Catholic Info
Traditional Catholic Faith => Health and Nutrition => Topic started by: AnthonyPadua on February 04, 2024, 06:18:31 AM
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Does anyone have experience making a electrolyte drink (salts) for periods of fasting? I hear they can make a big difference health wise and performance of daily duties, so I am looking more into this topic but also want to keep the Spirit of the fast (though I don't think this sort of drink is an issue here).
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Does anyone have experience making a electrolyte drink (salts) for periods of fasting? I hear they can make a big difference health wise and performance of daily duties, so I am looking more into this topic but also want to keep the Spirit of the fast (though I don't think this sort of drink is an issue here).
I drink things such as Gatorade without qualms during Lenten fasting.
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I understand that it can be confusing to use the correct ingredients and ratios and it can cause serious health consequences if mistakes are made. I buy pre-made sugar-free electrolyte mixes.
They are immensely helpful during periods of fasting and illness. They help me to keep my energy up and avoid headaches. I've also noticed that I don't have food cravings when I use the electrolytes.
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This may be a bit pricey…or not…but it’s the real deal:
https://drinklmnt.com/
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Electrolyte drinks are ripoffs. If you look into it, they give you maybe 5-10% of your recommended daily intake of sodium / potassium.
You'd be much better off getting some sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium ... the four basic electrolytes. If you get them in a powdered form and blend them into water, well, if you don't add any other flavoring, you won't be breaking the "spirit of Lent" by any stretch. Stuff tastes foul, especially the magnesium. That's actually one reason (besides cost) that Gatorade and other electrolyte drinks have so little of them actually in there. Nobody would spent $2 per bottle for something that tastes terrible.
Also, be very careful of magnesium, because it'll cause diarrhea if you take even a bit too much (it's a major ingredient in many laxatives). I would start with no more than 10-20% of the recommended RDA, spread out throughout the day, and then build up to it.
For sodium + potassium, I but this "Low-Sodium Salt" that's basically half sodium chloride and half potassium chloride.
In any case, I tend to make my own electrolyte drinks because they can have 10x the electrolytes for 1/10th of the cost.
If you don't want so much of the chloride, you can get powdered potassium citrate or potassium bicarbonate. If you use some potassium iodide, you also get some iodine, which is good for you and in which most diets are deficient. You can also buy sodium citrate.
Magnesium glycinate is the form that's best absorbed and least likely to cause diarrhea. Calcium citrate seems to the best absorbed form of calcium.
Magnesium Glycinate:
https://www.amazon.com/BulkSupplements-Magnesium-Glycinate-Powder-grams/dp/B00F7OZJQE
Sodium Citrate
https://www.amazon.com/BulkSupplements-com-Sodium-Citrate-Powder-Thickener/dp/B07B1KJZ23
Potassium Citrate
https://www.amazon.com/BulkSupplements-Potassium-Citrate-Powder-grams/dp/B00ENSA942
Calcium Citrate
https://www.amazon.com/BulkSupplements-Calcium-Citrate-Powder-Grams/dp/B00F8I5XQU
Potassium Iodide
https://www.amazon.com/Carlyle-Lugols-Iodine-Solution-Twin/dp/B07CGVQ5WJ
If you want to avoid Amazon, you can get it right off the Bulk Supplements website for about the same prices:
https://www.bulksupplements.com/
These might look expensive, but they'll last you forever, and would be 1/1000th of the cost to get the same electrolytes from something like Gatorade.
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I mix my own during the summer but at the moment I can't place the exact quantities except to say that those were calculated based on the RDA label of a popular brand of fizzy tablets.
I use Redmonds salt, Nu-Salt for potassium chloride, and magnesium citrate powder (emptied from capsules) but not calcium (since I take that separately anyway). Sugar helps with absorption, a teaspoon per serving is not enough calories to interfere with fasting. To prevent the sugar from molding if the mix is stored for a while, add it to the water in the moment.
