Everybody knows that when you exercise or sweat a lot, you’ve got to drink lots of water to rehydrate. But we can’t forget about replenishing lost electrolytes. Electrolytes are salts and minerals, like sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and chloride, in the body that maintain fluid balance and blood pressure.
If you’ve got too much or too little of any one electrolyte, you could experience dehydration, over-hydration, or other imbalances unless replenished quickly. Believe it or not, sports drinks are not the only way to get your fill of electrolytes.
Next time you’re in need of an electrolyte boost, try these 5 foods that replenish electrolytes fast.
Dairy
Milk and yogurt are excellent sources of the electrolyte calcium. Just one cup of milk contains about 300mg of calcium while 1 cup of yogurt contains about 450mg. Both make an excellent post workout snack to replenish electrolytes and boost protein intake!
Bananas
Bananas are known to be the king of all potassium containing fruits and veggies. With about 422mg of potassium per banana, we can see why! Potassium helps control muscles and blood pressure. Without it you may experience suboptimal muscle function. What’s cool about bananas is that they come in their own portable pouch!
Coconut Water
For a quick energy and electrolyte boost during or after a workout, try coconut water. Coconut water contains about 600mg of potassium and 252mg of sodium per cup, it’s also got natural sugar that works well to replenish energy stores lost during exercise.
Watermelon
Just because summer is over doesn’t mean you should stop eating watermelon. In fact, watermelon makes the perfect pre and/or post-workout snack! Watermelon is loaded with good-for-you nutrients like natural sugars, potassium and water. Snack on a cup or two of watermelon after a workout to boost energy and electrolyte stores.
Avocado
Aka Nature’s Butter, avocados are loaded with Potassium. In fact, just 1 avocado can contain approximately 975mg of potassium, that’s double that of a banana. Opt for 1/4 serving avocado on a slice of toast post-workout to refuel and rehydrate!
