Making salty water
LMNT is a highly-regarded electrolyte mix. Their products can be purchased in the UK from their stockist healf.
Currently, a pack of 30 sticks (in most flavours) costs £42.99, i.e. £1.43 per serving. This seems very expensive for what’s essentially salty water.
We can easily replicate the mix at a fraction of the cost — 97% less, in fact!
Formulation #
LMNT’s formulation is extremely simple and consists of only three ingredients:
| Electrolyte | Amount | Chemical form |
|---|---|---|
| Sodium | 1,000 mg | Sodium chloride (a.k.a. table salt) |
| Potassium | 200 mg | Potassium chloride |
| Magnesium | 60 mg | (Di)magnesium malate |
Single serving #
The amounts listed above are for the elemental electrolytes, not the salts that are actually mixed. Taking into account molar masses, one serving of 3,309 mg contains:
| Electrolyte | Chemical form | Mass percent | Amount required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sodium | Sodium chloride | 39.34% | 2,542 mg |
| Potassium | Potassium chloride | 52.45% | 381 mg |
| Magnesium | (Di)magnesium malate | 15.54% | 386 mg |
Multiple servings #
To make it easier to prepare the mix in bulk, here are the required amounts for multiple servings:
| Servings | Sodium chloride | Potassium chloride | (Di)magnesium malate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 76 g | 11 g | 12 g |
| 60 | 153 g | 23 g | 23 g |
| 90 | 229 g | 34 g | 35 g |
| 120 | 305 g | 46 g | 46 g |
| 150 | 381 g | 57 g | 58 g |
| 180 | 458 g | 69 g | 69 g |
| 360 | 915 g | 137 g | 139 g |
Each serving is approximately 3.3 grams, requiring precise measurement with milligram scales. Alternatively, you can use a level teaspoon or just over half of a 5-gram creatine scoop for a rough estimate.
Flavourings #
The flavour of the mix can be improved significantly by adding a dash of no-added-sugar squash — lemon, lime and orange all work well.
Sourcing ingredients #
Sodium chloride (a.k.a. table salt) is the easiest and cheapest ingredient to obtain. For example, Tesco sell 750 g of table salt for £1.35 (enough to make 295 servings), or 1.5 kg for £1.90 (590 servings).
Potassium chloride can be found on Amazon UK, but is much cheaper on iHerb. For example, NOW Foods sell 227 g for $8.87 (enough to make 595 servings), whereas the same product is £14.41 on Amazon UK.
(Di)magnesium malate is also best bought from iHerb. For example, Seeking Health sell 250 g for $22.84 (enough to make 647 servings).
At the current foreign exchange rate, the cost to make 590 servings is about £28, or £1.42 for 30 servings. This is approximately 97% less than the £42.99 you’d pay for 30 servings of LMNT.
Health and sodium intake #
Sodium is vital for bodily functions, but its impact on health can vary. If you have specific concerns, consulting a healthcare provider is advisable before making significant changes to your sodium consumption.