This labor aid electrolyte drink recipe is the pitcher version of the coconut water and citrus drink midwives have recommended for decades, minus the part where you measure salts out of three different jars. Two stick packs of Saltivate Raw Unflavored stand in for all of them: each serving carries 800mg sodium, 240mg potassium, and 60mg magnesium, and it dissolves clear with a clean salty edge that sharpens the lemon and honey. Mix a pitcher in the last weeks of pregnancy so it is always waiting in the fridge, then sip it by the glass through early labor or any long, sweaty day. Hands-on time is about five minutes. The finished drink is a hazy lemon gold, lightly sweet from honey with the soft roundness of coconut water. As with anything you drink during labor, run it by your midwife or doctor first.
Ingredients
Makes one 64 oz pitcher, about four 16 oz glasses.
- 4 cups (950 ml) coconut water
- 3 1/2 cups (840 ml) cold water
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) fresh lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons)
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 stick packs (or 2 scoops) Saltivate Raw Unflavored
- Lemon slices and ice, to serve
Instructions
- In a large pitcher, stir the lemon juice and honey together until the honey fully dissolves.
- Add the coconut water, cold water, and both stick packs of Raw Unflavored. Stir for about 30 seconds, until the powder disappears.
- Add lemon slices and chill. Serve over ice by the glass.
At 2 servings of Saltivate per 64 oz pitcher, each 16 oz glass delivers half a serving of electrolytes, an easy pace to sip across hours.
Tips
- Swap lime juice for lemon, or maple syrup for honey. Both keep the drink light and tart.
- The pitcher keeps up to 3 days covered in the fridge. Give it a quick stir before pouring.
- Freeze part of the batch into ice cubes 4 or more hours ahead. They chill each glass without watering it down, and crushed they make good ice chips for the hospital bag.
One pitcher takes two sticks, so the 45-pack lasts through plenty of refills. Grab Raw Unflavored on-the-go packets and keep a few in the hospital bag too.
Per serving: about 80 kcal (estimate).
