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Make Your Own Natural Sports Drink

Salt has a very unique property--it's atomic structure is not molecular, it's electrical.

The benefit we receive from salt is it's electrical charge, the salt itself actually still remains in it's original form. If you were to take a glass of water, and dissolve salt into it, the salt would "disappear" into the water. However, when the water evaporates, there will be salt in the bottom of the glass.

This electrical charge is essential to the life functions in our bodies.

So basic is this electrical function, that salt is one of a group of elements called "electrolytes". These are made up of ions, which are groups of atoms that carry a positive or negative electric charge. An ion can be either positively charged or negatively charged, and, like magnets, opposites attract.

Sodium is positively charged and chloride is negatively charged, so they attract each other and bond tightly. Our bodies also contain other electrolytes, including potassium (+), calcium (+), magnesium (+), bicarbonate (-), phosphate (-), and (sulfate (-).

Electrolytes are essential because your cells use them to transfer liquids, nutrients, and wastes across their membranes and to carry electrical impulses through nerves and muscles to communicate with other cells. Salt is even essential to brain function--without it, our brains would not even be able to send a message to lift a finger.

The kidneys work to keep electrolyte concentrations in your blood constant when your body changes. When your body perspires (from exercise or high temperature), for example, electrolytes are lost in the sweat and must be replaced to keep the electrolyte concentrations of your body fluids constant. This is why athletes drink "sports drinks" after exertion--to replace the salt they have lost.

Did you ever do the salt conductivity experiment in science class? You would have attached two ends of an electric current to a light bulb and submerged it into a glass with distilled water. The bulb would not have lit up, because distilled water has no conductivity. But when you added a bit of salt to the water, the bulb would start to glow. It's the same in our bodies. If there is not enough salt in our body fluids, the electrical charge of our bodies will be weak and the electrical functions won't "spark."

Instead of buying a sports drink made with industrial sodium chloride, refined white sugar, and artificial colors, try one of these. And if you haven't been to Debra's natural sweetener website Sweet Savvy yet, go take a look. She's got over 200 recipes for the yummiest desserts, all made with natural sweeteners.

Both sugar and and salt help your body absorb and retain the water to prevent dehydration, as well as replenish the salt to prevent hyponatremia (that's low blood sodium). Both of these conditions can send you to the hospital.

The ideal proportions for a sports drink are 1/3 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt to 1 quart water, plus flavoring to taste. Once made, it should be kept refrigerated.

Different sweeteners are made up of different kinds of sugars. Since sucrose is recommended, Debra suggests maple syrup, or fresh sugar cane juice (this is available in some areas of the country, and contains all the nutrients and enzymes present in raw foods). Lemon, lime or any juice can be used for flavoring (if you use a sweet juice, reduce the amount of sweetener just a bit to keep the balance).

"THE ORIGINAL" HIMALAYAN CRYSTAL SALT SPORTS DRINK

  1. Mix all the ingredients together.
  2. Refrigerate until you are ready to drink it.

NOTE: This combination of maple syrup and lemon is the basis of a very famous cleansing fast. It's even better for your body with "The Original" Himalayan Crystal Salt.