Gen Z crowd tapping into electrolytes as ‘new morning coffee’

Published Oct 20, 2024  •  2 minute read

Gen Zers are tapped into the latest craze, with hundreds of recipes for electrolytes popping up on TikTok. Photo by iStock /GETTY IMAGES

Water’s popularity has dried up. These days, it’s mineral mania.

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Gen Zers are tapping into the latest craze, with hundreds of recipes for electrolytes popping up on TikTok.

Electrolytes — including sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium — are the minerals in your blood that essentially help keep everything balanced in your body.

Humans lose electrolytes when sweating or falling ill, and they are often replenished in the form of a packet of powder or sports drinks (think Gatorade and Powerade).

However, many Gen Zers now feel as though they need electrolytes on a regular basis, claiming that H20 is simply not enough anymore.

“You’re not properly hydrating,” one fitness TikTokker told his viewers, per the New York Post.

“You think that by drinking water you’re hydrating, but when you train in the gym and drink normal water … you’re sweating out all of your essential electrolytes,” he said.

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Another TikTok user went as far as to call electrolytes “the new morning coffee.”

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She is seen drinking her water with an electrolyte tablet first thing in the morning. One commenter chimed in: “Changing to electrolytes first thing change my lifeeeee!”

Another social media commenter argued that electrolytes aren’t needed every day, however.

“You don’t need electrolytes unless you lose a lot of water, like you sweat a lot from intense exercise or vomiting or diarrhea or fever,” they wrote.

Some experts agree.

Edward Mather, a nutritionist at Fuel Hub, told the Daily Mail that, while electrolytes have gained popularity due to “an increased focus on hydration,” they aren’t for everyone and aren’t necessary in every circumstance.

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“The point at which supplementing electrolytes becomes necessary is if the individual partakes in prolonged or intense exercise, they live in a hot climate, or they have an illness where fluid is lost from the body,” he said.

“For most people, drinking water throughout the day is enough to meet their hydration needs. This is based on the assumption they consume a balanced diet containing electrolyte-rich foods and partake in light physical activity.”

He said that electrolytes play an important role in fluid balance, supporting nerve and muscle function and regulating physiological processes.

The global market for electrolyte mixes went from $36.56 billion in 2023 to $40.32 billion in 2024.

The popularity of electrolytes likely stemmed from the “sexy water” trend, including powders, minerals, lemon and other practical elements.

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“Too many electrolytes can be as harmful as too few, so moderation and balance are key,” nutritionist Riya Lakhani-Kanji told Vogue.

“Hardcore endurance athletes can be more liberal when it comes to electrolyte drinks that are high in sodium, but the average individual doesn’t need more sodium, especially if their diet is high in ultra-processed foods,” added Rhian Stephenson, founder of holistic site Artah, which offers its own electrolyte powder, Cellular Hydration.

Those with medical conditions should also take caution before drinking electrolytes.

However, adding electrolytes isn’t such a bad idea if you’re someone who already drinks a lot of water.

“If you take too much water in, you dilute those electrolytes, and that can be a real problem,” Dr. Isaac Dapkins, chief medical officer at the Family Health Centers at NYU Langone, previously told the Post.

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