Some recipes online say to mix a big batch and shake well each time so that everything is correctly proportioned. That sounds chancy, so what I do is use those flip-top pill organizers and measure into each compartment the dose for one serving of water. (Yes, this task is easier with 1/8 and 1/16 teaspoon measuring spoons, look for "mini measuring spoons" on amazon or whatever.)
Important: If you do use electrolytes, remember to consider how much of these minerals (sodium especially but potassium too) are in the meal(s) that you ARE eating. Even if young and healthy, these are not to be played with since blood pressure and heart rate can be affected.
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Thanks for the responses everyone. One more thing, do these drinks make you run to the toilet?
I know magnesium does, but what about the others?
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Thanks for the responses everyone. One more thing, do these drinks make you run to the toilet?
I know magnesium does, but what about the others?
Since the purpose of electrolytes is for hydration, actually these will help your system to hold on to liquids properly instead of draining it all out too quickly. Re magnesium, just keep it within reasonable limits and you should be OK. If you can, try to ease in before Lent so you can see how your body reacts and gets used to it.
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Since the purpose of electrolytes is for hydration, actually these will help your system to hold on to liquids properly instead of draining it all out too quickly. Re magnesium, just keep it within reasonable limits and you should be OK. If you can, try to ease in before Lent so you can see how your body reacts and gets used to it.
Magnesium is something you have to build up to for sure. If one teaspoon of the powder is 100% RDA, I'd take no more than 1/4 teaspoon per day to start, using magnesium glycinate if possible.
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Magnesium is something you have to build up to for sure. If one teaspoon of the powder is 100% RDA, I'd take no more than 1/4 teaspoon per day to start, using magnesium glycinate if possible.
Iirc, the ratio I used was four parts salt, two parts potassium, one part magnesium. The magnesium capsules I have are 150 mg, 36% RDA, and each capsule's enough for 6 to 8 doses. Unless I'm out all day in very hot weather, I keep it to no more than three doses per day. AP's in Australian summer right now, and working outdoors, so that's a consideration for him.
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Since the purpose of electrolytes is for hydration, actually these will help your system to hold on to liquids properly instead of draining it all out too quickly. Re magnesium, just keep it within reasonable limits and you should be OK. If you can, try to ease in before Lent so you can see how your body reacts and gets used to it.
I plan on mixing it with 700ml of water, as that is the bottle size I take to work.
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Iirc, the ratio I used was four parts salt, two parts potassium, one part magnesium. The magnesium capsules I have are 150 mg, 36% RDA, and each capsule's enough for 6 to 8 doses. Unless I'm out all day in very hot weather, I keep it to no more than three doses per day. AP's in Australian summer right now, and working outdoors, so that's a consideration for him.
I add some calcium also because I barely eat anything with calcium in it (not a big consumer of dairy).
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If you don't want "do it yourself" gatorade -- you're in a hurry, don't want to mess with it, etc. -- I would recommend Stur over Gatorade.
Stur is a packet you mix into water. It has way more electrolytes, and uses Stevia for sweetener. So no HFCS, no sugar, almost no carbs, and no artificial sweeteners either. And it's powerful enough you can mix it into a good amount of water and it still tastes good.
It's way cheaper than even the store brand gatorade.
https://sturdrinks.com/products/stur-electrolyte-hydration-powder-fruit-punch-96-packets
Also, I don't like those little squeeze bottles because any of them that are shelf-stable (won't grow bacteria at room temperature, after being "opened") invariably have Sodium Benzoate as a preservative. So I prefer powders -- which NEED no such preservatives -- to liquids.
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What are good ratios and total grams to have per 1L of water? Any good sources to read?
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Does anyone have experience making a electrolyte drink (salts) for periods of fasting? I hear they can make a big difference health wise and performance of daily duties, so I am looking more into this topic but also want to keep the Spirit of the fast (though I don't think this sort of drink is an issue here).
