[Glaslyn] Pickles and Pickle Juice

[Mike]

Heilsa,

The Texas summer is back and with a revenge upon all who venture out 
side, even just going from a building to the vehicle you will feel the 
heat. I am across one way to combat the effects of heat upon the body. 
Since our activities have all of us outside during much of a weekend. 
This is especially true with set-up and tear down crews and those 
fighting, etc...

The various articles I have combined and this long. I put the short 
version at the beginning and it is almost a commercial from Mount Olive 
pickles. The other article goes into detail about how pickles and their 
juice actually assist the body in maintaining its function in hot weather.

YIS,
Ld Michael Kettering
Steppes KM


 From the MT. Olive Web site:
Professional, college and high school football teams are beginning to 
clamor for pickle juice for their players as a way to stave off muscle 
cramps. Mr. Crisp opines that the salt content, along with the acetic 
acid (vinegar), in pickle juice make it attractive to athletic trainers 
and players.

Pickle juice contains salt, calcium chloride and vinegar, in addition to 
flavorings (dill, bread & butter, etc.). The basic ingredients are 
similar to what you would find in isotonic drinks. Where pickle juice 
has acetic acid, isotonic drinks contain citric acid.

An athletic trainer from the University of Northern Iowa who has used 
pickle juice with athletes says it doesn't matter if the pickle juice is 
dill or sweet: the effect on preventing or otherwise diminishing muscle 
cramps is the same. The intimidation factor of our Zesty Kosher Dills 
breathed in an opponent's face can't be overlooked, however.

Juice without the pickles?

Mr. Crisp periodically receives inquiries from folks who want to buy the 
juice, not the pickles. The reality is you have to have the cucumbers in 
the jar with the juice to properly balance the taste.

Save it

You should never throw away pickle juice. It can be used in salads, 
marinades and other recipes. One woman tells us she puts it on her 
azalea bushes, and it's known to be great for hangovers (for some of the 
same reasons it's good for sweating athletes.)

Serving pointer
When serving pickles, serve them in the juice to maintain the 
consistency of flavor. Pickles tend to dry out and lose some flavor if 
served dry.


Pickle Juice

By Edward Kane

Think fast: What was the biggest news in sports nutrition last summer? 
Answer: Pickle juice! Professional football trainers for a few NFL teams 
had their players chugging pickle juice in an effort to rapidly hydrate 
them. An interesting concept to say the least, but is pickle juice 
really the best way to hydrate the body when it has been depleted of 
valuable electrolytes?

Pickle juice is basically acetic acid (vinegar) and water with a bit of 
salt (sodium chloride) to give it some flavor. All muscle cells, like 
the heart, use sodium (Na) to close or contract the cell, and potassium 
(K) to relax the cell. Calcium (Ca) starts the closing process with Na 
doing the actual closing; magnesium (Mg) starts the reverse side of the 
pump--relaxing. Potassium (K) is the key element responsible for 
managing the relaxing process within the cell. In order for the human 
body to function properly under physical stress, all 4 of the mineral 
electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium) are absolutely 
required. If they are not replaced, you wind up with a cramp, or 
arrhythmia. Both are alleviated with K and Mg if you can catch it in 
time. Prolonged effects of improper replenishment can result in serious 
injury or death.

Vinegar is used to remove sodium from the body, so drinking pickle juice 
will, in a way, tend to help balance the lack of the back side of the 
beat, low K and low Mg. Generally we get too much sodium from processed 
foods like snacks, chips, etc. For over 20 years our team at BodyBio 
(makers of ElyteSport) have been teaching doctors to use vinegar for 
high blood pressure because of the ability of acetic acid to lower Na. 
The vast majority of the medical world uses a calcium blocker to control 
(lower) the timing of the pump. Block the Ca and you lower the beat 
count. In actuality you block some of the heart cells from performing. 
Not the preferred route. It would be far better to add in the 
desperately needed potassium and magnesium rather than lower Ca or Na.

