Sugar consumption undermines health and longevity. The problem: it’s in everything from salad dressings to your favorite non dairy milk alternative to kombucha.
When it comes to electrolytes, sugar mitigates effective hydration in the long run. And its far-reaching negative impacts are linked to declines in physical and mental health.
The effort to eliminate sugar from your daily habits is worth it—and see how easy cutting out the sweet stuff can be with the cutting-edge pbrands on the market.
Why Shift Away From Sugar
What "Clean" Formulas Look Like
Health Implications Of Sugar
Benefits of Cutting Out Sugar
Our Unflavored Electrolyte Solution
Plus, a sneak peek of our favorite sugar-free electrolyte to use that supports whole-body health!
Hydration Drops
×Serving Size: One Short Squeeze (1.5mL)
Servings Per Bottle: 40
Diet Friendly: Vegan, Vegetarian, Keto, Paleo, Low-Carb, Whole 30
Major Allergen Free: No Gluten, No Dairy, No Corn, No Eggs, No Soy, No Sesame, No Shellfish, No Tree Nuts, No Peanuts
Made Without: Sugar, Sweeteners, Stevia, Dextrose, Natural Flavors, Flavorings, Artificial Ingredients, Herbicides or Pesticides, Animal Byproducts, Colors or Dyes
WE RECOMMEND STARTING WITH
Sugar And Sweetener Free ⚡️
3 BOTTLES · 120 SERVINGS
The easiest and healthiest way to get your electrolytes and minerals in without the sugar, sweeteners or flavors.
If it feels like everyone is talking about sugar-free alternatives, it's because the evidence linking sugar intake to negative health impacts couldn't be more clear.
When it comes to hydration, however, reducing sugar intake is more challenging but the effort to cut sugar out of your electrolytes is worth it.
UNDERMINE ELECTROLYTE FUNCTION
When we consume sugar, a plethora of metabolic reactions take place that ultimately undermine the optimal hydration benefits you're looking for in an electrolyte supplement.
Our cells begin to transfer water from other places that cues more frequent urination, leading to lower fluid and electrolyte levels than before.
Furthermore, the energy spike from sugar is short-lived and when your blood sugar drops, the fatigue, brain fog and mood disturbances set in—all of which can be counteracted with sugar-free hydration and electrolyte products.
CLARITY ON SODIUM ABSORPTION
No.
While proponents of sugar and electrolytes together will cite how glucose helps the absorption of sodium in our bodies, the amount of glucose needed is actually miniscule and most people often have enough stored up in their bodies from their diet to suffice.
A lot of this knowledge stems from brands whose hero product contains 11g of sugar in every serving—or, by weight, 69% of the stick itself.
Furthermore, there are other elements like potassium and vitamins like B1, B5, and B6—all of which are present in Buoy’s electrolyte offerings—that support routine electrolyte function.
THE BITTERSWEET TRUTH
Simply put: most electrolyte products optimize around taste and flavor, not function.
If sodium absorption is your end goal, then the form factor and salt source should be a part of the conversation. Traditional electrolyte products are delivered in powder and tablet form which don’t evenly dissolve may be harder on sensitive stomachs to absorb.
Liquid electrolytes, like Buoy’s Hydration Drops, can be up to three times more bioavailable than traditional supplement forms like pills, powders and dissolving tablets.
Furthermore, most electrolyte products use cheaply manufactured and processed forms of salt like table salt, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), sodium chloride (road and rock salt) and sodium benzoate (a known carcinogen), all of which negatively impact our ability to absorb and use the sodium we’re intaking whether we have any sugar or glucose in our systems.
MORE DEHYDRATED THAN BEFORE
Focusing on sugar is an easy selling-point: it tastes good and provides a nice dopamine hit. But the optimal benefits and functions electrolyte supplements support are often mitigated by sugar intake: lower energy, less motivation, worse moods, brain fog and even worse skin.
In excess, sugar consumption can make these symptoms persistent and chronic and will make any of the benefits you experience from hydration products short-lived.
POTASSIUM AND B VITAMINS
When looking for electrolyte supplements, look beyond just the sugar count and focus on the host of other molecules that will help the primary electrolyte sodium ease its way into every cell and system quickly.
For those cutting back or eliminating sugar from their electrolyte intake should focus on getting the key sodium transporters like potassium and specific B vitamin complexes into their diet to expedite your body’s ability to use sodium.
Buoy's premium electrolytes and minerals tap into one of nature's most powerful ingredient sources: the deep ocean.
Get the highest quality sodium, chloride, potassium and magnesium earth has to offer with Buoy.
⚖️ Naturally-Balanced
🧪 Third Party Tested
🌊 Hand Harvested
🌞 Solar Evaporated
Infuse your beverages with hard-to-find but essential trace minerals like Boron, Selenium, Silica, Manganese and more to support every cell and system.
