Your body must generate electricity to perform basic functions, such as transmitting messages from your brain to your muscles. Yet up to 60 percent of your body is composed of water, which is not a good electrical conductor. Electrolytes are minerals that enable your body to generate an electrical charge. You lose electrolytes when you sweat and when you are ill, but they are replaced through the foods and drinks you consume. The major electrolytes in your body include potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, chloride, calcium, sodium and bicarbonate. Sodium and chloride combine in food to form ordinary salt.
Dietary Intake
Step 1
Eat 165 g of seedless raisins. This provides your body with 1,236 mg of potassium. Your body will convert some of its potassium stores into bicarbonate. The recommended daily intake for potassium is 4.7 grams for adults.
Step 2
Consume 138 g of dry roasted, unsalted almonds. This replaces 388 mg of magnesium in your body. Men ages 19 to 30 should intake 400 mg of magnesium each day, 310 mg for women. Beginning at age 31 the recommended daily magnesium intake for men is 420 mg and 320 mg for women.
Step 3
Drink 1 cup of 1 percent fat milk, enriched with vitamins A and D. This provides you with 305 mg of calcium and 232 mg of phosphorus. The recommended daily intake for calcium is 1,000 mg for adults to age 50; 1,000 mg for men ages 51 to 70; 1,200 mg for women ages 51 to 70 and 1,200 mg for adults over age 70. The recommended daily intake for phosphorus is 700 mg per day for adults over age 18.
Step 4
Track your daily sodium consumption. You likely consume enough sodium and chloride through your natural dietary intake to replace any electrolyte loss. According to the Institutes of Medicine, your body needs just 0.18 grams per day to replace the loss. Drink a sports drink during particularly strenuous activity. A typical sports drink contains 12 mg of sodium.
Tips and Warnings
- Don't add salt to your foods. Most Americans consume 3,400 mg of sodium per day, or 3.4 grams, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is more than enough for electrolyte replenishment.
- High carbohydrate drinks delay electrolyte absorption rates, so use sports drinks to replenish your electrolyte supply only if you exercise more than 90 minutes.
Things You'll Need
- Gram weight scale
- Measuring cup
- 165 g of seedless raisins,
- 138 g of almonds, dry roasted, unsalted
- 1 cup milk, 1 percent fat, enriched with vitamin A and vitamin D
- Sports drink
References
- U.S. Geological Survey: The Water in You
- SkipThePie.org: Nutritional Data for Raisins, Seedless
- "Dietary Reference Intakes for Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate"; Institute of Medicine Food and Nutrition Board; 2005
- SkipThePie.org: Nutritional Data for Nuts, Almonds, Dry Roasted, Without Salt Added
- National Insitutes of Health: Magnesium
- SkipThePie.org: Milk, 1 percent Fat, Enriched with Vitamin A and Vitamin D
- National Insitutes of Health: Calcium
- MedlinePlus: Phosphorus in Diet
- SkipThePie.org: Nutritional Data for Sports Drink, Pepsico Quaker Gatorad Original Fruit-Flavored, Ready-to-drink
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Salt Intake
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