There is also an added benefit to having plenty of K and MG. Quite 
simply, you increase endurance. One of the principle reasons for fading 
under stress is that you run out of K and MG. The body has a marvelous 
ability to conserve Na, but doesn't do the same with K or Mg. In 
addition you obviously need some nutrients, even a bit of sugar to keep 
you up, but the real key lies in the supply of electrolytes. Of course 
we all fade out sooner or later, but those that are on ElyteSport have 
the edge. In essence it's a numbers game. Check out the numbers on the 
comparison chart at elytesport.com. There is no other product on the 
market that comes close to replenishing electrolytes like ElyteSport. 
Keep the pickle juice in the pickle jar and reach for ElyteSport when 
you need serious electrolyte replenishment!

Don't hesitate to give me a call or send me an email if you have any 
questions about hydration or ElyteSport.

The E-Lyte Story: Why You Need Electrolytes!

By Edward Kane

Electrolytes turn on all thought and motion, almost like a wall switch. 
They trigger all events like muscle action by controlling ion channels. 
Ion channels are the gates that open and close to move life support 
material to and from cells in the body. Say for example, you want to 
start running. Your brain starts the signal that initiates a complicated 
series of timed muscle actions. Every sequence of that function is both 
timed and controlled by electrolytes.

Body fluids are primarily water and electrolytes. Electrolytes are ions 
comprised of 4 minerals that include Sodium, (Na) Potassium, (K), 
Magnesium (Mg), and Calcium (Ca). An ion is the disassociated part of a 
molecule like salt, (sodium chloride). It comes apart in water and 
floats in the blood stream as a free atom (ion) of sodium (Na), along 
with it's partner, an (ion) of chloride (Cl). Na has a + electrical 
charge when dissolved in water. Its partner, have which can include 
Chlorides, Phosphates, Sulphates, or Carbonates, etc., have the - 
charge. The opposite charges originally attracted them and kept them 
together until they dissolved in water, whereupon they separated. The 
ions (+ -) accumulate in the watery blood system of our body. All of our 
cells use that (+ -) charge differential as a driving force when they 
isolate (permit) some ions on the inside of the cell and others on the 
outside. The membrane of every cell is composed of fat and acts as an 
insulator. By encouraging more of the sodium ions to accumulate in the 
blood stream, outside the cell (with potassium on the inside), they 
build up a charge on either side of the cell wall. That charge 
separation then becomes the driving force for all cells to be able to 
move the life giving materials in and out of the cell. It's important to 
understand this because all the electrolytes are vital for cellular 
function and especially necessary for high performance. Simply put, 
without them we could not exist... even with the absence of just one of 
the basic 4 electrolyte minerals, we would be history.

The list of functions that electrolytes control is endless but include; 
temperature control / fluid level / cardiac arrhythmia / respiratory 
rate / digestion / fluid transport across cells / ion transport / renal 
function (bladder control) / neurological function / signal transduction 
/ thought / memory/ all the senses both gathering information and then 
transporting that message to the brain and to the muscles including the 
sense of touch / energy production / glucose metabolism etc. etc. It is 
easier to count the stars in the sky than to list all the functions in 
the body controlled by electrolytes. But the body, in its miraculous 
evolutionary way is structured to maintain it all in some combinatorial 
marvelous life-giving manner. The majesty of it all is so wondrous that 
the study of cells and of life can often leave one breathless. We 
frequently sit back in our research as the concepts unfold and are 
literally awestruck. The most one can attempt is to try and convey a 
small picture of this wonder.

The team at E-LyteSport is extremely passionate about the science and 
research regarding electrolytes. Just as all top athletes know that you 
cannot achieve perfection with out mastering the basics, we at 
E-LyteSport know that you cannot provide the body with the optimal level 
of energy until you balance the electrolytes required by all the 
molecules within the body. E-lyteSport is the ultimate tool to replenish 
those vital electrolytes to the correct or optimal ratios. Balance is 
the key. You drink E-LyteSport for improved function and performance. It 
is not designed to satisfy your taste buds with sugar or fructose like 
other sweetened sport drinks on the market. In fact, sweet drinks add a 
burden to metabolic control by forcing the production of insulin to 
balance your blood sugar levels. So not only do these drinks do little 
to enhance performance, it's quite possible that the extra sugar they 
add is doing more to slow you down.

We welcome any questions or comments that you have about electrolytes 
and E-Lyte Sport and we look forward to helping you train and compete 
beyond what you thought was possible.