⚡️ Ionically Charged
⚖️ Naturally Balanced Ratios
🌊 Deep Ocean Sourced
Certain vitamins can help you hydrate better.
Buoy's curated blend of plant-powered B vitamins support routine electrolyte function without the presence of glucose.
✅ Vitamin B1
✅ Vitamin B5
✅ Vitamin B6
Sodium, potassium, chloride and magnesium are the essential electrolytes needed for optimal hydration.
Getting all of these in their naturally occurring ratios—like from harvested sea salt—makes for easy absorption as its the way we've hydrated for centuries before modern society.
Rachel H
Rachel H
Edwin R
Edwin R
Emery G
Emery G
SWEET SUCCESS STORIES
From sugar-laden to sugar-free, Buoy's hydration formula stems from scientists, researchers, pharmaceutical experts, and health professionals that continue to challenge and uphold hydration to higher standards.
✓ Third Party Tested
✓ NonGMO Project Certified
✓ Vegan
✓ Gluten and Major Allergen Free
✓ 3x More Bioavailable Form Factor
✓ Product White Papers
✓ 3 Clinical Studies Started in 2023
President
President Gateway Pharmaceutical, St. Louis, Missouri
President
President Gateway Pharmaceutical, St. Louis, Missouri
Registered Dietician
Registered Dietician
JD, BCHHP, CBNP
JD, BCHHP, CBNP
Did you know avocados have more potassium than bananas? Here's a grocery list electrolyte rich foods packed with minerals to electrify your diet:
Roots — Some roots like Beets are electrolyte superstars rich in both the principle electrolytes but also important trace minerals like, Managnese, Phosphorus, Iron, Zinc, Copper, Boron, Silica and Selenium.
Leafy Greens — Healthy foods like collards, kale, spinach and others tend to be high in
Calcium, Magnesium, Manganese and Iron.
Fruits — Avocadoes, Watermelon, raspberries, bananas and coconuts can be a great, refreshing source of the principle electrolytes, yet for those watching their sugar intake it would be wise to prioritize the food higher on the list.
Vegetables — Tomatoes, cucumbers and sweet potatoes are electrolyte and mineral dense food, especially if buying from organic and regenerative farmed soil.
Cutting back on your sugar consumption is one of the biggest factors to balancing a healthy diet.
Not only does sugar impact your physical and mental health, but it completely disrupts your gut's microbiome and ability to process and digest food.
Our bodies can only handle so much sugar at once and the excess is sits in our bowels where it begins to ferment and feed bad gut bacteria. The fermented sugar makes its way through our digestive system at a much slower pace than normal food, prolonging the damage and inflammation to our gut's lining, bacteria balance and immune response.
Even if eating a healthy diet, too much sugar can compromise your gains elsewhere.
How to eat your electrolytes and minerals with organic produce and why a sugar-free electrolyte is the perfect addition to a balanced diet.
Sugar Free
Stevia & Sweetener Free
No Flavors
No Calories or Carbohydrates
NonGMO & Vegan
3x More Bioavailable Form Factor
Unflavored Liquid Electrolytes & Trace Minerals
Full Supplement FactsYour daily dose of unflavored electrolytes and 87 trace minerals delivered in its most bioavailable form. Turn any drink into a hydrating beverage in one squeeze. No sugar or sweeteners.
SUBSCRIPTION BENEFITS
We want you to ask questions about your fasting journey.
Too much sugar—like the levels commonly found in electrolyte products—may actually undermine effective hydration by making dehydration symptoms worse based on how sugar interacts with the cells in our body.
When you avoid sugar intake with your electrolytes and fluids, you’re allowing your body to use this essential nutrition to fuel every cell and system as intended, leading to optimal hydration in the long run instead of diverting them to balance the increased sugar levels in our blood and body.
With a moderate amount of sugar intake, our cells begin to transfer more water leading to increased urination. This means you’re passing those important electrolytes, minerals and fluids you need for optimal hydration likely before your body would originally do so.
When you have higher blood sugar levels, your body tries to balance by borrowing water from other tissues and places, meaning that the water and electrolytes are going towards neutralizing the sugar rather than supporting optimal health.
While it’s true that a miniscule amount of glucose can help sodium absorption in the body, it’s not the only sodium co-transporting molecule around.
Buoy’s baseline hydration formula is brimming with a curated plant-based B vitamin complex that specifically supports routine electrolyte function in our bodies so you’re getting more out of every sip.
Additionally, Buoy’s naturally-sourced electrolyte profile is packed with 87 ionic trace minerals and biological elements that complete a comprehensive hydration profile that nurtures well beyond the macro-mineral profile that so many electrolyte products focus on.
No. Buoy is purposefully unflavored and unsweetened to optimize for function, not flavor.
Even the other zero sugar electrolyte options are loaded with sweeteners that may spike blood sugar levels, promote inflammation within our tissues and maybe loaded with additives and chemicals commonly found in “Natural” flavors.