The monks used to drink beer during Lent and called it "liquid bread". :popcorn:
Drinking healthy liquids is definitely a good idea while fasting. Our "go to" drinks are usually raw milk, homemade kombucha and lemonade. All of these have helped me when I was feeling weak from fasting in the past. Lemonade or kombucha with a pinch of salt has the same effect for me as drinking a Gatorade except that Gatorades make me sick. :cowboy:
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My electrolyte water recipe (Snake Juice 2.0):
- Water=2L
- Potassium chloride =1 tsp
- Sodium chloride = 1/2 tsp | (I would suggest using air dried sea-salt, or Himalayan pink, not Morton's table salt)
- Sodium Bicarbonate = 1 tsp
- Magnesium Sulphate = 1/2 tsp
Sip. Do not chug. And drink as much as you want throughout the day, if you run-out, make more. Way cheaper than buying those pre-measured packets on Amazon.
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If you don't want "do it yourself" gatorade -- you're in a hurry, don't want to mess with it, etc. -- I would recommend Stur over Gatorade.
Stur is a packet you mix into water. It has way more electrolytes, and uses Stevia for sweetener. So no HFCS, no sugar, almost no carbs, and no artificial sweeteners either. And it's powerful enough you can mix it into a good amount of water and it still tastes good.
It's way cheaper than even the store brand gatorade.
https://sturdrinks.com/products/stur-electrolyte-hydration-powder-fruit-punch-96-packets
Also, I don't like those little squeeze bottles because any of them that are shelf-stable (won't grow bacteria at room temperature, after being "opened") invariably have Sodium Benzoate as a preservative. So I prefer powders -- which NEED no such preservatives -- to liquids.
Even cheaper at Vitacost. (Although I did not look at shipping cost. When I order from a site like this, I buy enough to get free shipping.)
https://www.vitacost.com/stur-hydration-electrolyte-drink-mix
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Even cheaper at Vitacost. (Although I did not look at shipping cost. When I order from a site like this, I buy enough to get free shipping.)
https://www.vitacost.com/stur-hydration-electrolyte-drink-mix
Looks like you can get an extra 15% off also with this code through Wednesday morning at 9AM Eastern: ALLFOOD15
I am still underwhelmed by the amount of potassium in each serving (though they say it's 2x what the energy drinks have) ... only 2% of your RDA.
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I wasn't posting it as a great source to buy from -- I was just trying to give a link to what I was talking about (photo, information, etc.)
I recommend you find a better deal, a better source, than the link I posted. That is not where I buy mine from.
And I don't drink the stuff like water either. Just when I need minerals/electrolytes for whatever reason.
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Understood. I just figured I'd mention a cheaper source. Plus, it was good that Lad mentioned the sale.
I too have noticed the potassium (& other nutrient) levels are low in these types of things. But for fasting, I guess they're better than nothing, and one could supplement potassium in addition to this.
Here's a powder with a bit higher levels:
Hi-Lyte Keto K1000 Electrolyte Powder | Unflavored [I tried posting a link, but it didn't work.]
I like the convenience of a mixed electrolyte powder, although making your own with separate powders such as what Ladislaus posted does have the advantage of getting the proportions & amounts you want.
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I like the convenience of a mixed electrolyte powder, although making your own with separate powders such as what Ladislaus posted does have the advantage of getting the proportions & amounts you want.
It's more work, but it takes just a few minutes to mix a batch for the entire day to just sip on. Tastes pretty awful, but that could be good for Lent :laugh1: ... or else you can mix it in with something else. I find that lemon juice is best at killing the flavor, and then could also add some sweetener if you prefer.
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Couldn’t just eat bananas? I’m munching on plantain chips and they are full of potassium.
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Couldn’t just eat bananas? I’m munching on plantain chips and they are full of potassium.
You'd need to eat about 8 bananas to get your daily RDA ... and it especially would work to munch on bananas during Lent.
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Question. I was looking through my local retailers and found this one for magnesium
https://www.coles.com.au/product/vitaceuticals-magzorb-magnesium-powder-1000mg-240g-5809494
What does it mean by
Ingredients- Each 6g does contains Magnesium Glycinate 1000mg Total Magnesium 200mg
1000mg but 200mg??? So only 200 out of 1000 gets absorbed? Which numbers should I use when working out ratios?
