Gatorade (only slightly OT)

Martin Gregorie wrote:
On Thu, 03 Jun 2010 23:29:59 +0100, Chris Reed wrote:

Tony wrote:
On Jun 3, 4:08 pm, Martin Gregorie
wrote:
With summer, season of heat, dehydration and cramps, nearly here I
have a question:

Does anybody know where I can buy powdered Gatorade in the UK -
preferably lemon/lime flavour in 521g (18.4 oz) jars.

Failing that, does anybody have a recipe for an acceptable substitute?

--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |

You could try a standard oral rehydration solution. The recipe I found
is from http://rehydrate.org/solutions/homemade.htm

Ingredients:

* one level teaspoon of salt
* eight level teaspoons of sugar
* one litre of clean drinking or boiled water and then cooled

Lemon juice is suggested as a flavouring.

This page is particularly recommended because it has a picture to
explain how you mix these together. I must admit that the idea of
putting them all in a jug and stirring had not previously occurred to
me.

More sophisticated recipes from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_rehydration_therapy, though so far as
I can see these just add a few more minerals. It's gratifying to know
that this is the standard treatment for cholera, such a scourge
(literally) at airfields.

My feeling is that drinking this mixture throughout the flight might be
too much, but I'll mix up a batch and put some in a separate bottle,
keeping my camelbak for plain water, to stave off cramps.

Thanks for the URL's - I've recorded them for future experimentation.

Tony and Chris:

I agree about drinking the stuff in flight: for that I prefer to use
plain water, but I find that Gatorade or equivalent before a late launch
on a hot day or after the flight helps a lot. I'll use Lucozade if I
must, but I don't like it - too sweet, rather too strong a taste and I
don't much like the slightly fizzy taste of it.


Just found the WHO recipe:

1. Sodium Chloride 3.5 grams (90 meq/L Sodium)
2. Potassium Chloride 1.5 grams (20 meq/L Potassium)
3. Glucose 20 grams (2% Carbohydrate)
4. Sodium Bicarbonate 2.5 grams (30 meq/L bicarbonate)
1. Alternative: Trisodium Citrate 2.9 grams

This looks like less salt and sugar, but I can't translate grams to
teaspoons (anyone with accurate scales for this?)

HOT NEWS: Further Googling reveals that a level teaspoon of either salt
or sugar weighs about 8 grams. Thus the WHO recipe would be (approx):

1. 1/4 level teaspoon salt
2. 1/6 level teaspoon potassium chloride
3. 2.5 level teaspoons sugar
4. 1/3 level teaspoon sodium bicarbonate.

Combine 1 and to give 2/3 level teaspoon salt and it should be rather
more palatable than the first recipe.

According to a UNICEF document I found this lower concentration reduces
stool volume by 25%, which in an aircraft can only be a good thing!!