Hydrate, explained
Hydrate is an orange-flavoured electrolyte drink powder in single sachets, part of the Herbalife24 sports range. People mix a sachet into a 500ml bottle of water to flavour what they drink while training.
From Herbalife, tap to play
What Hydrate is
Each 5.3g sachet goes into 500ml of water. The drink has 12 kcal, no sugar and 0.6g of salt.
UK food law lets a drink be called calorie-free, or energy-free, when it has no more than 4 kcal per 100ml. Hydrate made up has 2.4 kcal per 100ml, so it qualifies even though the sachet shows 12 kcal.
It contains salts of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium, the minerals known as electrolytes. It also contains vitamin C and four B vitamins.
CR7 Drive is the other Herbalife24 drink. It has 97 kcal and 23g of carbohydrate per 500ml, because it is made to supply carbohydrate as well as fluid during exercise.
What's in it, ingredient by ingredient
Sodium (sodium chloride and trisodium citrate)
0.6g of salt per sachet, which is about 240mg of sodiumSodium is an electrolyte, one of the minerals that carry an electric charge when dissolved in body fluids. When you sweat, you lose salts as well as water.
Sodium chloride is ordinary salt. Trisodium citrate is the sodium salt of citric acid.
0.6g of salt is a tenth of the NHS limit of 6g a day for adults.
Why it's in Hydrate: Herbalife describes Hydrate as an electrolyte sports drink, and sodium is one of the electrolytes in it.
Labels show salt rather than sodium, and salt equals sodium multiplied by 2.5. If you drink several sachets in a day, count each 0.6g in your salt total.
Calcium and magnesium (calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide)
215mg calcium (27% NRV) and 94mg magnesium (25% NRV) per sachetCalcium and magnesium are both electrolyte minerals. Calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide are the mineral salts that supply them here.
Spread through 500ml, that is about 43mg of calcium and 19mg of magnesium in every 100ml.
For a drink, food law sets the bar for a source of a mineral at 7.5% of the NRV per 100ml. Calcium lands at about 5.4% and magnesium at about 5%, so neither reaches it.
Why it's in Hydrate: Herbalife says Hydrate is formulated with calcium and magnesium as part of its mineral blend.
Potassium (dipotassium phosphate and potassium chloride)
Potassium is another electrolyte mineral. Hydrate contains it in two ingredients, dipotassium phosphate and potassium chloride.
The label does not give a potassium amount, so we cannot tell you how much is in a sachet.
Why it's in Hydrate: Herbalife lists dipotassium phosphate as an acidity regulator and potassium chloride as a flavour enhancer.
Vitamin C (sodium L-ascorbate)
80mg per sachet, 100% of the NRVSodium L-ascorbate is a form of vitamin C joined to sodium.
One sachet holds 80mg, which equals the full nutrient reference value on UK labels.
Why it's in Hydrate: Herbalife says Hydrate is formulated with vitamin C.
B vitamins
Thiamin 0.16mg, riboflavin 0.21mg, vitamin B12 0.37µg and pantothenic acid 0.90mg per sachet, each 15% of the NRVThiamin hydrochloride is vitamin B1, riboflavin is B2, cyanocobalamin is B12 and D-calcium pantothenate is pantothenic acid.
Each gives 15% of the NRV across a whole 500ml bottle. That works out at 3% per 100ml, well under the 7.5% a drink needs to count as a source.
Why it's in Hydrate: Herbalife says Hydrate is formulated with B vitamins B1, B2, pantothenic acid and B12.
Citric acid and dipotassium phosphate control the acidity, and natural orange flavouring gives the taste. Potassium chloride is a flavour enhancer, and sucralose sweetens the drink without sugar.
Reading the label
Per 5.3g sachet mixed into 500ml of water
- Energy: 12 kcal (52 kJ). 2.4 kcal per 100ml, under the 4 kcal limit for calling a drink calorie-free.
- Carbohydrate: 1g. A trace, with no sugars.
- Sugars: 0g. No sugar. Sucralose provides the sweetness.
