Start With the Per-Serve Column
Australian nutrition information panels show "per serve" and "per 100 g" columns. Per-serve is what you actually consume; per-100-g lets you compare two products on a like-for-like basis. Both matter, but per-serve is the one to read first because that's the dose.
Sodium
This is the number with the widest variation between products. You'll see everything from 150 mg per serve (low end of daily-hydration) up to 1,000 mg per serve (LMNT and similar). There isn't a right answer - match the sodium load to your use case. For daily desk-hydration, lower is fine; for hot-day endurance work, higher fits.
Potassium and Magnesium
Most products carry potassium in the 100-300 mg range and magnesium in the 10-100 mg range. These are smaller differences than the sodium spread, and the body gets these minerals readily from food, so they're rarely the deciding factor between two products.
Carbohydrate
This is where products diverge most. A traditional sports drink like Gatorade or Powerade delivers around 30-35 g of carbohydrate per 500 ml. A daily-hydration powder might deliver 1-2 g, and a sugar-free sachet might deliver 0 g.
If you're after fuel during a session, the higher carb version is doing extra work. If you just want minerals, you don't need it. Sugar-Free Electrolytes goes into this further.
Sweeteners
Sugar-free products use non-nutritive sweeteners - stevia, sucralose, allulose, or combinations. None of these is universally "better"; it comes down to taste preference. Some people find stevia metallic; others avoid sucralose; some are fine with both.
Marketing Language to Be Cautious Of
"Premium electrolytes," "clinically dosed," and "engineered" are positioning claims, not formulation specs. The panel is what matters. Similarly, "contains no artificial colours" is a real claim but doesn't tell you anything about the electrolyte content.
Australian products fall under FSANZ labelling rules; therapeutic claims would need separate TGA pathways. If a product says it "helps you recover faster," check whether that's a general lifestyle claim or a specific therapeutic one, and treat it accordingly.
Comparing Two Tubs
Line up the per-serve sodium, potassium, magnesium, and carbohydrate. That's it. The packaging design, the influencer ads, the price - none of those change the numbers.
Frequently Asked
What's a good sodium level in an electrolyte drink?
It depends on use case. Daily-hydration powders at 150-300 mg per serve suit office use and lighter sessions. Heavy-sweat products at 500-1,000 mg suit hot conditions, fasted training, or salty sweaters. There's no universal 'right' number.
Why does carb content vary so much?
Sports drinks designed for in-session fuelling include 25-35 g carbs per 600 ml for energy. Daily-hydration products designed for desk use carry 0-2 g - they're built for minerals, not fuel. Carbs in sports drinks goes deeper.
Is 'no added sugar' the same as 'sugar-free'?
Not always. 'No added sugar' means none added during manufacture but the product can still contain natural sugars from fruit. 'Sugar-free' or 'zero sugar' means the panel shows essentially no sugar content. Check the panel itself, not just front-of-pack claims.
Do natural flavours mean a healthier product?
Not necessarily. Natural flavours are derived from food-source materials but can still be heavily processed. The marketing language is a sourcing description, not a health rating. The panel and ingredient list tell the more useful story.
