Natural Electrolyte Drink

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“Summertime heat means it’s time for cold, refreshing, hydrating drinks! When the temperature goes up, you’ve been sweating during a workout, you’re sick or you’re a mama in labor, a DIY Natural Electrolyte Drink is what you need.”

Natural electrolyte drinks are perfect for hydrating and replenishing the body. Usually my go-to is homemade strawberry Switchel, but I don’t always have the time to wait overnight for it to be ready.

​We all get depleted at some point. I know mamas out there can relate to this. Really, everyone gets stressed from time to time. Our culture does not focus on self care enough and often that means we run ourselves into the ground.

Lack of sleep, stress, poor diet, intense exercise, not knowing how to say “no” to overdoing it on YourEllipticals and on and on all can end up leading to weakened immune system and mineral depletion.

When these times come up it’s so important to take care of yourself and help your body by replenishing and nourishing it.
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DIY Natural Electrolyte Drinks are so helpful during and after exercise, during colds, flu, food poisoning, working in hot temperatures, and even for women during labor.

​A word of caution though, not all electrolyte drinks are created equal. Most commercial sports drinks and other mainstream products that are marketed towards ill children are not so great. They are full of refined sugars, food dyes, and other questionable ingredients.

But don’t take my word for it, check out the ingredients from some mainstream brands:

“Water, Sugar, Dextrose, Citric Acid, Natural Flavor, Salt, Sodium Citrate, Monopotassium Phosphate, Gum Arabic, Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate, Glycerol Ester of Rosin, Yellow 6” 
​“Water, Dextrose. Less than 2% of the Following: Citric Acid, Potassium Citrate, Salt, Sodium Citrate, Natural Flavor, Sucralose, Acesulfame Potassium, Zinc Gluconate, Red 40, and Blue 1” 

There’s really no need to load your body up with those ingredients when it’s so easy to make your own, healthier DIY Natural Electrolyte Drink. 
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The Stars of this DIY Natural Electrolyte Drink

Coconut Water is optional, but I love to use it because it’s already a wonderful natural electrolyte. It’s known for hydrating the body and aids in helping replace vital minerals. It’s also full of naturally occurring potassium, an essential electrolyte that needs to be replaced after dehydration.
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Fresh Lemons and Limes are wonderful for flavor, but they’re also a great source of vitamin C, magnesium and potassium.
Celtic Sea Salt contains vital trace minerals and electrolytes. This is crucial after physical exertion or during illness. Water alone is not enough, our bodies need sea salt.

Trace Minerals are optional, but I always them when I know my family will be in extreme heat, doing a lot of physical activity or are under the weather. Trace mineral drops have tons of minerals that are readily available like magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium, phosphorous, etc.
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Recipe

by Recipes to Nourish

Ingredients:

• 4 cups coconut water or filtered water*
• Juice of 1 small lemon
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 4-5 trace mineral drops
• 5-9 drops liquid stevia, depending on your preference (see notes below)

​​Directions:

1. In a large pitcher, large glass measuring cup or mason jar, add all ingredients. Stir (or shake with lid on if you’re using a mason jar) until everything is incorporated.
2. Serve immediately as is, chilled or over ice.
3. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

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​Notes:

I also recommend to check https://www.greendivamom.com/ where you will find plenty of reason why it is beneficial to go green.

• Yield: About 4 cups
• Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
• Stevia is a great alternative to sugars, but if you would prefer to use something else, I would recommend using 1-2 tablespoons of raw honey or organic maple syrup.
• I use *Taste Nirvana coconut water. I prefer this brand to others for several reasons: 1) I can buy it in glass bottles, 2) It’s organic and harvested from young coconuts even though it’s not labeled as organic, 3) It tastes so much better than other brands in my opinion and 4) It’s considered one of the healthiest coconut water brands. For more info on how to find the healthiest coconut water brands and avoid the worst, read here.
• You can replace the coconut water with filtered water if you don’t care for the taste of coconut water.
• If you have a little one who is not open to sipping on this all day, try freezing the mixture in popsicle molds instead.
• This drink is not intended for babies under 1 year of age due to the citrus.

Recipe credit to Emily Sunwell-Vidaurri, founder and author of Recipes to Nourish, is a holistic-minded, proud homebirth mommy of two amazing daughters. She can frequently be found in the kitchen cooking from scratch with the man of her dreams {her husband}, spending time with her girls and daydreaming about being an urban homesteader. She is passionate about nourishing REAL food, home cooked meals, holistic health, “green” living + essential oils. She drinks herbal tea infusions, craves kombucha and loves chocolate + homemade ice cream. Emily blogs at Recipes to Nourish, a gluten-free blog focusing on Real Food + Holistic Health. You can follow along and find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Periscope @Recipes2Nourish + grab her free eBook, “Holistic Tips to Keep Your Family Healthy.”