- Fat and protein: 0g. There is no fat or protein.
- Fibre: 0.2g. There is only a trace of fibre.
- Salt: 0.6g. About 240mg of sodium, a tenth of the NHS adult maximum of 6g of salt.
- Vitamin C: 80mg (100% NRV). The full daily reference amount in one sachet.
- Thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B12, pantothenic acid: 0.16mg, 0.21mg, 0.37µg, 0.90mg (each 15% NRV). Small amounts, spread across the whole bottle.
- Calcium: 215mg (27% NRV). About 43mg in every 100ml.
- Magnesium: 94.0mg (25% NRV). About 19mg in every 100ml.
NRV stands for nutrient reference value, the daily amount UK labels use for an average adult.
The per 100g column describes the dry powder, so figures like 228 kcal and 10.9g of salt look alarming. A sachet is only 5.3g, so use the per sachet column.
How to use it
One sachet, 500ml, shake hard
Mix one sachet with 500ml of water and shake vigorously.
Herbalife designed Hydrate to help you stay on top of your fluid while you train.
The BDA's adequate intake from drinks is about 2,000ml a day for men and 1,600ml for women. A 500ml bottle of Hydrate counts towards that like any other water.
Each sachet adds 0.6g of salt, so keep that in mind if you have more than one a day.
Good to know
Who it suits
- It is calorie-free and has no sugar.
- Herbalife states it has no artificial colours or flavours.
- It is Informed Sport certified, meaning a sample of the batch was tested by LGC's anti-doping lab and no banned substances were found in its screen.
- There is no caffeine in the ingredient list.
Check first
- If your doctor has told you to limit salt, count the 0.6g per sachet.
- It contains the sweetener sucralose.
- Herbalife makes no vegan, vegetarian or gluten-free statement for Hydrate.
Questions people ask
How can it be calorie-free with 12 kcal?
UK food law measures it per 100ml for drinks. Spread through 500ml of water, Hydrate has 2.4 kcal per 100ml, which is under the 4 kcal limit.
Does Hydrate contain caffeine?
No. There is no caffeine or guarana in the ingredient list.
Is it a good source of vitamins?
For a drink, food law measures vitamins per 100ml. Vitamin C comes to 20% of the NRV per 100ml, well over the 7.5% needed, but the B vitamins come to only 3%. We list the amounts and make no vitamin claims for Hydrate.
How is it different from CR7 Drive?
Hydrate has 12 kcal and 1g of carbohydrate per 500ml. CR7 Drive has 97 kcal and 23g of carbohydrate, so it supplies fuel as well as fluid.
What does Informed Sport certified mean?
A sample of the batch was tested by LGC's sports anti-doping lab. It was found to contain no banned substances in their screen.
How much salt is in a sachet?
There is 0.6g, which is about 240mg of sodium. That is a tenth of the NHS adult maximum of 6g a day.
Where these facts come from
- label_1433: herbalife.com/assets/regional-reusable-assets/emea/images/nutritional-
- factsheet_1433: Herbalife product information and label
- factsheet_1466: Herbalife product information and label
- calc: Herbalife product information and label
- legis_nutrition_claims: legislation.gov.uk/eur/2006/1924/annex
- legis_annex_xiii: legislation.gov.uk/eur/2011/1169/annex/XIII
- legis_annex_i_salt: legislation.gov.uk/eur/2011/1169/annex/I
- medlineplus_electrolytes: medlineplus.gov/fluidandelectrolytebalance.html
- nhs_salt: nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/salt-nutrition/
- bda_fluid: bda.uk.com/resource/fluid-water-drinks.html
- bda_sport: bda.uk.com/resource/sport-exercise-nutrition.html
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***Informed Sport: a sample of the batch this product came from was tested by LGC's anti-doping lab and found to contain no banned substances in its screen. Enjoy as part of a varied, balanced diet and a healthy, active lifestyle. Herbalife images and video are the property of Herbalife. Speak to your GP before changing your diet if you have a medical condition, take medication or are pregnant.