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Question. I was looking through my local retailers and found this one for magnesium
https://www.coles.com.au/product/vitaceuticals-magzorb-magnesium-powder-1000mg-240g-5809494
What does it mean by
Ingredients- Each 6g does contains Magnesium Glycinate 1000mg Total Magnesium 200mg
1000mg but 200mg??? So only 200 out of 1000 gets absorbed? Which numbers should I use when working out ratios?
I will probably just get the brand Ladi listed as the amount of Magnesium is double for roughly the same price, though his also says the same thing 2200mg = 400mg...
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Electrolyte drinks are ripoffs. If you look into it, they give you maybe 5-10% of your recommended daily intake of sodium / potassium.
You'd be much better off getting some sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium ... the four basic electrolytes. If you get them in a powdered form and blend them into water, well, if you don't add any other flavoring, you won't be breaking the "spirit of Lent" by any stretch. Stuff tastes foul, especially the magnesium. That's actually one reason (besides cost) that Gatorade and other electrolyte drinks have so little of them actually in there. Nobody would spent $2 per bottle for something that tastes terrible.
Also, be very careful of magnesium, because it'll cause diarrhea if you take even a bit too much (it's a major ingredient in many laxatives). I would start with no more than 10-20% of the recommended RDA, spread out throughout the day, and then build up to it.
For sodium + potassium, I but this "Low-Sodium Salt" that's basically half sodium chloride and half potassium chloride.
In any case, I tend to make my own electrolyte drinks because they can have 10x the electrolytes for 1/10th of the cost.
If you don't want so much of the chloride, you can get powdered potassium citrate or potassium bicarbonate. If you use some potassium iodide, you also get some iodine, which is good for you and in which most diets are deficient. You can also buy sodium citrate.
Magnesium glycinate is the form that's best absorbed and least likely to cause diarrhea. Calcium citrate seems to the best absorbed form of calcium.
Magnesium Glycinate:
https://www.amazon.com/BulkSupplements-Magnesium-Glycinate-Powder-grams/dp/B00F7OZJQE
Sodium Citrate
https://www.amazon.com/BulkSupplements-com-Sodium-Citrate-Powder-Thickener/dp/B07B1KJZ23
Potassium Citrate
https://www.amazon.com/BulkSupplements-Potassium-Citrate-Powder-grams/dp/B00ENSA942
Calcium Citrate
https://www.amazon.com/BulkSupplements-Calcium-Citrate-Powder-Grams/dp/B00F8I5XQU
Potassium Iodide
https://www.amazon.com/Carlyle-Lugols-Iodine-Solution-Twin/dp/B07CGVQ5WJ
If you want to avoid Amazon, you can get it right off the Bulk Supplements website for about the same prices:
https://www.bulksupplements.com/
These might look expensive, but they'll last you forever, and would be 1/1000th of the cost to get the same electrolytes from something like Gatorade.
Also how do you drink it lad? Reviews say the magnesium tastes very bad and doesn't always dissolve well (maybe they are using too much)?
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Question. I was looking through my local retailers and found this one for magnesium
https://www.coles.com.au/product/vitaceuticals-magzorb-magnesium-powder-1000mg-240g-5809494
What does it mean by
Ingredients- Each 6g does contains Magnesium Glycinate 1000mg Total Magnesium 200mg
1000mg but 200mg??? So only 200 out of 1000 gets absorbed? Which numbers should I use when working out ratios?
I deleted the coles and the number at the end thus
vitaceuticals-magzorb-magnesium-powder-1000mg-240g
https://vitaceuticals.com.au/product/magzorb-powder/
The 240 is grams (total weight of product) and the 1000mgG is milligrams (dosage). Not a bad buy while on special.
