It's not super sweet though, so I like it. I only use it on REALLY hot days...otherwise, it seems too strong for me and it can make me feel bloated. I haven't done a comparison, but my guess is that it's higher in electrolytes than the typical Powerade or Gatorade.

I recently tried PowerBar's endurance drink in the Sun Tea flavor. The day I tried it wasn't a hard ride or particularly hot, but the flavor sat well with me. It's not very sweet, it's light tasting, and it wasn't bad even after it had warmed up a bit. I ordered a canister and I'll try it on a hotter ride this weekend, but I think I'm going to like it. It might be worth a shot.

[rocknrollgirl]

If you are looking for just electrolytes, Hammer makes a product that comes in capsule form. You could take them with water.

[DebW]

1/4 teaspoon of Morton's Lite Salt (KCl+NaCl) per quart of water. Actually, that tastes pretty salty, so you should start with less until you're sweating heavily.

[SadieKate]

I know these are articles from sites for commercial electrolyte products, but after seeing what Bill has gone through I'm a firm believer in needing more than salt. Back in the "olden" days, we were always told to eat foods such as bananas because they are high in potassium.

Bill has been suffering now for a couple years with severe cramping even though he was using Cytomax and e-Caps. Elete Water has seemed to fix the problem and he has been just flying this summer. It has a much higher dose of potassium than other products.

http://www.planetultra.com/training/born2.html (from Steve Born at e-Caps)
http://www.eletewater.com/elpdf/salt.pdf