About 11 minutes of reading time.
Hydration is more than drinking water, electrolytes are necessary. This is even more crucial when it gets into the warmer and hotter seasons. This isn’t just for athletic people either, feeling bad can simply be from dehydration or electrolyte imbalances. Once upon a time, I thought it was only required to use electrolytes sparingly while out on a run–because of my first cardiologist’s old-school “low sodium” recommendation. My game changed when I started salting my food and including electrolytes with almost all of my water bottles throughout the day! Thanks for sending me down that rabbit hole Coach Todd! He had me listen to an audiobook that this review discusses. I learned about Redmond’s through that book and upon researching and comparing, I feel Redmond’s is the best choice.
There are MANY hydration products on the market and some people are very passionate about their hydration supplements. I am one of them. 😆
Pro Tip: Before you consume anything in the morning, have a glass of water with a pinch of salt or some electrolytes. You’re welcome!
TL;DR: I LOVE Redmond’s Re-Lyte because of the cleanliness of the ingredients, it works very well, AND it costs less than the most common ones I’ve tried and heard about! Skip to the comparison.
Although I already stated which one I love, note that I would use any of these over plain water (and some other brands out there) if I ran out of Re-Lyte and was in a pinch. This may seem like a sales pitch but you’ll see the benefits are pretty clear. Yes, I will make a small commission if you purchase through my links, but I TRULY believe in this product and use it every single day.
Skip to sections:
- How much electrolytes are needed?
- Signs of electrolyte imbalances.
- Which brand has the most electrolytes per serving?
- Is Re-Lyte a good value?
- What salt is used in the best electrolyte drink mix?
- What types of magnesium is used?
- Why I choose Re-Lyte over LMNT.
- Nutrition Labels for Re-Lyte, SALTT, LMNT, nuun, and Liquid IV
- Final thoughts on electrolytes for hydration.
What am I comparing Redmond’s Re-Lyte to in this article?
There could be many other brands I could compare to that I have tried in the past, but I will be comparing Redmond’s Re-Lyte to SALTT, LMNT, nuun, and Liquid IV for various reasons listed below.
LMNT because I have used it in the past before using Re-Lyte and when I was waiting on a shipment of Re-Lyte. It tasted good and worked. 👍
SALTT was recently added because I came across it, tried it, liked it and prefer it over LMNT. One main thing about it is that it has more magnesium than all the others. I supplement with magnesium (I get a Magnesium RBC test to make sure I need to) and although I do use Re-Lyte for daily hydration, I keep some SALTT and take it with me when my family and I go out to eat a couple times a week. SALTT is now my #2 hydration mix right behind Re-Lyte.
Nuun sport powder because I don’t like the fizz and used it once. Yes, once. But there are a few people I know that love nuun so I’m including it here. The nuun sport fizzy tablets have the same amount of electrolytes, but some are different forms. The nuun sport tablets use the cheapest and most inferior form of magnesium–magnesium oxide. 🙄
Liquid IV is also popular and I’ve used it a couple of times. I chose the no-sugar option because I think we should use carbohydrates in addition to electrolytes AS NEEDED. I firmly believe we don’t always need additional carbohydrates! The nuun does have 1g of dextrose, but 1g is not much at all…
Although I don’t do KETO, these are all KETO-friendly electrolyte products.
Nutrition labels for each are at the end of this post.
How much of which electrolyte do you NEED?
This is an impossible question for anyone to answer. The only way to fully know what you NEED to supplement is to get tested for it. For a period of time, I was taking too much Vitamin D3, but it took a test to show that. I was going on “blind recommendations” because it was colder and I wasn’t outside as much and blah blah. Anyways, from RequestATest.com, I regularly get a Comprehensive Metabolic Panel which includes Sodium, Potassium, Chloride, and Calcium. I also get a Magnesium RBC test which is the better indicator of magnesium levels in the body vs other magnesium tests. This way I can get a good idea if there are any general imbalances aside from symptoms listed below. Of course, those tests are a snapshot in time and can fluctuate, but they are a good overall indicator and at least not going into it blindly.
Electrolyte mixes are typically on the low side of magnesium. In addition to hydrating with Re-Lyte and as mentioned earlier, I still supplement with this magnesium complex. Supplement only with what needs supplementing, however if you are exercising, sweating, and/or urinating, you will most likely need to hydrate with electrolytes.
Electrolyte imbalances can result in these symptoms:
- Darker than normal color urine
- Irregular or faster-than-expected heart rate
- Muscle cramps, muscle spasms, or weakness
- Numbness or tingling in limbs, fingers, and toes
- Confusion and irritability
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Dizziness, nausea and/or vomiting
Which brand has the most electrolytes per serving?
