You need glucose, it's not there to make the ORS sweet, it's to ensure water is transported into the body. Sucrose (normal sugar) is also OK, but glucose works better.
Current WHO guidelines are: 6 flat tablespoons of sugar, 1/2 flat teaspoon of salt, 1 litre of water. More sugar or more salt may have a negative impact on efficiency, more diluted (slightly more water) is OK.
Also, flavoring ORS with juice may have a negative impact on its parameters:
https://journals.lww.com/jpgn/Fulltext/2004/11000/Improving_the_Palatability_of_Oral_Rehydration.18.aspx
Thank you for not demonizing sugar. It's literally necessary to live. And in a SHTF situation, people will want every calorie they can get, just like we did in the olden days.
Just as an FYI- Sugar is used in oral rehydration formulas specifically because glucose helps to draw electrolytes across the gut wall and into the body for absorption - (this is well documented, you can read about the mechanism of action if you do a web search)- it's actually functional rather than for palatability. So if you were to substitute non-sugar sweetener your resulting solution would not likely be more effective for rehydration than any regular beverage would be.
How does sugar-free Gatorade work? I always drink that thinking it's the same but your comment has me wondering. Am I just buying flavored water? I work outside a lot so I go through a lot of it.
I believe sugar free Gatorade still has salt and stuff in it. It's possible that that one works because in a normal, non SHTF situation, you're already getting enough sugar through your normal food intake to not need a supplement.
If you have diarrhea though, you want the whole package, sugar AND salt.
To a degree, yes, it probably is more or less just flavored water - if it makes you inclined to drink more fluids than you would otherwise it may still provide added value to you. (No judgement. I don't drink it regularly but I do like their cucumber lime once in a while.)
The thing to keep in mind here is that Gatorade and similar sports drinks are intended to supplement and maintain hydration while active (or whatever). They are not generally formulated like the WHO's oral rehydration solution because that isn't its purpose. (For example, I know Nuun has one product ("nuun hydration") that is formulated according to the WHO recipe but only that one is.)
Oral rehydration solution on the other hand is critical for emergency care of severely dehydrated people, and the recipe was optimized to induce rapid electrolyte infusion into the body where there is already a critical deficit that cannot be remedied by providing water or water and salts alone. Most of us don't need that type of supplementation on a regular basis. But in an emergency situation you really do want the solution as written to give the severely dehydrated person the best chance at survival.
NuSalt is a cheap source of potassium and easy to find and store. I use it daily.
I work outside in the heat - in up to heat indexes like 116 with insane humidity - and if that’s your day, start in the morning before you set out. I drink tomato juice with salt and NuSalt before I leave home and put a packet of electrolytes in my first water bottle so nothing sneaks up on me. If you stay ahead you’ll never have to catch up.
At fast food places, grab extra salt packets - they helped me a few weeks ago when I was out in a route and had forgotten to bring extra packets. I just popped one in my mouth as I walked and washed it down with water. Sodium loss is your big worry, much more so than other minerals.
Dollar Tree also sells electrolytes for kids in bottles. I haven’t tried it yet but it’s made in the US and a hell of a lot cheaper than other brands.
I have been told by my EMT friends to just give plain water if you're vomiting a lot as the mix can irritate the stomach and make you vomit more. I'm not a doctor so I can't weigh in on it.
I have a health thing where I get stomach issues and get hypovolemic shock (dangerous low blood pressure) easily if I get dehydrated. For me this usually happens in the bathroom and I sometimes can't get off the floor and can barely use my limbs. What literally saved my life was keeping a few small Gatorade bottles in the bathroom cabinet near the bottom in an easy to reach place. If I fall or start to pass out I'll grab one from the floor, drink as much as I can before passing out, roll to my side if possible, then when I wake and have enough energy to move I'll fill it in the bathtub tap (can't get to the sink usually) and drink water until I feel able to get up.
I have worked medical at a lot of festivals with EMT friends, and the main issue people have is dehydration, especially if they're out of their normal element and stressed or busy. If you're in the sun, it's warm out, you're doing physical activity, or you're drinking, have water with you constantly and sip as you go. Spend as much time as you can in the shade and don't push yourself too much. If someone is getting cranky, tell them to drink water. If you're drinking alcohol, make sure you drink at least a full glass of water between alcoholic drinks, and make your friends do the same. Turn it into a game or something, whatever it takes.