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I deleted the coles and the number at the end thus
vitaceuticals-magzorb-magnesium-powder-1000mg-240g
https://vitaceuticals.com.au/product/magzorb-powder/It
The 240 is grams (total weight of product) and the 1000mgG is milligrams (dosage). Not a bad buy while on special.
It's ok but it's only 1000mcg (200) per serve, while Lads is double (so I could take half the dosage and have double the usage). I know 240g is the total weight but the box info says 1000mcg=200mcg
Also Lad do you take this everyday or just during fasting? I have heard too much potassium can be lethal, and it seems potatoes are a good source.
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For reference these are the recommended numbers I found for Aus. For men 18-30
Sodium SDT - 2,000 mg/day
Potassium AI - 3,800 mg/day
Magnesium RDI - 400 mg/day
Calcium RDI - 1,000 mg/day
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Couldn’t just eat bananas? I’m munching on plantain chips and they are full of potassium.
To avoid the unhealthy oil they may be cooked in, and the salt and other additives, freeze your bananas (a good way to store if you have oversupply) and munch while frozen.
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To avoid the unhealthy oil they (banana chips) may be cooked in, and the salt and other additives, freeze your bananas (a good way to store if you have oversupply) and munch while frozen.
A good option for banana chips would be to purchase a food dehydrator, which can be used to preserve all kinds of foods. When I could find a very lean beef roast on sale I would make my mother a batch of beef jerky with her dehydrator. One can also use the oven to dehydrate.
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For reference these are the recommended numbers I found for Aus. For men 18-30
Sodium SDT - 2,000 mg/day
Potassium AI - 3,800 mg/day
Magnesium RDI - 400 mg/day
Calcium RDI - 1,000 mg/day
Data from
https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/nutrient-reference-values/nutrients
Men 18+
Sodium SDT - 2,000 mg/day
Potassium AI - 3,800 mg/day
Magnesium RDI - 400 mg/day
Calcium RDI - 1,000 mg/day
Men 30+
Magensium RDI - 420 mg/day
Men 70+
Calcium RDI - 1,300 mg/day
Start with 10-20% supplementation
SDT=Suggested dietary target
AI=Adequate intake
RDI=Recommended dietary intake
I am also looking at getting amino acid supplement for lent as well.
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For fasting, the 2 small meals must be less than the large main meal. But in what category? Calories? Weight? Volume?
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For fasting, the 2 small meals must be less than the large main meal. But in what category? Calories? Weight? Volume?
Yeah, that's a bit tricky. I think the most commonly used criterion would be weight, but it's tricky because if you eat a gigantic main meal then you can eat some fairly large small meals also. So the way I generally look at it is that if I were to combine the two small meals, would it really rise to the level of a satisfying meal, where I would walk away from it satisfied and not still somewhat hungry? There are some times during Lent that I might eat a very small main meal, main because it has meat in it, but that by itself shouldn't now on that day change the standard for how small the small meals have to be. Let's say I just eat a single 6-ounce beef stick for my main meal. Do I now have to adjust the small meals down, to where I can only eat 2 ounces at one meal and 3 at another? I wouldn't think so. So it's not a standard relative to the main meal you HAPPENED to eat that day, but as a general rule. So if you combine the two small meals, would it be what a personal would normally consider a satisfying full meal that would get you through a good part of the day? And I also don't know that it should be subjective to the individual. One person might consider a couple of hot dogs and some potato chips a full meal, whereas another person might eat a 1 pound steak, 2 baked potatoes, 3 different sides, dessert, etc. In general, the Church doesn't require people to sit there with scales weighing every meal, but to just apply common sense and perception. Just imagine combining the two meals and think whether or not together they would be a satisfying full meal.
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My electrolyte water recipe (Snake Juice 2.0):
- Water=2L
- Potassium chloride =1 tsp
- Sodium chloride = 1/2 tsp | (I would suggest using air dried sea-salt, or Himalayan pink, not Morton's table salt)
- Sodium Bicarbonate = 1 tsp
- Magnesium Sulphate = 1/2 tsp
Sip. Do not chug. And drink as much as you want throughout the day, if you run-out, make more. Way cheaper than buying those pre-measured packets on Amazon.
