Adding electrolytes to water is the latest trend that has flooded social networks. Under names like loaded water or “laden water”, thousands of videos claim that tap or bottled water “passes by” through our body without hydrating us. But what is true in this? ¿Is water an “empty” liquid or are we facing a new way of understanding functional nutrition? The superior technician in nutrition and Dietetics Ana Luzónexplains what “the myth of water that ‘does not hydrate'” consists of.
“The idea that running water dehydrates us is, from a physiological point of view, an inaccuracy. The human body is a precision machine designed to absorb water through osmosis,” recalls this expert. “CWhen we drink water, it is absorbed in the intestines and enters the blood. For this hydration to be effective, the body needs a balance of minerals. (electrolytes)”. “However,” adds Luzón, “we do not need water to be the exclusive “transporter” of these minerals; “Our body uses the reserves that we have already obtained through food to balance each drink we take.”
So The real problem “is in the imbalance between sodium and potassium,” The dietary technique continues: “Salt is often demonized, but sodium is a vital electrolyte. The problem in today’s society is not only how much salt we consume, but the imbalance in potassium.”
Thus, many people, in an attempt to eat “healthy”, cook almost without salt at home. “However, If your diet includes processed foods, you are ingesting large amounts of hidden sodium but very little potassium, which is the mineral that really helps water enter the cells and maintain the correct osmotic pressure,” Luzón warns.
And he adds a key piece of information: “Nor it is that we lack salt (sodium) in the water; is that we often lack potassium on the plate. Without enough potassium, sodium builds up outside the cells, which can cause fluid retention and that “bloated” feeling that many mistake for lack of hydration.”
Furthermore, there is a belief that tap water is “dead”, but the reality is different, continues Ana Luzón. “Tap water, depending on the geography, can be a magnificent source of calcium and magnesium. In areas of ‘hard water’, the tap gives us minerals that the body uses perfectly. While bottled water is useful for its consistency of flavor and composition, especially if a very specific mineralization is sought based on medical recommendation. But It does not ‘hydrate more’ because it comes in plastic; “It just offers a different mineral profile.”
So, “where should you look for real electrolytes?” Luzon advises that “if you feel that water ‘feels heavy’ or that it doesn’t quench your thirst, before purchasing expensive supplements, look to real food.” Because lThe electrolytes, he adds, that are most difficult to obtain in the modern diet “are not in colored powders, but in the potassium of bananas, avocado, potato with skin, spinach, magnesium in nuts, seeds and dark chocolate”.
Therefore, water is the vehicle, not the food, concludes this expert. “Adding electrolytes to water is an excellent tool for athletes, people who work under intense heat or after a medical dehydration process. For everyone else, water is still the best hydrator in the world.” So if you want to improve your hydration, Luzón advises you to “don’t look for a ‘magic formula’ in a bottle: make sure your diet is rich in potassium. An avocado or a handful of nuts will do more for your mineral balance than any fad supplement. At the end of the day, water is the vehicle, but the nutrients come from the plate.”
*Ana Luzón is a nutrition technician and defender of a realistic diet, far from dogmas and restrictive diets. Her focus is on helping people reconnect with their hunger and satiety signals, integrating physical health with emotional well-being and the context of current life. More information at www.analuzonsalud.es and in Instagram @analuzonsalud.
