Hydration

Informed Choice-certified fizzy tablets with 300 mg sodium and 1 g sugar per 16 oz: clean, affordable everyday and workout hydration, but light for salty sweaters.

The pharmacy-standard rehydration mix: 260 mg sodium, 180 mg potassium and 6 g sugar per 8 oz packet. Dependable when sick, but pricey per ounce.

Coconut-water-based mix with 240 mg sodium, 310 mg potassium and no added sugar, plus published batch test results. Clean and tasty, but pricey per serving.

A doctor-developed, ORS-style mix with 330 mg sodium per 8 oz, one of the stronger drinks in its class, backed by a small randomized trial. Pricier than it looks.

1,000 mg sodium, 200 mg potassium and 60 mg magnesium with zero sugar. Excellent for heavy sweaters and low-carb eaters, but far more salt than most desk workers need.

Zero-sugar, stevia-sweetened mix with potassium and magnesium but only 55 mg sodium. Great for flavoring daily water, far too light for heavy sweating or illness.

America's best-known electrolyte stick: 560 mg sodium, 370 mg potassium and 11 g sugar per packet. Handy for sweaty days, but pricey and sugary for everyday sipping.

A best-selling BCAA drink: 7 g BCAAs, glutamine and electrolytes with zero sugar, but BCAAs add little if you already eat enough protein.