Hydralyte vs Aldi Essential Health electrolyte tablets

What’s the difference between Aldi’s Essential Health electroyte tablets and Hydralyte? Other than the price, that is.

Take a quick glance at the ingredients in both and tell me if you can spot the difference;

Sure, it looks like  the Aldi folk may have been sneaking a bit of a look over the shoulder at Hydralyte’s homework. But should you care? Other than a little more sugar, the two are near identical. If you were wondering whether citric anhydrous is some wonder ingredient; it isn’t. It’s a weak organic acid that adds a bit of a citrus tang and helps to keep the rest of that tablet stable before you drop it in your glass of water.

For standard hydration needs, normal water is definitely your best bet. Don’t go for a soft drink which usually just contains way too much sugar and negligible amounts of the electrolytes your body needs.

But if you’ve been sweating hard at the gym, had diarrhoea or have been hitting the booze, you might need to replace some of the electrolytes you have lost.

What are electrolytes? They are basically sodium, magnesium, potassium, chloride and calcium minerals dissolved in water. In that form, they separate into negative and positive ions – hence the various “ion” drinks. Of course you don’t have to resort to energy drinks or fizzy tablets to supplement these, in fact most well-balanced diets will have these covered, with the exception of magnesium which is often deficient in Australian diets.

Ironically, neither Hydralyte nor Aldi’s Essential Health contain magnesium, but some of the higher end energy drinks do. As does coconut water.

The long and the short of it, is there isn’t a lot of difference between Hydralyte and Aldi’s Essential Health electrolyte tablets.  Given the cheaper cost you might opt for the Aldi product.  But if time is money, and Aldi checkout queues are just going to add unnecessary stress to your day, you’ll be better off with Hydralyte.

Either way, be sure and stay hydrated with plenty of water each day. And go easy on those vodka tonics!