Taking A Peek Inside a Muscle Cramp

By Edward Kane

Cramping is one of the most common complaints of athletes. It can occur 
at any time but more often at the tail end of their workout. Cramps are 
a one way street in the complete cycle of muscle action. All body motion 
is controlled by the opening and closing of ion channels that sit in the 
membranes of all cells. Sodium (Na) contracts the cell and potassium (K) 
relaxes it. Similar action occurs to transmit a thought with Na and K 
triggering neurons (depolarizing) to both transmit and fire. In effect 
the electrolytes do it all. You can't blink your eye or even see or hear 
without them.

A heart cell begins the process with Calcium (Ca) signaling the Na ion 
channel to open to begin the contraction cycle. There are hundreds of Na 
and K ion channels on each cell. A half second later Magnesium (Mg) 
encourages K to rush in which relaxes the cell. That's the beat of your 
heart or the closing of your fist. With a heart cell the cycle is non 
stop; constrict with Na and relax with K. Its quite easy to see what 
happens when a muscle cramps. In essence you have half a beat. If a 
cramp hits your heart, you're history, but in a different muscle you'll 
hurt, but recover. If you're swimming in a race half way home, it could 
be a disaster. Whenever it happens, it's the guys in charge of the 
relaxing half of the cycle, Mg and K, that are missing.

Often, athletes who are pushing the envelope sense a tingling of sorts, 
in say a leg muscle, before it tightens. A swig of E-LyteSport could be 
a G-D send at that moment because it contains a high concentration of 
both K and Mg. (Check out the exact numbers at elytesport.com - Compare 
Sport Drinks).

" I don't cramp any more!" We hear this from our elite athletes. All of 
them also say that they last longer. They don't see an improvement in 
performance or time, but they are able to stay at a strong performance 
rate for a longer time. (Read Nicole and Ron's comments on the athletes 
spotlight). I would argue that if you can train longer, the logic would 
be that you would also increase muscle mass, or improve the flow of 
nutrients to a more efficient level, which, over time makes you stronger 
and better. But I leave the proof to the performers.

Actually, what is happening, is that the high K concentration is 
sufficient to complete the back side of the heart beat, or leg pump, 
etc. Without those 2 electrolytes Mg and K, in plentiful supply, your 
muscles have only the first half of the action potential to work on. 
Over time, that's a one way street, that can end up as a cramp. Cramps 
don't usually occur when your doing sprints, they are the result of 
cellular stress (loss of electrolytes) over long workouts. What 
E-LyteSport does is make sure that you have enough K and Mg to complete 
the back side of the muscle pump.

A number of coaches have tried "pickle juice" to prevent cramping in hot 
weather. Pickle juice is predominantly vinegar. Vinegar is acetic acid, 
and is used to remove sodium (Na) with individuals with high blood 
sodium levels. The coaches are lowering their athletes Na levels to 
prevent the first half of the muscle cycle instead of making sure that 
they have enough of all the electrolytes needed. Lower Na and you may 
not begin the cramp. Not exactly what the doctor ordered, but it can work.

However, you are removing Na to restore balance, instead of providing 
the correct electrolytes that the body needs at that moment, which is 
........Mg and K. Training logic says that you want as high a level of 
electrolytes as possible, all the time, not robbing one, Na, to achieve 
balance. E-LyteSport is perfectly designed to address the problem of 
cramping, and very possibly, the big one after that, and that is the 
potential loss of an athlete that could not handle the extremes of 
temperature and high performance workouts. If your in training, a coach, 
or a trainer, you owe it to yourself and your athletes to check out 
E-LyteSport.

ElyteSport Preloading

By Edward Kane

Most of us are familiar with carbohydrate loading as an effort to pack 
in as much food and energy before an athletic event. It can start one or 
two days before a race. It's not known whether it's good science or done 
for the sheer joy of eating. However, the body does not have an 
efficient means of storing carbs. Eating a high carb meal raises blood 
sugar levels which stimulates the pancreas to produce insulin to drive 
the sugar into the cells to be either burned or converted to 
triglycerides (fat). Fat is then stored in adipose tissues to be burning 
later for energy as needed. Along came Barry Sears with his "Zone Diet" 
and poked a hole in all that carb loading fun by proving that a 
30/30/40, (protein/fat/carb) diet worked far better than carb loading 
for conditioning and performance.