Re-Lyte has MORE electrolytes per serving than SALTT, LMNT, nuun or Liquid IV and costs less. Chloride content is not listed for SALTT or LMNT but it has Sodium Chloride and Potassium Chloride. I would assume there is some chloride, but I can’t find anything on their website about the amount. Chloride IS an electrolyte and should be listed in an electrolyte product.
I want to point out that Re-Lyte’s serving is 6.3 grams and LMNT’s is 6. Keep in mind this is only a 300 mg difference! I thought about breaking this into electrolytes per gram, but let’s keep it simple and compare each company’s suggested serving.
Re-Lyte | SALTT | LMNT | nuun sport | Liquid IV* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Available in bulk? | Yes (packets or bulk) | No | No | No | No |
| Packets | 30 | 30 | 30 | 16 | 14 |
| Packet/Serving (g) | 6.3 | 7 | 6 | 5.4 | 13 |
| Sugar | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Chloride | 1280 | ? | ? | 40 | – |
| Sodium | 810 | 969 | 1,000 | 300 | 510 |
| Potassium | 400 | 415 | 200 | 150 | 380 |
| Calcium | 60 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Magnesium | 50 | 178 | 60 | 25 | 0 |
| Sulfate | 0 | 162 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total Electrolytes | 2,600 | 1,733 | 1,260 | 530 | 890 |
| Coconut Water Powder | 80 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Re-Lyte has 1,340 mg more electrolytes than LMNT, and 867mg more than SALTT–not counting the coconut powder. Since SALTT and LMNT doesn’t list the chloride even though they are using sodium chloride and potassium chloride (and magnesuim choride for SALTT), let’s make it fair. Not counting chloride, Re-Lyte still has 60 mg more electrolytes per serving than LMNT but SALTT does have 1,320 more than Re-Lyte, but keep in mind they also have 162mg of sulfate and the serving sizes aren’t the same. I wish LMNT and SALTT had their chloride amount stated. I should do a comparison mg for mg of serving size, but there are other differences I’ll cover below. With all that said Re-Lyte, SALTT, and LMNT are ALL great products.
SALTT has sulfate in it which is an electrolyte, and is the only product I’ve encountered that has it but they don’t list what kind of sulfate. I can’t find much information as to how beneficial it is in this capacity though… Anyone have any insight?
I want to point out that SALTT has a good deal more magnesium than the other brands and that is one of the things that initially attracted me to it since I do supplement with magnesium in addition to always hydrating.
Re-Lyte has 1,710 mg more electrolytes per serving than Liquid IV–because they include vitamins and amino acids.
Re-Lyte has a whopping 2,070 mg more electrolytes per serving than nuun sport powder! Nuun does list chloride content. One may say it isn’t fair because nuun sport’s serving size is less… ok, it’s 900 mg less and has 1,000 mg of dextrose which truly isn’t necessary. Yes, sugars can assist in hydration, but it isn’t mandatory to consume them with electrolytes all the time.
Re-Lyte also uses coconut water powder which is a natural hydrator. IF you have a coconut allergy, they have an unflavored mix and a capsule version without coconut water powder.
Is Re-Lyte a good value?
Per serving, Re-Lyte costs the same OR considerably LESS when buying the container! The single-serve packets cost $1.30 each as does LMNT and Liquid IV (on subscription). Remember, per serving, Re-Lyte has more electrolytes!
Re-Lyte’s cost per serving plummets to only $0.62 cents when you buy the container and save 15% using my code GETSALTY15 or on a subscription. That is over half of the cost of the single-serve packet!
Another benefit of the bulk container is having more control over how much you use whether you need more or less.
| Re-Lyte | SALTT | LMNT | nuun sport | Liquid IV* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packet Box Cost | $38.99 | $33.00 | $45.00 | $23.99 | $25.99 |
| Packets | 30 | 30 | 30 | 16 | 14 |
| Packet/Serving (g) | 6.3 | 7 | 6 | 5.4 | 13 |
| Packet Cost Ea | $1.30 | $1.10 | $1.50 | $1.50 | $1.86 |
| Packet Cost Ea Subscription | $1.30 | $0.99 | $1.30 | $1.27 | $1.30 |
| Bulk Cost | $43.99 | – | – | – | – |
| Bulk Serving Cost | $0.73 | – | – | – | – |
| Bulk Cost Subscription | $37.39 | – | – | – | – |
| Bulk Serving Cost Subscription | $0.62 | – | – | – | – |
| Lowest Cost per Gram Available | $0.098 | $0.141 | $0.217 | $0.236 | $0.100 |
| Buy on Amazon or Buy at Redmond’s and save 15% | Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon | Buy on Amazon |
What salt is used in the best electrolyte drink mix?
