TRIORAL Rehydration Electrolyte Powder - WHO Hydration Supplement Salts Formula - Combat Dehydration from Workouts, Excessive Fluid Loss and Much More - 15 Drink Mix Packets

Last year, I said goodbye to things like Pedialyte when I found NormaLyte (various flavors available:  NormaLyte Oral Rehydration Salts ). Then, recently I found this Trioral product. It's the same WHO rehydration formula as is in NormaLyte, but it is noticeably cheaper and doesn't have any added flavor (so if you're really concerned about the taste of this or are just looking for some backup packets to have handy but not use regularly, then I recommend looking at NormaLyte).Now, the lack of flavor is a plus for some folks and a negative for others. This stuff tastes like a mildly salty but strongly mineralized water--as you might imagine. Sure, it's not a great taste. It's strong, but not as strong as I expected given its power. Of course, given the price, if I couldn't stomach it plain, I'd just find my own way to make it palatable by mixing it with a flavorful drink. Just know that if you add it to something with sugars or minerals, you may affect the ability of your body to assimilate the nutrients as rapidly -- probably not too much, though. Sometimes, I used to mix it with iced tea, which really masked the flavors. Then someone pointed out to me, though, that tea is a diuretic. So, that could conteract the hydrating effect to a degree. Another reviewer suggested adding some lemon juice to help the flavor. I tried that, too, and it's amazing how it masks the minerals -- it's hardly any different tasting than plain lemon water. So, with a little individual experimenting, there are probably easy ways around the flavor if it that's really an issue for you. My thought is that most people who really need this stuff are not in a position to be too choosy--it's way better to guzzle a bit than to be feeling the effects of serious dehydration. If you're not someone with a special condition, dehydrated, or doing serious sweating but rather are just looking for something to keep up electrolyte levels, though, you should probably opt for a weaker product like LYTEshow ( LyteShow - Electrolyte Concentrate for Rapid Rehydration - 40 Servings (With Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc) ) or (if you want sweet) Trace Minerals Power Paks (comes in a variety of flavors -  Trace Minerals Research Electrolyte Stamina Power Pak, Concorde Grape, 32 Count ) -- both work as a daily aid, though I prefer LYTEshow.This Trioral, however, is an excellent product for heavy-duty dehydration and electrolyte depletion. I've used it during and after runs in triple-digit Texas summer afternoons. It really helps me recover fast so I can go out day after day to run. Once, I didn't take a packet since I didn't feel I needed it after a summer run. But the next day I completely bonked on my run and could tell my electrolytes were seriously depleted. It took all night to recover, and Trioral really helped. Additionally, my sister-in-law used it to rehydrate when she started having contractions three months too soon and found out she was dehydrated (the hospital helped her out initially, but then I pointed her to this which finished pulling her out of her dehydrated state). She's actually a dietitian and concurred that the WHO formula is pretty spot on. I've had other family members who probably had gotten dehydrated--they were feeling a bit woozy, foggy, having headaches, etc.--and after drinking a fraction of a one-liter mix started feeling much better within half an hour. My wife has used this after getting food poisoning, and it quickly brought her back to normal after her body had flushed the bad stuff out.I've not used this for alcohol dehydration, and I don't drink much, but what I have used for warding off alcohol dehydration and for general consumption throughout the day, especially during summer is the LYTEshow referenced above. It's a low sodium lower-strength electrolyte concentrate made to be mixed with water. So I use that to help keep my electrolytes up without overloading the sodium since I use sea salt daily on my food. And I use the Trioral for when I'm already in a bad way or know that I'm headed out to do some serious sweating. I've found that if I take this product before I'm actually feeling dehydrated, it helps me recover much more quickly and not feel as poorly. Sometimes when I've thought that I felt fine after a summer run and chose not to take it, I've realized afterward that I made the wrong choice.Also, if you only want a partial packet, there are just over 5 teaspoons of powder in a packet. So use about 6 ounces of water per teaspoon and you can make a fraction of a packet so that you don't let any go to waste. I've tried drinking it after 24 hours has gone by, and I see why they recommend throwing it away after 24 hours. It definitely tastes bad at that point. It tastes best (or least bad?) within a few hours of making it.

I use these after a water cut for my powerlifting competition! This was perfect for rehydrating myself. Helped a lot for performance. Every athlete needs this

Taste is ok, not great, but not drinking this for the taste. Dissolves well and rehydrates well

These unicorn tears saved my life at Burning Man. No joke. I now use it sometimes during fasting to manage my electrolytes and it helps a great deal. I have one right at the end of my eating period and it gets me through a long fast with no electrolyte issues. (If my food that day has a higher sodium or carb content then I don't use it that day.) Does have some carbs (13g) so may not work for no-carb folks. Does not mix well with chilled water -- use room temp or tap water. Little packets are very easy to pack.The flavor isn't yummy but that's not why you use it anyway. It's not yucky-tasting -- it tastes like diluted sea water or diluted tears and you get used to the flavor very quickly. In fact, when I'm actually *thirsty* or hiking or working strenuously, the slightly-salty flavor tastes really good!The RN who suggested this product to me said don't chug it -- sip it -- and I do and it takes me about half an hour to drink it down, but if I do that while I'm relaxed and have eaten, I find afterwards I'm much better hydrated than using any other product or water alone. I really notice the difference in my stamina when hiking or working outdoors. All the other so-called electrolyte stuff like Gatorade and Emergen-C and stuff like that is just stuffing you full of sugar and I got dangerously dehydrated while using those products. To the point that my cognition suffered and when I cried I had no tears, no urine (and no snot!) left to give. Not fun and it takes a couple days to recover.But I had these this year, and proper hydration meant I didn't suffer like my campmates in the extreme climate at Burning Man -- no bloody nose, no chapped lips, no headaches or stomach aches or grumpy moments. Even my skin and eyes did not dry out like in the past. Give this a try and compare it to how you feel after Gatorade or water alone and you'll probably come to the same conclusion I did. And now I have this at hand all the time.