Organic Homemade Sports Drink

Water is what my eight-year old son and daughter consume 99% of the time. Fresh, purified water from our eSpring system.

However, now that they started the Fall soccer season, and are on a field much larger than before, they are sweating up a storm. And I'm concerned that they don't have enough carbs and electrolytes to keep them going.

But for a variety of reasons, rather than buy pre-made sports drinks, I've decided to make my own.

The benefits:

*organic ingredients
*natural ingredients
*no high-fructose corn syrup
*no artificial sweeteners
*no artificial colors
*no plastic bottles to recycle--the more eco-logical strategy: reduce
*less expensive--about 25 cents per pint
*fresh, clean taste

It's ridiculous how easy and fast it is to make this sports drink. The whole process, including heating the water, takes about seven minutes. I usually double the recipe to make a quart, fill their reusable water bottles, and chill them in the fridge, ready for service.

Here is the recipe to make 16 ounces:

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup hot water

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

3 1/2 cups cold water

In a pitcher, dissolve sugar and salt with hot water. Add juices and cold water. Mix.