Re-Lyte’s sodium source is salt mined from an ancient seabed in Redmond, Utah that is untouched by modern pollutants, free of microplastics, and contains 60+ trace minerals! It is a good, whole salt from right here in the USA! I prefer foods in their most wholesome form as much as possible and this salt falls in line with that.
SALTT is using refined salt from the Great Salt Lake in Utah. I was curious about the branded salt so I searched it and found their website. It is pretty interesting and I’m glad it was able to easily identify where it came from, BUT it’s not whole salt as found in Re-Lyte which I believe is best.
LMNT does make a good case for using the salt they use. However, I believe in using whole salt. It’s the same concept I have with my food and one of the reasons that attracted me to Redmond’s Re-Lyte.
Nuun sport powder and Liquid IV’s sodium is sodium citrate, which means it was made… That doesn’t necessarily mean it is bad, it just means that salt isn’t the sole base ingredient and is even more processed. Liquid IV states “mined salt” on their science page, but who knows from where.
| Re-Lyte | SALTT | LMNT | nuun sport | Liquid IV* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sodium | 810 | 969 | 1000 | 300 | 510 |
| Sodium Source | Whole salt from ancient seabed in Utah | SolarSea® Salts AC (Great Salt Lake in Utah) | Salt, Non-disclosed in USA | Industrially Made, “sea salt” from somewhere | salt from somewhere |
| Trace Minerals | 60+ | No | No | No | No |
Which electrolyte mix has the best sodium-to-potassium ratio?
Re-Lyte, SALTT and nuun have around a 2:1 sodium-to-potassium ratio whereas LMNT has a 5:1. There are different thoughts on the appropriate amount so here are articles from both. You decide for yourself, but I have excellent results with Re-Lyte.
Do Re-Lyte and LMNT have natural or artificial flavors?
Natural flavors get a bad rep and are heavily scrutinized because they’re often hidden and hardly ever specified. Re-Lyte AND LMNT actually list THE natural flavors used! This is not that common in most foods, let alone supplements! I appreciate this from both companies!
Thankfully, neither Re-Lyte, SALLT, LMNT, nuun sport, or Liquid IV uses artificial flavors!
| Re-Lyte | SALTT | LMNT | nuun sport | Liquid IV* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Flavors | Yes & specified! | Yes | Yes & specified! | Yes | Yes |
What types of Magnesium are used in the electrolyte mixes?
Magnesium malate is well absorbed and contains malic acid, an amino acid that promotes muscle strength and recovery to help you power through those tough workouts.
Magnesium glycinate is formed by combining elemental magnesium with the amino acid glycine. This form of magnesium is highly bioavailable, helps with blood sugar, heart rhythm and more. Glycine supports brain health, eases stress, and reduces anxiety.
Re-Lyte uses a 50/50 blend of Magnesium Malate and Magnesium Glycinate.
Magnesium Chloride is simply magnesium naturally bound to chlorine and is highly bioavailable. SALTT’s magnesium is from the salt they use.
Nuun uses magnesium citrate which can have a laxative effect, so if you have to #2 while running, and regularly use nuun–that could be part of the reason. Citrate-bound minerals are generally more bioavailable, less digestive discomfort, and have an alkalizing effect on the body, however, I don’t believe it’s a good choice for magnesium.
| Re-Lyte | SALTT | LMNT | nuun sport | Liquid IV* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magnesium Type | Malate & Glycinate | Chloride | Malate | Citrate | – |
What vitamins and amino acids are in Re-Lyte, SALTT, LMNT or nuun?
None. Only Liquid IV out of these discussed have amino acids and vitamins. There are pros and cons to that and I will just say that I prefer to get mine from food and supplement as needed with things that NEED supplementing. This is one reason the electrolyte amount vs serving size amount doesn’t appear similar as with the others.
Why I choose Re-Lyte over LMNT or SALTT.
LMNT and SALTT are good products and could possibly be my choice if Re-Lyte wasn’t available. In fact, I have been taking packets of SALTT with me when we go to a restaurant and use some in my water while having dinner.
Redmond hit a home run with Re-Lyte. It tastes great, functions very well, and is the most cost-effective / best value for the money and what you get–a lot of quality electrolytes at a very reasonable cost! Especially when buying the scoopable container with my 15% off code GETSALTY15 or a subscription.