I've been using this recipe for years, it is perfect. You could honestly fast from Palm Sunday until Easter drinking this stuff without running into electrolyte problems.
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I've been using this recipe for years, it is perfect. You could honestly fast from Palm Sunday until Easter drinking this stuff without running into electrolyte problems.
Do you take this everyday or just when fasting?
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Do you take this everyday or just when fasting?
I drink it when I totally abstain from food or if I fast on 1 meal a day for multiple days in a row.
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My supplements came in the mail today, but I realised I don't have micro scales to measure the amounts properly.... so I am going to buy one. Also for those that take electrolyte drinks, do you drink it everyday or just days of fasting? I heard supplements can cause stain on liver/kidneys?
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My supplements came in the mail today, but I realised I don't have micro scales to measure the amounts properly.... so I am going to buy one. Also for those that take electrolyte drinks, do you drink it everyday or just days of fasting? I heard supplements can cause stain on liver/kidneys?
If you use the snake juice recipe, you can use measuring spoons instead of scales.
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My supplements came in the mail today, but I realised I don't have micro scales to measure the amounts properly.... so I am going to buy one. Also for those that take electrolyte drinks, do you drink it everyday or just days of fasting? I heard supplements can cause stain on liver/kidneys?
You can buy sets of partial teaspoons and the supplements nearly always indicate a volume to weight ratio on the package.
https://www.amazon.com/Measuring-Spoons-U-Taste-Stainless-Ingredients/dp/B07JFR9RSD/ref=sr_1_3
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_849526-T1/images/I/71jIR0PylTL._AC_SX569_.jpg)
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You can buy sets of partial teaspoons and the supplements nearly always indicate a volume to weight ratio on the package.
https://www.amazon.com/Measuring-Spoons-U-Taste-Stainless-Ingredients/dp/B07JFR9RSD/ref=sr_1_3
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/W/MEDIAX_849526-T1/images/I/71jIR0PylTL._AC_SX569_.jpg)
That's a good idea but I already ordered a milligram scale. Though the scales should be easier to make adjustments, and will be used for measuring seeds and other smaller food stuff.
One thing I am not 100% sure on, I think due to 'marketing'.
For example the Magnesium Glycinate says 2200mg per serving but then amount per serving is 400mg.
This made me think that 2200mg was the Magnesium amount at first but now I think it's just total weight of the serving. A bit of annoying marketing.
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That's a good idea but I already ordered a milligram scale. Though the scales should be easier to make adjustments, and will be used for measuring seeds and other smaller food stuff.
Right, but a scale is generally much more work ... and so might be a deterrent to staying with it day after day.
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That's a good idea but I already ordered a milligram scale. Though the scales should be easier to make adjustments, and will be used for measuring seeds and other smaller food stuff.
One thing I am not 100% sure on, I think due to 'marketing'.
For example the Magnesium Glycinate says 2200mg per serving but then amount per serving is 400mg.
This made me think that 2200mg was the Magnesium amount at first but now I think it's just total weight of the serving. A bit of annoying marketing.
Don't over-think this. Magnesium Glycinate is fine if you'd rather substitute that, it's just a lot more expensive.
It doesn't need to be so exact. Just as long as you're not pouring in an insane amount of magnesium and potassium you'll be fine. That's why is 1/2 tsp per 2 liters, because it's designed to replenish your minerals/electrolytes from not eating whatsoever. If you are eating normally (2-3 meals a day) and drinking this, which I wouldn't recommend unless you're dehydrated, or lifting heavy weights, then you can cut this recipe down to half or 1/4 of what it is.
This formula is designed for full-on fasting without eating. It is designed also for those on Keto to avoid the "Keto Flu" and headaches and stomach cramps.
You certainly can drink it and eat normally, but as I said, it is better to scale it down.
Do not chug this like you just ran a marathon either. It's for sipping periodically. Small sips, so your body can absorb the salts and minerals.