Gatorade alternatives? Salt on a ride?

[cobalt]

On my ride yesterday the leader told me that there are better drinks that Gatorade. She mentioned something with initials but I can't remember what it was.

She said the drink had some protein in it and was not all sugar.

Also, after a ride I crave salt. What do you do about that? The leader carries salt packets from McDonalds, isn't that a lot of salt? Do you take salt and if so, in what form?

Thanks for suggestions

[aicabsolut]

If you crave salt, then you're probably a salty sweater and not getting enough electrolytes in during your ride.

There are a lot of sports drinks out there. I think Accelerade has some protein. There's Gu20, Clif electrolyte drink, Hammer drinks, Luna drinks, nuun tablets, etc. I say find one that has calories and electrolytes that you like the taste of. Sometimes at bike shops or REI you can get individual packets to try out before committing to a huge container of the stuff. It's only going to work if you want to drink it.

There are also food alternatives that you can have with plain water. Some are just calories (like Powerbar jelly things), but then there are other chews with sugar and electrolytes (Luna moons, Clif shot bloks, Jelly Belly sport beans, Sharkies, etc.) and gels (Gu, Hammer gel, Accel gel, Clif shot, etc.). I tend to prefer those things to drinks.

[snapdragen]

I'd never heard of salt shots until last weekend when my TNT team did a 12 mile training walk. Before we started, our coach handed out little salt packets, and had us all take half a packet. It is supposed to help your body stay hydrated. During the walk I ate approximately one bar and drank one bottle of electrolyte drink each hour. Did it help? I really don't know, but I finished the 12 miles feeling great, not hungry, not dehydrated. I've got my little salt packet for my 1/2 marathon next week.

I know of a long distance rider who carries fig newtons in a ziploc bag, he adds a bit of salt to the bag and shakes it up. I prefer trail mix to get my salt and sweet energy boost.

[Zen]

I like the Clif Shotbloks margarita flavor with extra salt.
And Payday bars

[snapdragen]

Payday bars = Awesome.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

On long rides, I usually add a packet of Emergen-C powder to my water bottles.
It has electrolytes, sugar, and sodium.

[Zen]

Yes, but does it have peanuts and caramel?

[cobalt]

You mean the candy bar?? I could handle that.

I tried the new Powerbar gel blasts and really like the cola flavor.

Thanks for the suggestions, please keep them coming! It's so helpful to us newbies.

[deeaimond]

used to cramp spectacularly very often during martial arts training (back in my capoeira days) a classmate told me it could be a lack of salt. started taking some salt and water before training, and no more cramps.

now I like orange flavoured Tang with salt added in. I just use some 'pan salt' that was lying ard the house. was lousy for cooking (hard to season properly coz it was low sodium and not salty enough u had to add quite abit) but apparently has extra minerals, so good for a home-made sport drink.

peanut m&ms are great while riding...

[Fredwina]

Payday bars = Awesome.

where else can you eat candy bars and claim it's good for you?

[aicabsolut]

The thing is that you lose more than just salt when you sweat, and for some people, being low in any or all electrolytes (potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sodium) can lead to cramping and/or reduced performance. So if you're a really salty sweater than maybe extra sodium is good for you, but you also should look into consuming something with all the electrolytes. A lot of us get plenty of dietary sodium, so maybe that's why some people do better with cramps if they pay more attention to consuming foods rich in potassium, for example. You might not need straight salt or the margarita bloks, just a general electrolyte supplement with some calories and then a salty snack after the ride, or at least not a low salt diet.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Yes, but does it have peanuts and caramel?

Well heck, you can eat that too!
But I prefer to keep my fluids a bit separate from my solid fuel when biking.

[wildhawk]

I have been using the new Electrolyte mix from PowerBar - it comes in two flavors: lemon and mixed berry and is a small packet that mixes into your water. It replaces the electrolytes but is only 10 calories per packet. Tastes great IMHO.

[TrekTheKaty]

I like the Clif Shotbloks margarita flavor with extra salt.
And Payday bars

We've been using Cytomax instead of gatorade for longer rides. Got it at GNC, but it turns out they have it at our local bike shops and REI. We don't use the full 1 1/2 scoop--too thick. Just 1 scoop in a 24 oz bottle.

I bought electrolyte tablets to carry in my handlebar bag, but haven't tried them yet.

I've also had my share of payday bars

[Jiffer]

I use Cytomax Lite. It's not as thick or sweet as regular Cytomax. It doesn't have protein in it, so on a ride longer than 90 minutes, I take an Excel Gel, which has protein.

My dh is now into Perpetuem, another sports drink, which does have protein. It's soy based. I had stomach problems the 2nd and 3rd time I tried it, so I went back to Cytomax and take the gels. My stomach problems might not have been related to the Perpetuem, but I'm not taking any chances. Plus, the soy in it gives me allergy issues.

I have heard of loading up on extra salt the day before an endurance ride, but not carrying salt with you during a ride. This is interesting. However, I don't sweat as much as some people, so I don't think this is as much of an issue for me.