RO Water and Electrolytes: Do you need to supplement?
This topic was suggested to me by a follower and fellow sailor and I’ll be honest, it’s not something that had ever crossed my mind. (Thank you for the suggestion!) I’m familiar with the term RO water, but I really had no idea what that meant as far as filtered water goes. We had a water-maker on board for our last cruising season, but the technical parts of that were all taken care of by my husband. I know I should know more about the systems on our boat but my brain was at capacity keeping a little person alive and happy. I had a basic understanding of what it was doing, but in the end all I really cared about was having enough water to drink and wash dirty cloth diapers. The water-maker provided a peace of mind for me and that’s as far as my relationship with it went.
What is RO water?
RO stands for reverse osmosis – and it’s a way to filter impurities and sediment out of water to make it safe for drinking. RO systems can take sea water and turn it into delicious drinking water. In simple terms, a good reverse osmosis system removes pretty much EVERYTHING from the water, including some beneficial things like minerals and electrolytes.
What are electrolytes?
Without going into a full diatribe on electrolytes and what each one does for your body, it’s important to know that electrolytes are essential to many of the functions your body does every second of every day. They regulate your fluid balance, body pH, and help your heart, brain, muscles, and nerves communicate with each other and work properly. These are the seven key electrolytes you need to maintain in proper balance:
Sodium
Calcium
Chloride
Potassium
Bicarbonate
Magnesium
Phosphorous
What happens when electrolytes become imbalanced?
Electrolytes become imbalanced or depleted in many ways. Dehydration, sunburns, sweating a lot in the heat, and exercise are the most common ways we use up electrolytes. But some people have medical conditions or are on medications that can also zap their store of electrolytes.
When electrolytes are depleted, you can start to feel pretty bad. Some signs that you’re low on electrolytes include:
Headaches
Irritability
Increased thirst
Muscle cramping
Cravings for salty foods
More serious cases of dehydration or electrolyte imbalances can lead to an irregular heartbeat. You’ll want to get checked out immediately if you notice something unusual going on with your heart rhythm.
So here’s the million dollar question - if the RO system on your boat is removing the electrolytes from your drinking water, do you need to add electrolytes back in?
Well, it depends.
If you look at the 7 key electrolytes above, you’ll probably notice they all sound familiar. And you’ll also notice that they are elements that are found in a lot of the food we eat – especially whole fruits and vegetables. In fact, most of the electrolytes we need come from the food we eat and not our water.
So, if you’re eating a well-balanced diet and focusing mostly on whole foods, like fruits and veggies, chances are drinking RO water isn’t going to have that much of an impact on your electrolytes.
Here’s the caveat though – many of us who are cruising are doing so in hot environments and exerting ourselves multiple times a day. (Performing cockpit lazarette yoga will make even the most honed athlete break a sweat!) And depending on where you are, fresh fruits and vegetables may not be readily available. If this is the case, then supplementing your RO water with some electrolytes is probably not a bad idea. Especially if you notice some of the symptoms we talked about above.
If you find yourself with a nasty sunburn (it happens even to the most diligent of sunscreen wearers) you might also want to give yourself an extra boost of electrolytes. Sunburns shift the water dynamics in your body and can cause dehydration and electrolyte loss.
It’s also important to keep your electrolytes balanced if you have certain medical conditions - Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating), heart or blood pressure issues, kidney diseases, etc. Medications like corticosteroids, diuretics, laxatives, and antibiotics can also throw off your electrolytes. This is not a complete list of all medications and conditions that require attention to electrolytes. If you’re unsure if you fall into any of these categories or have a different medical condition you’re concerned about, talk to your provider.
Ultimately, It’s not a bad idea to carry some electrolyte packets but you shouldn’t need them every day as long as you’re eating right and not at risk of dehydration. Liquid IV and Pedialyte packets are two of the most popular for quick electrolyte replenishment. And here’s a sugar-free version too. The packets are more convenient to carry on board because they don’t take up nearly as much space as bottles of sports drinks do. And it’s always a good idea to keep some packets in your ditch bag as well!