NingXia Red – Natural Electrolyte Drink Recipe

For years we’ve been programmed to believe that sports drinks are healthy and you need to replenish electrolytes after most any type of exercise. Upon closer examination we see that the food industry actually manipulates the truth and also outspends the drug industry in seeking to convince us that we ‘need’ their product(s).

In 2006, the food industry spent about $40 billion on advertising, advertising of course does not make a product healthy. The food industry spends billions of dollars make us think you’re buying something that’s good. Sports drinks alone hit $7.5 billion in sales in 2006.

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is the number one source of calories in the US. Since the 1970s the use of HFCS has gone up more than 4000%, and it is found in candies, pretzels, crackers, hot dogs/processed meats, etc (read your labels, it’s in nearly everything). Using sugar substitutes in place of HFCS is an equally bad choice and a whole different topic.

Just like other sugars HFCS disrupts insulin levels, elevated insulin levels increase the risk of nearly every chronic disease known to man, including: cancer,  heart disease, diabetes, premature aging,  arthritis and osteoporosis  – you name it, and you will find elevated insulin levels as a primary factor.

There’s also that HFCS increases your triglyceride levels and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Part of what makes HFCS such an unhealthy product is that it will tend to raise your blood sugar levels and cause sugar to attach to many of your body’s proteins, thus causing permanent damage to them. Because most fructose is consumed in liquid form, these negative metabolic effects are significantly magnified.

Excerpted from USA Today

“Health experts are worried about the possible effects on young athletes of popular energy drinks such as Red Bull.

High school and college athletes are increasingly consuming large quantities of these caffeine-loaded drinks to boost athletic performance or lose weig’ht. But athletes who consume too many energy drinks can suffer from dehydration, tremors, heat stroke and heart attacks.

Instead, teen and adolescent athletes should drink water while training and playing — especially during hot summer months. Some experts called for the U.S. FDA to require warning labels on the hundreds of energy drinks now on the market.”

It is, however, important to replace the water you’ve lost during exercise. But the question is: are sports drinks really as “essential” to young school athletes for this purpose as the manufacturers would like you to believe? Are they the best alternative for your children?

Well, no. They’re not. Neither are “energy” drinks like Red Bull and many others, which are high in caffeine, a natural diuretic, which will actually dehydrate your body further.

Your best bet for your primary fluid replacement is pure, fresh water (preferably not bottled water, filtering your own is cheaper and you can re-use your empty ‘glass’ NingXia Red bottles to store your water).

There are few things that are also important to know:

1. Cool, or cold water is absorbed into the body faster and better than warm water, and
2. Studies showed that when water was lightly flavored people drank more water, and
3. Unflavored water leaves the body faster, which isn’t really what we want during hot summer days.

Electrolyte solutions are normally formed when natural salt (not table salt) is placed into water and the individual components dissociate due to the thermodynamic interactions between the water and solute molecules, in a process called solvation.

An electrolyte in a solution may be described as concentrated if it has a high concentration of ions, or dilute if it has a low concentration. If a high proportion of the solute dissociates to form free ions, the electrolyte is strong; if most of the solute does not dissociate, the electrolyte is weak. The properties of electrolytes may be exploited using electrolysis to extract constituent elements and compounds contained within the solution.

It is usually unnecessary to replace losses of sodium, potassium and other electrolytes during normal low-level exercise since it is unlikely that a significant depletion the body’s stores of these minerals will occur during normal training (this is assuming that one has a pretty good diet to begin with). However, in extreme exercising conditions over 5 or 6 hours (an Ironman or marathon) the consumption of a complex sports drink with electrolytes is recommended. Athletes who do not consume electrolytes under these conditions risk over-hydration (or hyponatremia).

Because sports drinks typically contain very high levels of sugar, they are not recommended for use by children. And as you could well imagine, they’re not terrific for teens, adults, or those suffering illnesses such as depression and other health conditions.

Sports drinks are also not appropriate for replacing the fluid lost during diarrhea. The role of sports drinks is to inhibit electrolyte loss but are insufficient to restore balance once it occurs. Electrolyte and sports drinks can be home-made by using the correct proportions of sugar, salt and water – see the recipe below and make your own high quality ‘Real’ electrolyte drink.

NingXia Red Electrolyte Drink Recipe

2 oz. Ningxia Red
16 oz. purified water
20 drops YL Mineral Essence
1 drop YL Lemon oil
1 drop YL Peppermint oil
1 teaspoon YL Blue Agave

Mix ingredients together in a glass bottle (I like to re-use my empty NingXia Red bottles to keep my water and mixes in, they’re nice sturdy bottles). You can make a more watered down version for the kids.

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Articles by Evelyn Vincent, Young Living Independent Distributor #476766

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