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Electrolytes, explained.
What are electrolytes?
Four little minerals with big jobs. What they are, where you already get them, and when a sachet in your glass actually makes sense.
Reviewed 21 October 2026 by the Spruce team. General information, not medical advice.
The short answer.
Electrolytes are minerals, such as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium, that carry an electrical charge when they dissolve in water. Your body uses them for fluid balance and normal muscle and nerve function. Most people get enough from food and drink, and an electrolyte sachet is a simple way to add some to a glass of water.
- Main electrolytes
- 4
- Fluid a day
- 6–8
- Salt, max a day
- 6g
- Sugar in Spruce
- 0g
Sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium.
Cups or glasses, the NHS general guide.
For adults, about a teaspoon (NHS).
Our electrolyte sachets are sugar free.
Real fruit. Real minerals.
Four minerals.
One glass.
Sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium are the four electrolytes you’ll hear about most. Spruce daily electrolytes put all four in one sugar-free sachet, led by real fruit.
- Low sodium, by design
- Sugar free, sweetened with stevia
- Real fruit powders first
The four you will hear about most.
Meet the four.
Sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium are the electrolytes most electrolyte drinks are built around. Each one does a slightly different job, and you take them in every day through food: salt, fruit, veg, dairy, nuts and whole grains.
01 / The fluid balancer
Sodium
Sodium helps hold water in the body. It is the main electrolyte in the fluid around your cells, and it is the one most of us already eat plenty of.
Where you find it
- Table salt
- Bread
- Breakfast cereals
- Ready meals
About 5% of the 2.4g of sodium in the NHS maximum of 6g salt a day for adults.
One sachet, next to the NHS daily guide.
Lemon & Pomegranate and Cherry & Lime, per sachet, as a share of the NHS adult daily figure.
*Sodium figure supplied by Spruce, pending a specification check. NHS daily figures for adults aged 19 to 64; magnesium is 300mg for men and 270mg for women. Food still does most of the work.
When do people reach for them?
Do I need them
today?
After a sweaty session, on a hot day, on a long travel day, or simply when plain water feels like a chore. Slide through your day.
Desk day.
Water, tea, coffee and lower-sugar drinks all count towards the NHS guide of 6 to 8 glasses a day. Food covers your minerals.
Reach for
- Water
- A drink with meals
Fancy something with more flavour? A sachet is a nice extra, not a must.
A guide to everyday choices, not a hydration plan. Fluid needs vary with heat, activity and health.
Worth knowing.
Signs you could
do with a drink.
The NHS lists these as common signs of dehydration. Plain water is the first fix. If you are being sick or have diarrhoea, a pharmacist can recommend oral rehydration sachets.
Read the NHS guide ↗- 01Feeling thirsty
- 02Dark yellow, strong-smelling pee
- 03Feeling dizzy or lightheaded
- 04Feeling tired
- 05A dry mouth, lips and tongue
- 06Peeing little, fewer than 4 times a day
Electrolyte sachets vs tablets vs sports drinks.
Pick your format.
Sports drinks often come with sugar for energy. Tablets fizz in water and are compact. Sachets are a powder you tip into a glass or bottle, which makes them easy to carry and easy to mix to your own taste. Spruce is a sugar-free sachet made with real fruit powders.
Show the comparison table
| Drink | What it is | Sugar | Good for | Carry it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plain water | Just water | None | Every day, most of the time | Bottle or tap |
| Spruce electrolyte sachet | Powder with four electrolytes, vitamins and real fruit | 0g, sweetened with stevia | A tastier everyday glass, warm days, busy days | Flat sachet, any bag |
| Fizzy tablets | Compressed tablet that dissolves | Varies, check the label | Compact top-ups | Tube |
| Sports drinks | Ready-to-drink bottle | Often added sugar for energy | Longer, harder sessions | Heavy bottles |
| Oral rehydration salts | Pharmacy sachets for dehydration | Contains glucose | Being sick or diarrhoea, on a pharmacist’s advice | Sachet |
Myth, meet fact.
Things people
say about electrolytes.
Tap a card to flip it.
Where Spruce fits.
Little sachet.
Big glass energy.
Daily electrolytesLemon & PomegranateBright lemon, juicy pomegranate. Low sodium, sugar free. All four electrolytes plus vitamins C, B1, B3 and B12.Try Lemon & Pomegranate ↗
New · Daily electrolytesCherry & LimeDark cherry, sharp lime. Low sodium, sugar free. The same four electrolytes in a deeper, fruitier glass.Try Cherry & Lime ↗
Magnesium · For your eveningWind-downPeach with 250mg of magnesium, plus vitamin B6 and zinc. Magnesium contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.See Wind-down ↗
A little science. A little you.
Not sure which
glass is yours?
A few questions about your day, and we’ll match you to your Spruce.
Take the 60-second quiz ↗Less wondering. More water.
Quick
questions.
The things people ask us most about electrolytes.
Do I need electrolytes if I drink water?
For most people on most days, water plus a balanced diet covers it. Electrolytes are handy when you sweat a lot, or when you want something more interesting than plain water.
Which foods contain electrolytes?
Bananas, potatoes and beans for potassium, dairy and leafy greens for calcium, nuts and whole grains for magnesium, and salt in most savoury food for sodium.
What are the main electrolytes?
Sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium are the four most electrolyte drinks are built around. Chloride and bicarbonate are electrolytes too, but you will see them on labels less often.
Are electrolytes the same as salt?
Not quite. Salt is sodium chloride, so it brings two electrolytes. Potassium, calcium and magnesium come mostly from fruit, veg, dairy, nuts and whole grains.
Can you have too many electrolytes?
Your body keeps them in balance, and most of us eat plenty of salt already. Follow the directions on the pack, and speak to your GP or pharmacist first if you have a kidney or heart condition or take medication that affects your mineral levels.
Are electrolyte sachets the same as rehydration sachets?
No. Oral rehydration salts are a pharmacy product for dehydration, for example when you are being sick or have diarrhoea. Spruce is an everyday drink, not a treatment.
Do Spruce electrolytes contain sugar?
No. Lemon & Pomegranate and Cherry & Lime have 0g sugar. They are sweetened with stevia and flavoured with real fruit.
How much water do I mix a sachet with?
Tip one sachet into 300 to 500ml of water. Start at 500ml for a lighter taste, and use a little less next time if you like it bolder.
The sources behind the sip
NHS: water, drinks and your health ↗ NHS: dehydration ↗ NHS: salt, the facts ↗ NHS: potassium, magnesium and other minerals ↗ NHS: calcium ↗ MedlinePlus: fluid and electrolyte balance ↗ GB nutrition and health claims register ↗ Spruce product facts ↗Reviewed 21 October 2026 by the Spruce team. General information, not medical advice. Fluid needs vary. Illustrations are conceptual. Product information from Spruce’s published labels, checked October 2026.