Guide · The basics
What are electrolytes?
The plain-English guide: what electrolytes are, the five that matter, where you get them, and why sweat changes the picture.
Electrolytes are minerals that carry an electrical charge when they dissolve in the body's fluids. The main ones are sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium and calcium. Nerves and muscles rely on the charge gradients they create, and the body keeps their levels in a tight range. You get them from food and drink, and lose some in sweat.
- Sodium and chloride sit mainly outside cells; potassium mainly inside.
- Most people get enough from food on ordinary days. Sweat is when the picture changes.
- Low or high blood levels are a medical matter for a doctor, not a drink.
The five main electrolytes
These are the electrolytes you will see on hydration labels, and in Lula.
| Electrolyte | Where it works | Common food sources | In one Lula scoop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sodium | The main electrolyte outside cells | Salt, bread, cheese, stock, processed foods | 1,000 mg |
| Potassium | The main electrolyte inside cells | Potatoes, bananas, beans, leafy greens, yoghurt | 250 mg |
| Chloride | Sodium's partner in salt, outside cells | Salt | From the salt (1,542 mg) |
| Magnesium | Inside cells and in bone | Leafy greens, nuts, seeds, wholegrains, beans | 75 mg |
| Calcium | Bone, muscle and nerve signalling | Dairy and fortified alternatives, tofu, greens | 50 mg |
General information. Food sources are typical examples, not a complete list.
Education · general physiology
Water is the medium. Electrolytes are the signal.
Every nerve impulse and muscle contraction depends on a gradient: more sodium outside the cell, more potassium inside. Pumps in the cell membrane keep trading one for the other to hold that gradient.
- Sodium and chloride help set how much fluid sits in the blood and between cells.
- Potassium is the main charge inside cells, and sodium's partner.
- Calcium triggers muscle contraction; magnesium is involved in hundreds of enzyme reactions.
Third-person physiology for context, not a claim about Lula. Source: StatPearls, Electrolytes (NCBI Bookshelf NBK541123).
How you lose electrolytes
Sweat is mostly water, but it is salty for a reason: it carries sodium and chloride out with it, plus smaller amounts of potassium, and a little magnesium and calcium. How much varies a lot between people, and with heat, effort and how used to the heat you are.
On ordinary days, food replaces what you lose. After a hot, sweaty day or a long session, plain water replaces the fluid but not the minerals. That is the gap electrolyte drinks are designed to fill.
Illness with vomiting or diarrhoea also causes losses. That is a medical situation: the NHS recommends pharmacy rehydration sachets, and medical help if symptoms are severe.
The best sources of electrolytes
For most people, most of the time, food is the main source. A varied diet with vegetables, fruit, beans, wholegrains, nuts and dairy or fortified alternatives covers potassium, magnesium and calcium. Salt in everyday food covers sodium, and most UK adults eat more than the 6 g a day the NHS suggests as a maximum.
Drinks with electrolytes are useful on specific days: hot weather, long sessions, travel and busy sweaty days. That is when a measured scoop in water makes sense.
Sodium, potassium and magnesium on a label
Electrolyte labels lead with sodium, because it is the main mineral in sweat. Potassium and magnesium follow in smaller amounts. Some labels add calcium. Check whether figures are per serving or per litre once mixed.
In Lula, per 6.5 g scoop: 1,000 mg sodium, 250 mg potassium, 75 mg magnesium and 50 mg calcium, alongside 1.2 g of amino acids. That combination is what we mean by the complete amino electrolyte.
Magnesium, small print: Lula has 75 mg magnesium per scoop (20% NRV). Magnesium contributes to electrolyte balance. Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function. Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
One scoop
The electrolytes in Lula
One 6.5 g scoop. Every amount on the label, in plain sight.
from pink Himalayan salt1,000 mg42%The electrolyte you sweat out most
potassium citrate250 mg13%Sodium's partner mineral
magnesium citrate75 mg20%Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function. Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
calcium citrate50 mg6%An electrolyte mineral in the blend
taurine, glycine, alanine1.2 gn/a500 mg taurine · 450 mg glycine · 250 mg alanine
sweetened with stevia0.17 gsugarsNo added sugar · 7.7 kcal · no caffeine
Good to know
Questions, answered
What are electrolytes in simple terms?
Minerals that carry an electrical charge in the body's fluids. Nerves and muscles depend on them.
What do electrolytes do in the body?
They carry the electrical charge that nerves and muscles depend on. Sodium and chloride help set how much fluid sits in the blood and between cells; potassium is the main charge inside cells; calcium triggers muscle contraction; magnesium is involved in hundreds of enzyme reactions. General physiology, not a claim about Lula.
What are the main electrolytes?
Sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium and calcium. Bicarbonate and phosphate are also electrolytes.
What are good sources of electrolytes?
Everyday food: salt for sodium and chloride; potatoes, beans, fruit and vegetables for potassium; nuts, seeds and wholegrains for magnesium; dairy or fortified alternatives for calcium.
How do you lose electrolytes?
Mainly through sweat, which carries sodium and chloride with smaller amounts of other minerals. Illness with vomiting or diarrhoea also causes losses and needs medical advice.
Do I need an electrolyte drink?
On ordinary days, food and water usually cover it. On hot or sweaty days, or during long sessions, an electrolyte drink is a simple way to add minerals with your water.
What electrolytes are in Lula?
Per 6.5 g scoop: 1,000 mg sodium, 250 mg potassium, 75 mg magnesium and 50 mg calcium, plus chloride from the salt, and 1.2 g of amino acids.
Keep reading
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Choose your Lula →Do not exceed the daily recommended dose (one scoop a day). Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Not recommended for children. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking prescription medicine or have a medical condition, speak with your doctor before use.
Lula is a food supplement. Any health claims relate to its magnesium content.