As important as it is to look out for sugar in hydration products, it’s also important to read the label for sweeteners like stevia, dextrose, monk fruit and natural flavors as they may exacerbate existing health issues or generate inflammation that undermines optimal hydration.
Buoy’s delivery and form factor allows its naturally sourced electrolytes and minerals to dissolve instantly and evenly in any drink without compromising taste.
We worked with a pharmaceutical expert and our Scientific Advisory Board to make effective hydration with as neutral of a flavor profile as possible—reducing the amount of citric acid needed to keep Buoy shelf stable and finding the world’s most potent ingredient sources.
Buoy’s form factor is up to three times more bioavailable than traditional supplement forms like pills, powders and tablets. Because of it’s highly concentrated formulation, we’re able to dose enough electrolytes and minerals per serving into a full drink without changing it’s taste.
Hydration is two parts: fluids—or water—and electrolytes.
Long before modern society, these two weren’t thought of separately: our water was naturally electrolyte rich from erosion and the clay beds the leech minerals into the bodies of water reside on top of them.
When you add sugar into the mix, your body introduces metabolic reactions that actually trigger urination and deviate the electrolytes and fluids needed to support optimal hydration across your body to balance the now higher blood sugar levels.
So while you always need fluids and water to pair with your electrolytes, you can easily achieve proper hydration with sugar-free electrolytes. You likely have enough glucose stored in your body to help with any additional sodium absorption or you can get electrolytes like Buoy that have potassium and a curated B vitamin complex to support electrolyte function.
Eliminating sugar consumption from your electrolyte intake is a wise move that promotes health and vitality with long-term transformation.
Stable energy: While sugar provides a short-term energy boost, it leaves you with less energy than you started with after the crash. After you pass the sugar out in urination, your blood sugar crashes which carries physical implications like fatigue to mental cognition declines like less motivation and focus.
Reduced risk of chronic illness: Excessive and consistent sugar intake is a gateway for long-term and persistent health implications like heart disease, obesity, chronic inflammation, high blood pressure and chronic illnesses like Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes.
Weight loss: Studies consistently reinforce the idea that sugar intake in moderate to excess amounts are likely to lead to obesity and weight gain overtime. Worse—sugar intake is linked to more cravings, which may cause your total caloric intake to go up on a consistent basis leading to weight gain. Furthermore, when trying to manage or lose weight, excess sugar will undermine your goals.
Healthier skin: Healthy, glowing and radiant skin is one of the benefits to cutting out sugar from your diet. Sugar intake causes our bodies to age faster and reduce the healthy proteins and collagen we need to make our skin supple and healthy. While sugar intake impacts us all differently, cleaning up your diet by removing sugar—especially refined sugar—seems to hold true for almost everyone: healthier, clearer skin.
Improved cognitive and brain health: With excess sugar in the body, you may become more insulin resistant which leads to a lessened ability to balance blood sugar in the long run. When this happens, your risk for neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease and others increases.
Shaper memory: Sugar intake impacts our bodies insulin response, which impacts our brain’s synaptic connections. With excessive or consistent sugar intake, insulin and these hormone connections are hindered, directly impacting our brain’s memory and ability to learn.
Reduced anxiety: When you consume sugar, our blood sugar spikes which is a common cause of brain fog. After we pass the sugar, our blood sugar dips, which is a common trigger of anxiety.
Reduced depression: Sugar directly impacts the neurotransmitter serotonin in our brain. If it’s overstimulated from excess sugar, we’re at higher risk of depleting the chain of these neurotransmitters which is one of the stronger links to mood disorders.
Buoy is formulated by a pharmaceutical expert and Scientific Advisory Board of medical professionals for fast-acting, effective hydration. Unlike traditional sports drinks which are loaded with sugar, additives and other ingredients that undermine effective hydration in the long run, Buoy’s naturally sourced electrolyte and mineral profile delivers comprehensive and essential hydration in a more bioavailable form factor that can be added to any beverage for fast absorption.
Each serving of Buoy is ⅓ the electrolytes of a sports drink without the sugar, sweeteners, flavors, calories, additives or junk. Each bottle has 40 servings, or more electrolytes than 13 sports drinks.
Buoy is formulated for even the most restrictive diets, including those fasting and living with chronic illnesses. It’s purposefully unflavored and unsweetened formula stacks seamlessly with intermittent fasting, keto, paleo, Whole30 and other health-focused diets while also serving the allergen-conscious, NonGMO and Vegan crowd.
Furthermore, two of Buoy’s three clinical studies revolves around Buoy’s effectiveness at supporting chronic illnesses because of its naturally sourced ingredients and commitment to avoiding the sweet and inflammatory ingredients like sugar and sugar alternatives that exacerbate health conditions and generate inflammation.