Formula for Homemade sports drinks I am interested in home-made sports drinks. I have used "Hammer Nutrition" products, but I could probably put it together myself, just by using the key ingredients. Anyhow, has anyone done this? And, how do you determine the carb/fat/protein + vitamin/mineral ratios?

A couple of years ago I ran across an FRS ad on a cycling site. Since Lance was promoting it, I took a look at the claims. Basically, the FRS products contain sugar, some vitamins, plus supplements of Quercetin and Catechin. The main benefit claim for FRS turns out to be the quercetin.

So I came up with a simple concoction of honey sweetened tea, and also pop a multivitamin before a ride. (Tea is one of the highest sources of quercetin.) And carry along a high cocoa bar for catechins. (Cocoa is high in catechin.) So, all in all way cheaper than buying FRS.

Does anyone make their own sports drinks? And if so, what do you put in it? I personally dislike most commercial sports drinks and so for electrolytes, when needed, I use Endurolyte tablets.


  Maltodextrin will go into the mix. However, how do I formulate the rest of it?


Edit: This was recently downvoted. Maybe it's a bad question?
Maltodextrin.  It is basically pure glucose, which is the only sugar that your muscles can use directly without converting, so it's just pure energy.  It also has no flavor or sweetness, so it is completely inoffensive, and you can sweeten (or not) to your desired level. Look in any sport beverage and it will contain maltodextrin. 

A lot of home brewing places sell maltodextrin and you can also get it from websites that cater to racing dogs (e.g. for the iditerod) as a dog supplement, but it's totally safe for human consumption.