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Member
Posts: 21
| I've read a few posts on other forums about people getting wiped out for days at a time from a 90 minute hot session.
I sweat a TON and often feel a little wiped or blurry afterward. I crave salty and sugared foods, but know better than to give into eating a bowl of ice cream or bag of Doritos.
What foods or dishes are 'perfect' for replenishing eletrolytes? How many 'electrolytes' are there? Is it a series of salts and sugars? |
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| Food sources of sodium, chloride, and potassium (mg/100 g)
Food Sodium Chloride Potassium
Natural Foods
Beef, lean (ribs, loin) 65 59 355
Pork, lean (ribs, loin) 70 — 285
Chicken fryers (with skin) 83 85 359
Salmon, fresh 48 59 391
Milk (pasteurized, whole cow's) 55 100 139
Wheat flour (whole) 2 38 290
Rice (polished, raw) 6 27 110
Potatoes 3 79 410
Carrots 50 69 311
Beans (string, fresh) 1.7 33 256
Apricots 0.6 — 440
Dates (dried) 1 290 790
Oranges 1 3 170
Almonds 4 2 773
Processed Foods
Bacon (medium fat) 1770 — 225
Beef sausages 810 1100 150
Smoked salmon 1880 2850 420
Cheese (Cheddar) 700 — 82
Butter (unsalted) 7 10 23
Bread (whole meal) 540 860 220
Potato chips 550 890 1190
Carrots (canned, drained solids) 236 450 110
Beans (string, canned, drained solids) 236 300 95
SOURCE: Lentner, Cornelius, ed. Geigy Scientific Tables, 8th ed., vol. 1.
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| Electrolyte is a "medical/scientific" term for salts, specifically ions. The term electrolyte means that this ion is electrically-charged and moves to either a negative (cathode) or positive (anode) electrode:
ions that move to the cathode (cations) are positively charged
ions that move to the anode (anions) are negatively charged
For example, your body fluids -- blood, plasma, interstitial fluid (fluid between cells) -- are like seawater and have a high concentration of sodium chloride (table salt, or NaCl). The electrolytes in sodium chloride are:
sodium ion (Na+) - cation
chloride ion (Cl-) - anion
As for your body, the major electrolytes are as follows:
sodium (Na+)
potassium (K+)
chloride (Cl-)
calcium (Ca2+)
magnesium (Mg2+)
bicarbonate (HCO3-)
phosphate (PO42-)
sulfate (SO42-)
Electrolytes are important because they are what your cells (especially nerve, heart, muscle) use to maintain voltages across their cell membranes and to carry electrical impulses (nerve impulses, muscle contractions) across themselves and to other cells. Your kidneys work to keep the electrolyte concentrations in your blood constant despite changes in your body. For example, when you exercise heavily, you lose electrolytes in your sweat, particularly sodium and potassium. These electrolytes must be replaced to keep the electrolyte concentrations of your body fluids constant.
Drinking too much water during exercise does not help as your body cannot metabolize that liquid and too much water after exercise only dilutes the electrolytes.
It is best to be well hydrated before exercise and then either drink liquids that contain electrolytes or drink water together with foods that are high in electrolytes after exercise.
Dehydration is not healthy and should be avoided!
Edited by jimg 2010-03-11 7:02 PM
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Veteran
Posts: 149
 
| I wrote a post a while back warning people about this exact thing as I was in hospital overnight on IV being treated for a sodium level of 114 (136 is norm and 111 is where brain death occurs) ..... I WAS supplementing but not a strong enough combo for the amount that was drinking and sweating. I was just plain drinking too much LOL now... I take a stronger supplement and make sure I'm not over drinking. I also get my levels tested on a reg basis and discuss my plans with my doc now rather than just guessing. |
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Member
Posts: 21
| With all that said, does anyone have an 'after class' food or beverage that seems to help them out? |
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Veteran
Posts: 149
| electrolyte tabs coconut water bananas are good choices for before and after |
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Member
Posts: 21
| Yum. Coconut water is the bomb. I've been taking it after class for a few weeks. It tastes better when it's a mix with another juice. I also read somewhere people will use coconut water in transfusions or massive blood loss when blood isn't available. That's a decent testament in my eyes. |
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Member
Posts: 7
| What if you used coconut oil w/water instead of buying the coconut water...? I already use the oil on my skin...save me a trip to the store! |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | Coconut Oil is not the same as coconut water...totally different properties. |
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| Cheez-its. Heh.
OK, so, I really DO eat Cheez-its after class sometimes. I suspect a LOT of sodium is lost with the practice, and while I know we tend to consume that throughout the day, I always eat something sodium-heavy right away. Half an avocado with a little salt also hits the spot.
Oh, and the whole coconut water thing works for me too :-)
I admit that during the first couple of months of practice, every 2/3 classes I took left me feeling totally enervated--shaky, weak, and like something I couldn't quite identify had been robbed from my body.
Eventually, it evened out, and I naturally made adjustments to my diet along the way which may have contributed to feeling better. Now, I practice at 6:30 a.m. and go onto a long day of teaching after. |
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Member
Posts: 21
| Ya, me too. It seems to be tapering off. I don't gulp water and only have coconut water after a really challenging class or if I am feeling completely whipped. |
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| Salt and vinegar chips (OFTEN) and Ben and Jerry's (occasionally). It's not like I'm worried about my weight with all this damn sweating all the time...
Oh sorry, you wanted the healthy version. Ok, seriously, here are some of my favorite go-to's (some for electrolytes and some for other reasons): pickles, Ultima electrolyte replenisher, cheese and crackers (don't ask me why - maybe calcium?), KALE, spinach, any other leafy greens, avocado (but only when I'm on the west coast, they're so much better there), lemonade, miso soup (salt), grapefruit, whole wheat pasta or brown rice, banana, coconut water (of course). I went through a phase of mixing coconut water and grapefruit juice 50/50, which was AWESOME.
Cheezits. |
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Restoring electrolytes?
