Your electrolyte powder label tells you three things fast: how much sodium is in one scoop, how much sugar came with it, and what else is in the tub. Read the serving size first, then the sodium line, then the added sugars line, then the ingredient list.
Start with the serving size
Every number on the panel is for one serving. The FDA says to check the serving size when you compare products, because a "scoop" can mean very different weights from brand to brand. One tub may list a small scoop and another a large one.
Do not compare two products until both are on the same footing. Look at the grams per serving, then at how many servings are in the tub. A tub that lists 30 servings at 5 grams is not the same as one that lists 30 servings at 12 grams.
Sources: FDA, Nutrition Facts Label, Serving Size (accessdata.fda.gov interactive label guide).
Read the sodium line against the Daily Value
The FDA lists the Daily Value for sodium as less than 2,300 mg a day, and that figure is the base for the percent Daily Value (%DV) printed on labels. It is a limit, not a goal. The FDA's label guide says to compare foods and choose ones that get you to less than 100% DV of sodium each day.
The FDA also gives a quick rule of thumb. A serving with 5% DV or less of sodium is low. A serving with 20% DV or more is high. On a 2,300 mg base, that works out to about 115 mg and 460 mg. That arithmetic is ours, not an FDA table.
An electrolyte powder often sits well above the low mark by design, since sodium is the main reason people buy it. So the label does not tell you good or bad. It tells you how much of the day's limit one scoop uses. If you plan two scoops, double the number.
Sources: FDA, Sodium on the Nutrition Facts Label; FDA, Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.
Check potassium and the other minerals
Potassium has its own Daily Value, set at 4,700 mg on the FDA's list. Most powders carry a small share of it, so a line of 200 mg is about 4% DV. Magnesium (420 mg) and others have a Daily Value too, listed on the same FDA page.
Compare the percent figures, not just the milligrams. A product that lists a mineral in a "blend" without amounts is hiding the one number you need. If a mineral has no amount, you cannot judge it.
Sources: FDA, Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels.
Find the sugar and sweetener lines
The label splits sugar into total sugars and added sugars. The FDA sets the Daily Value for added sugars at 50 grams a day, based on a 2,000 calorie diet. It uses the same quick rule here: 5% DV or less is low, and 20% DV or more is high. So 2.5 grams of added sugar is about 5%, and 10 grams is about 20%.
Some powders skip sugar and use sweeteners. Look for them in the ingredient list. Sugar alcohols are a type of carbohydrate, and the FDA says they are used in many sugar-free and reduced-sugar products as lower-calorie sweeteners. Check the ingredient list to see which sweetener a product uses.
Sources: FDA, Added Sugars on the Nutrition Facts Label; FDA, Sugar Alcohols (interactive label guide).
Scan the ingredient list for fillers
Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. The first item is the largest part of the powder. If the first item is sugar, dextrose or maltodextrin, the product is mostly carbohydrate, with the electrolytes added on top.
Look further down for flavors, colors, anti-caking agents and thickeners. These are not a problem on their own. They are a sign of how much of the scoop is not the thing you bought it for. A short list is easier to judge than a long one.
Sources: FDA, Ingredient List (interactive Nutrition Facts label guide).
Compare cost per serving the same way
Price per tub is a weak guide. Use this steps list instead.
- Divide the tub price by the number of servings on the label.
- Note the milligrams of sodium in each serving.
- Divide the cost per serving by the sodium to get a cost per 100 mg of sodium.
- Add a note for added sugar in grams.
For example, a $30 tub with 30 servings costs $1.00 a serving. If each serving has 500 mg of sodium, that is $0.20 per 100 mg. A $24 tub with 20 servings and 300 mg costs $1.20 a serving and $0.40 per 100 mg. The cheaper tub is not the better value once you divide. These prices are made up to show the math.
One limit: a label shows what the maker says is in the powder. It is not a lab test. Pick products that list full amounts, and treat the panel as a claim you can compare, not a guarantee.