How well does it function? I stay hydrated with it by almost always having at least 1/4-1/2 scoop in each 24oz water bottle during the day. On runs when I carry water, I use a full scoop in 14oz of water in my collapsible water bottle. I haven’t been dehydrated in quite a long time. Even running in the summer heat with 100°F for over an hour, it keeps me hydrated. I acclimate to the heat and use my garmin’s heat acclimation metric as a guide. BE SMART IN THE HEAT! NO PRODUCT WILL MAKE YOU IMMUNE TO THE HEAT!
The salt is unrefined from an ancient seabed, and it contains 60+ trace minerals–some of which we lose through sweat.
The use of coconut water powder for added hydration benefits is also appealing.
The two good forms of magnesium.
There aren’t any sugars so I am free to utilize a carbohydrate of my choosing during my races should the NEED arise.
Again, you get more electrolytes for the money with Redmond’s Re-Lyte! That alone is a no-brainer!
Buy now and save 15% using my code GETSALTY15!
What does LMNT have over Re-Lyte?
LMNT does have some interesting flavors such as chocolate salt, chocolate caramel, and mango chili. As of 4/26/2024, they have 9 flavors and Re-Lyte has 7. Both brands offer a good variety of satisfying flavors.
My thoughts on SALTT hydration mix.
I ended up adding SALTT to this article because I ran across it, tried it and liked it. I would say that it resembles LMNT. I like the fact that it has more magnesium in it, costs less, good ingredients, and has more electrolytes per serving (even though the serving is 1g more.) ALL of the flavors in the variety pack were good! I LOVE Re-Lyte, but variety can be a good thing. Whenever we go out to eat, I’ll take a packet with me and have some in my water with my meal.
One of SALTT’s selling points is that they don’t use maltodextrin in their natural flavors (but they don’t actually state the natural flavors like Re-Lyte and LMNT does) AND I saw in a Re-Lyte ad post of someone saying they hated that they use maltodextrin. Let me be clear, I DO MY BEST TO STEER CLEAR OF MALTODEXTRIN UNLESS SOMETIMES USED FOR FUEL IN RACING. If a food has it in it, I typically won’t get it. I did some digging and while Redmond does state this about non-GMO maltodextrin being used in some natural flavors (LMNT and others will likely use it too if using natural flavors.) As much as I watch and scrutinize ingredients in what I regularly consume, the amount of maltodextrin is so miniscule that I don’t believe it to be an issue.
How does nuun or Liquid IV compare to Re-Lyte?
Based on electrolytes alone, Re-Lyte contains so much more than nuun or Liquid IV. Nuun and Liquid IV are only on this list because they’re popular and I know people who use them. Some have converted to Re-Lyte after I pointed out the differences which is part of why I made this article. IF they truly work for you, then great but it wouldn’t hurt to try something new. They have sample packs available for a small fee. The only way I would use nuun or Liquid IV is if I couldn’t get Re-Lyte, SALTT or LMNT.
Nutrition Labels for Re-Lyte, SALTT, LMNT, nuun, and Liquid IV
Final thoughts on electrolytes for hydration.
I admitted I am partial to Redmond’s Re-Lyte for my hydration needs. One could argue that when it comes down to it, “sodium is sodium”, but I like to look at the whole package. Re-Lyte is a wonderful total package of ingredients, and when purchased by the container, it is a LOT less expensive per serving than the others. I believe in hydrating daily and as a daily supplement, that adds up over time.
Regardless of what you end up choosing to hydrate with, here are some simple tips:
- Hydration begins well before your activity–not during.
- If you are out exercising in the heat and are thirsty, you’re already dehydrated! Be very cautious.
- You can dehydrate yourself by drinking a lot of plain water–or any alcohol.
- If you hardly drink water, you should. Check out my “drink more water” article.
- Of course any of these will taste sort of salty as they are made with salt so don’t be surprised! If you’re a sugarholic, getting salty may very well be able to help break you from your sugar addiction.
Oh yeah, if you’re concerned about blood pressure, at least read that review linked above or listen to or read this entire book. Adding salt and electrolytes did NOT negatively affect my blood pressure or health. My current cardiologist is fully on board.
I’m always on the lookout for improvement. I have yet to find anything better than Re-Lyte. If you think you have something that is truly a better total package and value, send me a message and I’ll check it out.
Stay hydrated and get salty!
PS… salty watermelon after a long hot summer run will always be my favorite! Speaking of salt. There is salt, and there is Redmond’s Real Salt!
Products mentioned in this article: