Electrolyte Drinks in Sri Lanka: Do You Actually Need Them or Is King Coconut Enough?

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Put on your trainers and go to any gym in Colombo today, and you’ll find them. Brightly coloured bottles. Imported sachets. Powder added to shakers. 500/900 rupees for electrolyte supplements touting recovery, hydration and performance gains in gyms.

Out of the gym gate, a Thambili vendor is selling King Coconut for 80-100 rupees. It has nearly all of the same ingredients as those pricey imported goods at ten times the price.

This post is not about marketing, but what are electrolytes and when do you actually need them and whether or not Sri Lanka’s most famous roadside drink is actually a secret sports drink in the country.

What is an electrolyte and why are they important?

Electrolytes are the minerals that can conduct an electrical current within your body. These are sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and chloride. These minerals don’t simply sit inactive in your blood. They are constantly at work, helping to maintain the balance of fluid in your body, to help muscles move, to transmit messages between your nerves, and to help the heart beat properly.

During exercise, you will lose electrolytes via sweat. The greater the sweat, the more you lose. Even a moderate exercise can cause the loss of a lot of electrolytes in Sri Lankan heat and humidity. A drop in electrolyte levels below recommended levels has a rapid impact on performance. One of the most frequent symptoms of sudden, intense cramping of your calf or hamstring during workouts is a loss of electrolytes and fluids. Other warning signs include fatigue, dizziness and headache.

That is the true need that electrolyte products are aimed at. The question is: do electrolytes matter? They do. The question is: Do you have to purchase costly imported supplements to obtain them?

The Case for King Coconut

King Coconut, Thambili, is more than a delicious roadside drink. It’s one of the most naturally complete hydration sources on the planet.

Just one King Coconut is packed with around 600 milligrams of potassium, which is a bit more than a banana and about the same amount as found in many commercial electrolyte drinks. It has natural sodium, magnesium, and calcium that are remarkably close to the proportions of the fluid lost through human sweat. It also has natural sugars to give a quick burst of energy before or after exercising. It is also virtually free of artificial colours, flavours, and preservatives, unlike many sports drinks that are imported.

The King Coconut is recommended to be consumed before and after exercise in moderate heat by Sri Lankan Gym-goers and Outdoor Athletes for 60-90 minutes. The price difference between coconut and coconut powder is just too much to handle, at Rs. 80 per coconut, while imported powder costs Rs. 500 to 900 per serving.

Vendors are all over the place. In the gyms, around jogging tracks, near parks, at bus stops. The world’s only natural electrolyte beverage is available in almost every corner of the country. The Sri Lankan team has just a few players who have a golden opportunity that the rest of the world is willing to pay a high price for.

When Plain Water Is Enough

Before reaching for any electrolyte product, whether King Coconut or imported, it’s beneficial to be aware when you actually need it and when it is just fine to use plain water.

The great majority can drink simply water for exercise training lasting less than 60 minutes at moderate intensity. In a short session, your body’s stored electrolytes are not drastically depleted. Drinking water before and after is all that is needed.

If you are doing more than 60 – 90 minutes of exercise, high heat or humidity (which is almost all outdoor exercise in Sri Lanka), heavy sweating, or very high-intensity exercise, such as HIIT circuits or competitive sport, will increase the need for electrolyte replacement.

If you are in any of these categories, electrolyte replacement has a definite performance and recovery benefit. At this point, the question arises of whether the choice of Thambili, ORS salt,s or an imported supplement is relevant.

What about the Imported Supplements?

In some instances, the imported electrolyte products can have a clear advantage over King Coconut.

For diabetics or those looking to reduce their sugar consumption, zero-sugar electrolyte powders such as LMNT are much safer. King Coconut uses natural sugar, but it is still approximately 8-11 grams per coconut, so if eaten several times throughout the day.

Professional electrolyte products are often the best way for endurance athletes, marathon runners, long-distance cyclists and competitive swimmers to maintain performance in a distance event where the sodium levels are carefully controlled and matched precisely.

For those who train two-a-day or in heavy blocks, a measured electrolyte drink during training will help you keep your electrolytes replenished and consistent, rather than waiting until after training to sip a coconut.

For an average Sri Lankan gym member who gets 45 to 75 minutes of workout, four to five times per week? There’s no need to drink King Coconut before or after training; just enough plain water while training is enough and a lot cheaper.

What to Actually Do

Water before, during and after exercise for less than 60 minutes. That is all.

If you have had a King Coconut after exercising for more than 60 minutes in the heat in Sri Lanka, drink water during the exercise. This provides virtually all your electrolyte needs.

For endurance sports, heavy training and competing, use an ORS sachet (30 to 60 rupees per sachet) or a good imported electrolyte powder for heavy training days only.

Don’t substitute all water for electrolyte beverages. Electrolytes need adequate water to work properly in the body. They are supplements to hydration, not a replacement.

The Bottom Line

The 80-rupee King Coconut at the entrance of your gym is no consolation for those who cannot afford imported supplements. It’s a really fine natural electrolyte source that is 10 times the price of its competitors.

Sri Lanka’s methods are something that the rest of the world is now willing to pay top dollar to emulate. Use it.

“The highest-quality sports drink in Sri Lanka has been on a roadside cart for generations.The answer was out there at times.”