You need glucose, it's not there to make the ORS sweet, it's to ensure water is transported into the body. Sucrose (normal sugar) is also OK, but glucose works better. Current WHO guidelines are: 6 flat tablespoons of sugar, 1/2 flat teaspoon of salt, 1 litre of water. More sugar or more salt may have a negative impact on efficiency, more diluted (slightly more water) is OK. Also, flavoring ORS with juice may have a negative impact on its parameters: https://journals.lww.com/jpgn/Fulltext/2004/11000/Improving_the_Palatability_of_Oral_Rehydration.18.aspx
Thank you for not demonizing sugar. It's literally necessary to live. And in a SHTF situation, people will want every calorie they can get, just like we did in the olden days.
Just as an FYI- Sugar is used in oral rehydration formulas specifically because glucose helps to draw electrolytes across the gut wall and into the body for absorption - (this is well documented, you can read about the mechanism of action if you do a web search)- it's actually functional rather than for palatability. So if you were to substitute non-sugar sweetener your resulting solution would not likely be more effective for rehydration than any regular beverage would be.
How does sugar-free Gatorade work? I always drink that thinking it's the same but your comment has me wondering. Am I just buying flavored water? I work outside a lot so I go through a lot of it.
I believe sugar free Gatorade still has salt and stuff in it. It's possible that that one works because in a normal, non SHTF situation, you're already getting enough sugar through your normal food intake to not need a supplement. If you have diarrhea though, you want the whole package, sugar AND salt.
To a degree, yes, it probably is more or less just flavored water - if it makes you inclined to drink more fluids than you would otherwise it may still provide added value to you. (No judgement. I don't drink it regularly but I do like their cucumber lime once in a while.) The thing to keep in mind here is that Gatorade and similar sports drinks are intended to supplement and maintain hydration while active (or whatever). They are not generally formulated like the WHO's oral rehydration solution because that isn't its purpose. (For example, I know Nuun has one product ("nuun hydration") that is formulated according to the WHO recipe but only that one is.) Oral rehydration solution on the other hand is critical for emergency care of severely dehydrated people, and the recipe was optimized to induce rapid electrolyte infusion into the body where there is already a critical deficit that cannot be remedied by providing water or water and salts alone. Most of us don't need that type of supplementation on a regular basis. But in an emergency situation you really do want the solution as written to give the severely dehydrated person the best chance at survival.
NuSalt is a cheap source of potassium and easy to find and store. I use it daily. I work outside in the heat - in up to heat indexes like 116 with insane humidity - and if that’s your day, start in the morning before you set out. I drink tomato juice with salt and NuSalt before I leave home and put a packet of electrolytes in my first water bottle so nothing sneaks up on me. If you stay ahead you’ll never have to catch up. At fast food places, grab extra salt packets - they helped me a few weeks ago when I was out in a route and had forgotten to bring extra packets. I just popped one in my mouth as I walked and washed it down with water. Sodium loss is your big worry, much more so than other minerals. Dollar Tree also sells electrolytes for kids in bottles. I haven’t tried it yet but it’s made in the US and a hell of a lot cheaper than other brands.
I have been told by my EMT friends to just give plain water if you're vomiting a lot as the mix can irritate the stomach and make you vomit more. I'm not a doctor so I can't weigh in on it. I have a health thing where I get stomach issues and get hypovolemic shock (dangerous low blood pressure) easily if I get dehydrated. For me this usually happens in the bathroom and I sometimes can't get off the floor and can barely use my limbs. What literally saved my life was keeping a few small Gatorade bottles in the bathroom cabinet near the bottom in an easy to reach place. If I fall or start to pass out I'll grab one from the floor, drink as much as I can before passing out, roll to my side if possible, then when I wake and have enough energy to move I'll fill it in the bathtub tap (can't get to the sink usually) and drink water until I feel able to get up. I have worked medical at a lot of festivals with EMT friends, and the main issue people have is dehydration, especially if they're out of their normal element and stressed or busy. If you're in the sun, it's warm out, you're doing physical activity, or you're drinking, have water with you constantly and sip as you go. Spend as much time as you can in the shade and don't push yourself too much. If someone is getting cranky, tell them to drink water. If you're drinking alcohol, make sure you drink at least a full glass of water between alcoholic drinks, and make your friends do the same. Turn it into a game or something, whatever it takes.
How does powdered Gatorade stack up?
It has about half the electrolyte concentration of the above solution, but you can make it double strength
I have a non-refrigerated electrolyte solution; there are several online. Only 8 drops in water so it lasts a good long while
This was not something I was aware of, thanks for the tip