RAW Nutrition - Hydration - Electrolyte Complex for Hydration and Performance

What is Raw Nutrition Hydration?

Raw Nutrition Hydration is an electrolyte powder to be mixed with water, designed to be drunk during or straight after exercise. One scoop of roughly 6.6 g provides 500 mg of sodium, 150 mg of potassium, 50 mg of magnesium and 500 mg of coconut water powder. There is nothing else in the formula beyond those four inputs, an acidity regulator, a flavouring, a sweetener and an anti-caking agent.

So this is a hydration drink, not an energy drink: it contains no caffeine, no carbohydrates in any meaningful amount and no amino acids. It does not replace water, it replaces what you lose in the water — that is, the minerals flushed out through sweat. The distinction looks obvious written down like that; it is far less obvious on the shelf, where the two families look much alike.

Raw Nutrition is an American brand whose remaining range appears in our Raw Nutrition section. This particular product sits in our electrolytes selection, alongside formulas with more or less sodium depending on the intended use.

What does a dose of Raw Nutrition Hydration contain?

The NRV percentages are calculated from the European reference values: 2,000 mg for potassium, 375 mg for magnesium. Sodium has no reference value of that kind.

The figure that really matters in this formula is the sodium: 500 mg per scoop. It is the mineral you lose most through sweat, by a long way, and it is the one most people never think to replace. For scale, 500 mg of sodium corresponds to roughly 1.25 g of table salt. For an hour-long session in an air-conditioned gym, that is generous. For two hours of running in July in Montpellier, it is reasonable.

The other two minerals are dosed far more modestly, and it is better said plainly than glossed over: at 150 mg of potassium and 50 mg of magnesium, the product stays below the regulatory threshold that would allow it to be called a “source of” either one. They are there to accompany the sodium, not as the main contribution. If what you actually need is magnesium, our magnesium section is where to go, with dosages in an entirely different league.

The coconut water powder, at 500 mg, is a supporting and flavouring ingredient. You sometimes read that it amounts to an electrolyte source in its own right: at that quantity, no. The product's minerals come from the added salts — sodium chloride, potassium citrate, magnesium citrate — not from the coconut.

Data missing from the manufacturer's documentation: the energy value per scoop and the number of servings per tub are not disclosed. We will not invent them. The net content is shown on the packaging you receive.

Ingredients list

Coconut water powder, sodium chloride, potassium citrate, magnesium citrate, citric acid, flavourings, sweetener (sucralose), silicon dioxide.

No major allergen is declared as an ingredient. The manufacturer does, however, state that production takes place on equipment that also handles MILK, SOYA, EGGS, GLUTEN and TREE NUTS.

How should Raw Nutrition Hydration be taken?

Dose: 1 scoop, roughly 6.6 g. Liquid: 300 to 450 ml of water. Timing: during training, or immediately after exercise. Frequency: depending on the session, one dose per workout. Duration: the manufacturer sets no course length — this is not a product used as a course, but session by session.

Shake vigorously until fully dissolved: the salts settle at the bottom of the shaker if you merely stir. The amount of water is a matter of taste, and it changes the result a great deal. At 300 ml, the drink is decidedly salty; at 450 ml, it passes almost for flavoured water. If you are starting out, begin at 450 ml and tighten it up afterwards.

The best way to use it is regular sips through the session rather than a glass downed in one at the end. A bottle prepared in advance and drunk in small amounts does the job better — a shaker or a bottle within reach makes more difference than a dose measured to the tenth of a gram.

A common-sense remark, because we are often asked: in cool weather, for an hour of weight training without much sweating, this product is of little use. It comes into its own as soon as the session runs past the hour, the weather is hot, or you come out with a soaked T-shirt and white marks on your skin. Those marks are your 500 mg of sodium.

Who is Raw Nutrition Hydration for, and who is it not for?

It suits the endurance runner, the CrossFit athlete, the team-sport player in summer, the cyclist, and anyone who sweats heavily and complains of flat ends to their sessions even though their diet is in order. It also works very well for long fasted sessions, where you want nothing calorific added.

