I first heard about LMNT in 2022, when listening to episodes of Alex Honnold’s podcast, Climbing Gold. A year later I actually got to try some, and it was a huge let down to say the least.
Until two months ago, when I started drinking it every day.
The Ragnar
Two and a half years ago some of my family and I ran a Ragnar together. The experience was incredible to say that least.
Most races like this come with a running packet filled with things from the sponsors of the event. I was shocked to see quite a diverse mix of LMNT samples in this one.
My family and I tried each one, and none of us liked it, especially the chocolate salt flavor. My brother actually kept trying them and by the end of the Ragnar he thought it was alright.
So, we happily gave him the rest of our samples.
This Past Summer
I honestly never thought I would have LMNT again. But, once again I started to read and hear more things from different health professionals and became curious.
Come to find out, my in-laws have had boxes of the stuff for months. They still had it because no one liked when they tried it either.
Long story short, I gave it another try one day this past summer. I still didn’t like it. More family members gave it a shot too.
None of us really cared for it. It didn’t taste bad, it just didn’t taste good either.
Baptism by Lukewarm Fire
You can call me dumb or open-minded, but a few weeks ago I did a mini deep dive on hydration and recovery one day. LMNT came up again.
This sparked my curiosity for a third and final time.
I decided to test this stuff for a week. If I got used to it, great. If not, then I can honestly say I tried.
Two months later, I’m still drinking this stuff… happily.
The Power of Time
Most of us have had an experience or two where time has this remarkable effect of making hard things easy. Things like waking up early, eating healthy, or brushing our teeth. If you give something enough time, you’ll get used to it.
By using half of the recommended amount of LMNT in a bottle of water, within three days I was putting more in. The nasty salt and mineral tang that’s poorly covered by the flavoring, eventually dies down.
So much so that by the end of the first week I got used to the general taste of it. Jumping to today, I honestly prefer it to the traditional electrolyte drinks. (Gatorade, Powerade, etc.)
I had a Body Armor a few weeks ago and didn’t make it halfway through because of how ridiculously sweet it is.
Although, I can’t stress enough that your experience will be highly influenced by the flavors you try. Thankfully LMNT isn’t lacking in options, with ten different kinds.
In my opinion, the best of the ten options to start and stick with is the orange flavor. It tastes the most like other sports drinks, while helping you get used to the salty LMNT punch.
Why Drink It?
I’m no dietitian, doctor, sports scientist, etc. If you want to get thorough knowledge on what LMNT is good for, then this article isn’t it. I’m an average Joe.
And as an average person that’s been drinking this for a few months, I can honestly say that it’s worth it.
Like clockwork, I get sick in October. I don’t know why, but for the last 5+ years I’ve always gotten sick in October… until this year.
Another clear benefit that I heard about from different experts that spoke about LMNT, like Dave Aspey, was the lack of afternoon drowsiness.
As someone who’s been a huge advocate of drinking plenty of water, I had no idea that water dilutes the amount of salt in my body and brain. Contributing to the good’ol afternoon fog.
For the last couple months though, the typical afternoon drag hasn’t been a thing. The only time it has, is when I’ve had a terrible sleep the night before.
The salt seems to carry another cool dual effect too. When I drink it, my body is able to better utilize the water I do drink. Aka, I don’t get thirsty for longer, and I don’t have to drink as much. Which means not having to pee as often.
The Cost
LMNT isn’t cheap. At least I don’t think so, because I don’t like spending money on vitamins and supplements. For one box of 30 packets, it’s $45. Aka $1.5 per packet.
I sometimes go through two in a day, so that’s crazy! (That’s potentially $1,000+ every year.)
However, if you go for the LMNT INSIDER Bundle with a subscription, then you can get 4 boxes of 30 packets for $117. Aka $0.98 per packet.
That’s better, but still more than I prefer. I’d prefer an average $0.25 per packet.
(You should look for a discount code too and further increase the discount.)
The Recap
It took a few tries, but I finally figured out how to drink LMNT in a way that I like it. Start small and work up from there.
With the ten different flavors, there’s one for almost everyone. (I still don’t know why someone would get the chocolate one though.)
But more important than anything else, is that this stuff actually provides real benefits. Whether you want a more clear, stronger mind in the afternoon, or give your body what it needs so you don’t get sick as much, then I would give LMNT a try.