Thank you for the article. Good read! I actually just read an article from NUUN discussing the same topic prior to seeing the article you linked. Is there a particular brand that people like of sodium citrate or are all they all created equal?
I like Nutrition Fuel | Gnarly Fuel2O Orange Drank – Gnarly Nutrition
two scopes an hour = 50g carb and 500mg sodium
I’d trust that link in the absence of any other suggestions but I think they’re pretty much all created equal. It’s really common in baking (or preserving? Or making jam? I forget but it’s something like that) so there are loads of decent food-grade options out there. Also it’s incredibly simple - literally just the salt that’s created when you neutralise the acid bit of citric acid - so I don’t think it’s hard to make a high quality product.
You’re throwing money away. That is quite expensive and not very much carbs or sodium. I’d have to double those amounts and that would equal 6 servings for $40. With my volume I’d have to spend $120 a week! Instead, with a simple sugar, sodium citrate and Gatorade power I spend probably $10 a week.
Seems like you had the answer, not sure why you asked.
Funnily enough, I checked the bag I have (purchased months ago) and its 500mg Sodium per scoop - double what it is right now. They must have changed the recipe.
Also I admittedly paid nowhere near full price.
Here are 5 good sodium citrate options on amazon (affiliate links, but still handy) There are 3-5 other sodium citrate options on amazon that I’d recommend against because their nutrition facts indicate some level of unexplained impurity or error in labeling, IIRC.
I got into just using table sugar and regular salt based on my trial run on the Saturday app. Can you share why one might consider using a sodium product that isn’t just your basic salt that you would cook with? Is it a marginal difference like that between just using table sugar vs mixing malto/fructo etc? Link me to a thread if this has already been covered elsewhere. Thanks!
Sodium citrate doesn’t taste salty (to some not as much and to some not at all). It’s fairly common to find it easier to digest citrate than chloride too, especially in high quantities.
But if your gut can handle it then there’s no real nutritional difference if I understand correctly.
@KWcycling, @alexfthenakis pretty much nailed it. Sodium citrate is easier on your gut for long or hot sessions. For less challenging sessions, salt will work just fine.
Sodium citrate is easier on gut because:
- Fewer total ions per ion of sodium. Guts like lower osmolarity, but only a little impact here.
- Less chloride, period. Can be a bigger impact in long or hot riding where lots of sodium is necessary.
Check Mortal Hydration products individually. Their salt composition (sodium source(s)) vary by product and even within identical product lines. I recently dug into them since they were just rumored to be the on-course fuel for IM races, replacing Gatorade Endurance.
Additionally the stevia sometimes does a number on some folks. Very person-dependent. It seems to have no effect on me, and disastrous effects for others. I just did a stevia deep dive regarding its inclusion in endurance beverages, if it’s of any interest.
I have been researching this and think i found a solution with Precision Hydration. In addition to the high carb drink and gels they have three different electrolyte choices, tabs, pills, and mixture.
I just ordered a high carb custom mix from Blanks Sports Nutrition. Have not tried it out yet, but you can customize your carb / electrolyte / flavoring to suit your needs.