It is not for you if you follow a low-salt diet for medical reasons: 500 mg of sodium per dose is not a neutral amount, and that question is one for your doctor before you buy, not after. The same applies with treated high blood pressure or known kidney failure. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should seek the advice of a healthcare professional before taking any supplement.

Nor is it for you if what you are after is energy: there are no carbohydrates and no caffeine here. To sustain a long session energetically, carbohydrates are what you need, over on the side of cyclic dextrin or maltodextrin, and both mix with this powder in the same shaker without any trouble.

What not to expect from it: this product will not make you progress, will not burn fat and does not replace the act of drinking. It complements water, it is not a substitute for it. And it will not fix cramps whose cause lies elsewhere — short sleep, a badly judged session, insufficient overall fluid intake across the day. Mineral supplementation is only one of the factors in play.

Electrolyte powder or EAAs during exercise?

This is the real decision in this category, and it depends entirely on how long the session is and on what you ate beforehand.

An electrolyte powder like this one supplies only minerals and water. It is the better choice when the session is short to medium, when it is hot, when you have eaten within the previous three hours, and when you do not want to add any calories. It is also the simpler choice: one scoop, water, done.

EAAs provide the essential amino acids and, in many formulas, a little electrolyte content alongside. They are the better choice for a long fasted session, early in the morning, or when your last meal was five or six hours ago. Some formulas in fact combine both functions, and they save you stacking two powders.

If you are torn, the question to ask yourself is not “which is better” but “what am I short of during this particular session”. You are sweating and you are well fed: electrolytes. You have been training fasted for a long stretch: EAAs, or both together. And for very long efforts, neither one removes the need for carbohydrates, which are to be found over on the side of energy drinks and carbohydrate powders.

Frequently asked questions

How much sodium per dose, and is that a lot?

500 mg of sodium per 6.6 g scoop, the equivalent of roughly 1.25 g of salt. It is a solid dose, matched to genuine sweating. For a short session with little sweat, it is more than you need; for two hours in high summer, it is consistent with the losses.

Can you drink it outside of sessions?

The manufacturer positions the product during or after exercise. Nothing stops you drinking it in very hot weather outside of sport, but that is not its intended use, and your sodium intake still bears watching if you already get plenty of it from food.

Does it replace water?

No, and that is the most common confusion. The powder is diluted in water: it adds minerals to your hydration, it does not replace it. Your requirements in terms of volume of water stay exactly the same.

Are there any carbohydrates or caffeine?

Neither one. The formula consists of mineral salts, coconut water powder, an acidity regulator, a flavouring, sucralose and an anti-caking agent. No stimulant, which makes it usable in the evening with no consequences for sleep.

Is 50 mg of magnesium enough?

Not if your aim is a magnesium intake. At 50 mg, you are at about 13% of the nutrient reference value, below the threshold that would qualify the product as a source of magnesium. This magnesium accompanies the sodium, it does not replace it as a selling point.

Can it be mixed with other powders?

Yes, with no particular difficulty alongside carbohydrates or amino acids in the same shaker. Just avoid adding a protein to it: the mix turns thick and unpleasant to drink during exercise, and that is not the moment of the day for it.

Is it suitable for vegetarians and vegans?

No ingredient of animal origin appears in the list. The manufacturer does not, however, explicitly claim vegan status, and manufacturing takes place on equipment that handles milk and eggs among other things. If the requirement is strict, the label on the tub you receive is what counts.

Where can you buy Raw Nutrition Hydration?

The product can be ordered from this page, and we ship anywhere in France and Europe. At the Vendargues shop, around ten minutes from Montpellier, this is the powder we bring out as soon as the thermometer passes thirty degrees and a customer describes flat ends to their sessions for no apparent reason: nine times out of ten, the answer lies in sodium, not in another booster. The rest of the range can be browsed in our sports nutrition section.