Training

Homemade sports drinks

A few months ago, I promised to look into how to make your own sports drink at home. It has taken me a while to follow up, but I thought I’d pass the following along. From the book “Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook,” as cited in a New York Times blog entry:

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup hot water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 1/2 cups cold water

In a quart pitcher, dissolve the sugar and salt in the hot water. Add the remaining ingredients and the cold water. The drink contains about 50 calories and 110 mg of sodium per 8 ounces, approximately the same as for most sports drinks.