Make Your Own Gatorade

Four-hour football practices start just as the temperatures in my area rise into the hot humid nineties and above. Water is often not enough when working out in the heat. Save money and control what you are drinking by learning how to make homemade Gatorade.

The importance of staying hydrated can not be overemphasized. My son has heard me chant, "Drink water." throughout his life, but the practice of consuming carbohydrates in addition to pure water can keep your performance more consistent.

Sports drinks help bring balance to your system by replacing the electrolytes lost from sweat through the added sodium. Typically 50-150 milligrams per serving, the salt speeds absorption and keeps your thirst up to avoid dehydration. Sports drinks like Gatorade, PowerAde and others on the market offer a carbohydrate concentration of 6-8%. These are quickly absorbed and utilized in the body.

This is all well and good, but the cost can be restrictive. Especially if you are only one of several athletes in your family, are on a strict budget, or simply want to cut costs. Learn how to make homemade Gatorade for pennies a serving.

Basic Recipe for Homemade Gatorade

The basic recipe for 2 quarts of homemade Gatorade

1 package of Kool-Aid, or other drink powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 quarts water

Stir and chill. Sports drinks should be consumed when you are sweating profusely from working out or just working outside in general. Preparing this before doing a hard labor in your garden or yard is a better choice for your body than lemonade or sweet tea. The salt replaces lost electrolytes and offers you the chance to create your own recipe.

Makes 2 quarts homemade Gatorade


Delicious Variations

Making your Gatorade is not simply a thrifty practice. It also lets you custom design your own sports drink. Change the flavors to cater to your individual taste preferences. The following recipe is for personal sized sports bottles, but can easily be expanded to make a larger batch.

Base Recipe
In a 20 ounce bottle, add 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. This solution creates a base with a 6 percent carbohydrate solution and 100 milligrams of sodium, the equivalent to a bottle of Gatorade.

Add the flavorings of your choice to this base. Consider the following;

1/3 package of Kool-Aid, or other drink powder
2 Tablespoons Lemon juice
2 Tablespoons Orange juice

Choose one of these and then fill the bottle halfway up with water and shake well. Then fill the bottle to the top.

Green Tea Gatorade

For a unique, grown-up variation to homemade Gatorade, replace the kool-aid or juice with;

green tea
cinnamon tea
hibiscus tea
coffee
chai
add ginger or lemon for additional punch

Experiment with your favorite flavors to make a sports drink that doesn't offend with it's unnatural artificial coloring.

Cocoa Gatorade

This is not a concoction my son enjoys, but it is my go-to beverage for those days when nothing but chocolate flavored anything will do after a long run or bike ride.

Base solution from above
1 Tablespoons cocoa powder
dash of vanilla

This adds 10 milligrams of caffeine, which is about what is in 1/10th of a cup of coffee. It also ups the carbohydrate solution from 6 to 7%.


Now your little athletes have no excuse not to stay hydrated.