# Should you eat salt when rehydrating with water? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 28, 2009, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-eat-salt-when-rehydrating-with-water/515408 "2009-10-28T07:14:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-eat-salt-when-rehydrating-with-water/515408/1 "2009-10-28T07:14:46Z")
I have pretty severe flu-like symptoms. For whatever reason, my body seems to be trying to rid itself of water. I’m not taking in much water at all (whenever I try I feel kind of queasy so I’m limited do drinking like 15 ounces per hour) and I’m pissing frequently. Combined with getting dried out due to low ambient humidity, I’m very dehydrated now. If I weren’t too dizzy to drive, I’d go get some pedialyte or some other rehydration fluid - but I’m stuck at home right now. So I’m wondering - is my body shedding water (and making me feel queasy when drinking) due to some salt imbalance? Would I be better off if I tried to eat some salty food like potato chips along with my water? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-eat-salt-when-rehydrating-with-water/515408/2 "2009-10-28T07:24:24Z")
Call someone to come over and get you some 7up and see if you need to go to the hospital. Dehydration can be deadly, people who were perfectly healthy can die in less than a day. I don’t mean to be alarmist, but you don’t sound good at all. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-eat-salt-when-rehydrating-with-water/515408/3 "2009-10-28T07:29:20Z")
I don’t have family out here and my only friend that’d do that for me is out of town at the moment, so I’m on my own. Which is why I was trying to figure out the best solution I could do to rehydrate myself at home. I may try to make it up to a pharmacy anyway. I’m dizzy and it hurts (severely) to move so I’m not anxious to try it, but I may at this rate, at least to go get some pedialyte to try to rehydrate properly. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-eat-salt-when-rehydrating-with-water/515408/4 "2009-10-28T07:35:24Z")
Call the paramedics and get to the ER. I’m not there and tell you that you are being a big pussy, but I suspect not. Remember your judgment is terribly impaired by your fever and it hurts to move and you are losing water and really dizzy. I had a 52 year old cousin die two weeks ago from swine flu while in intensive care for several days. Flu is deadly this year. Even for perfectly healthy people. Too much dehydration is deadly. Call 911. If your wrong, so what, play it safe. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-eat-salt-when-rehydrating-with-water/515408/5 "2009-10-28T08:02:45Z")
What you need is [Oral Rehydration Solution](http://rehydrate.org/solutions/homemade.htm), which you can make at home. This stuff is also very effective for diarrhea, especially in children. Good luck. Feel better! ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-eat-salt-when-rehydrating-with-water/515408/6 "2009-10-28T10:39:53Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > I have pretty severe flu-like symptoms. For whatever reason, my body seems to be trying to rid itself of water. I’m not taking in much water at all (whenever I try I feel kind of queasy so I’m limited do drinking like 15 ounces per hour) and I’m pissing frequently. > > Combined with getting dried out due to low ambient humidity, I’m very dehydrated now. > > If I weren’t too dizzy to drive, I’d go get some pedialyte or some other rehydration fluid - but I’m stuck at home right now. So I’m wondering - is my body shedding water (and making me feel queasy when drinking) due to some salt imbalance? Would I be better off if I tried to eat some salty food like potato chips along with my water? you dont just need salt, you need potassium and calcium as well [the heart uses calcium and potassium to regulate the pumping of the muscle, which is why rehydrating with just water can be bad for you as the more you pee, the more those minerals leave your body in urine] go for the salt, but see if you have vitamins with potssium and calcium as well, or add in some milk for the calcium and banana for the potassium. Google potassium rich foods for a list of foods to see what you have around? And I highly recommend in the future to get a box of pedialyte drink mix, it has a better shelf life than the liquid form, and you can keep it around all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-eat-salt-when-rehydrating-with-water/515408/7 "2009-10-28T18:19:20Z")
Call a doctor. If it’s absolutely impossible for you to get in to the hospital, try this. Eat a banana, take some Tums and drink a little sugar water. The banana and tums will increase your potassium and calcium, the sugar water will give your body calories you need to fight off what ever it is you have. The water, of course, is to rehydrate. Also, if you have a humidifier, turn it on. If not, turn the shower on as hot as it will go, and sit in the bathroom breathing for a while. The ambient humidity will re-moisten your nasal passages and throat and moisturize your skin. The moisture you’ll pick up there won’t be like drinking a glass of water, but it _will_ help. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-eat-salt-when-rehydrating-with-water/515408/8 "2009-10-28T18:41:34Z")
Alright, thanks. I took some multivitamins and drank more water. My fever has gone down by almost 2 degrees so I think I may be ok - as it came down I was able to take in more water. The shower thing is a good idea - living in a desert sucks even when you’re healthy, you’ll wake up parched every day. When you go to sleep when you’re already dehydrated, by the time you wake up you’ll feel like everything is so dried out that if you sneezed your head would turn to dust and explode. I think I may be feeling good enough today to get a pharmacy and get some pedialyte. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-eat-salt-when-rehydrating-with-water/515408/9 "2009-10-28T23:38:50Z")
When I’m sick and needing to get more fluids, I tend to turn to chicken soup, or at least broth. Beef broth can be good too. There’s a little of everything in broth (salt, sugar, protein, fat) but it’s still mostly water. I’m not sure I’d recommend it instead of some of the other suggestions you’ve received, but you’ve probably got some on hand and I know I like the flavor better than more medicinal electrolyte drinks. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-eat-salt-when-rehydrating-with-water/515408/10 "2009-10-29T02:56:33Z")
Glad to hear you’re feeling better. I hope the hot shower helped, too. Get some pedialyte today, some broth and lots of rest. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-you-eat-salt-when-rehydrating-with-water/515408/11 "2009-10-29T06:51:01Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > If I weren’t too dizzy to drive, I’d go get some pedialyte or some other rehydration fluid - but I’m stuck at home right now. Most drug stores will allow you to phone in an order for non-prescription items like this, pay with your credit card, and tell them that you will have a taxi driver pick them up for delivery to you. It’ll cost you more, since you have to pay for the taxi delivery to you. But when you’re really sick, it’s worth it to stay home.