ElyteSport loading, however, is a very interesting idea that can be 
quite effective. It works so well that it could even be a breakthrough 
in athletic performance. The technique is similar to carb loading but 
it's done with electrolytes, ElyteSport concentrate. The goal is to 
condition the cells and the blood stream to maintain a higher level of 
electrolytes, which can be called on later to maintain a high activity 
level.

All performance is dependent on the 4 alkaline minerals, Na, K, Mg, and 
Ca, along with the anions, Chlorides, Phosphates, Sulphates, and 
Bicarbs. We know that a long athletic event or even a hard workout will 
deplete the electrolytes. You can taste the salts running down your nose 
as you perspire. What is generally not known is just how valuable they 
are. Without them, nothing moves. Absolutely nothing. You can not blink 
or think without electrolytes.

The technique is to use the concentrate straight (not diluted) just 
before you train or before the big event. ElyteSport is a concentrated 
electrolyte solution and is diluted at 16:1. One liter makes over 4 
gallons of drinkable solution. Pre-loading (drinking it straight) is 
more than a bit strong, but then so is a shot of booze. However, if done 
just prior to an event, ElyteSport concentrate will raise the level of 
electrolytes in the cells and provide a reservoir for greater endurance. 
That means you can drink H2O along the way without concern because you 
have pre-loaded with a high concentration of those vital electrolytes 
using ElyteSport which does not contain any sugar. Incidentally, you do 
not need sugar and a spiked insulin load at the starting gate. That's a 
drain (stress) on performance. However, you could use some sugar about 
45 minutes to 1 hour afterwards when you run out of glycogen, which is 
the glucose storage hormone. Carry a protein bar and nibble. They 
usually have plenty of carbs and will do the job and do it at the exact 
time you need it with no strain on the system.

The technique for electrolyte loading is to pour about 4 ozs of 
concentrate in a glass and sip a small amount about 1 ½ Tbls (yes, it is 
strong stuff), followed immediately with a drink of diluted ElyteSport, 
about as much as you need to dispel the strong flavor. The idea is to 
finish the 4 ozs of concentrate with about a pint of diluted ElyteSport 
close to the time of your workout, like within 15 or 20 minutes. The 
high concentration (small amount of H2O) will permit a buildup of 
electrolytes with the high potassium concentration passing into the 
cells and the sodium staying in the blood stream.

You can then drink as much H2O as you need immediately before your 
event. The idea is to be out of the starting gate before the body and 
its marvelous kidney control system has the opportunity to react to the 
high mineral concentration and dump the high potassium, magnesium, 
phosphates, etc. out into the bladder. As soon as you start running or 
cycling or whatever, the kidneys conserve everything (H2O and 
electrolytes); nothing is dumped into the bladder at that time so your 
pre-loaded electrolytes will be effectively stored and available later.

The high concentration of electrolytes in a balanced format should 
permit you to train and perform to a higher level. We hear this over and 
over. "ElyteSport permits me to train or run or cycle longer at a higher 
rate". This technique can also be used to perform at work or even study 
or debate since the transmission of thought requires the same 
electrolyte activity to run the brain and the nervous system. (Where was 
this idea when I took my exams ?). The folks at E-Lyte also use this if 
they partied a bit too much the night before. So the idea is extremely 
versatile.

One more thing and this is critical. "No more cramps". In case you 
missed that I'll say it again. "No more cramps". ElyteSport is almost a 
secret weapon in the world of cramping athletes. Read "Taking a Peek 
Inside a Cramp"

There is no risk associated with drinking the concentrated solution as 
long as it does not exceed 6 ozs. We have used it with children for over 
20 years and even given 2-3 ozs to a child of 3 and broke a high fever.

Why No Carbs In ElyteSport

By Edward Kane

The body has a high storage capacity for fats (lipids), but a rather 
meager ability to store glucose. The effort to build up a reservoir of 
sugar of any kind, ends up, in a healthy individual, as triglycerides or 
fats, the principle form of energy. In effect, carbohydrate loading 
makes you fat momentarily, at least, until your next workout.

ElyteSport is a highly concentrated electrolyte drink, higher than any 
on the market. E-Lyte is used to replenish or rebalance those that are 
severely electrolyte depleted. Giving a sick patient a sugary drink is 
never an option. To resuscitate someone after trauma calls for an IV of 
electrolytes, not an IV of glucose.

ElyteSport electrolytes assimilate at an amazing rate throughout the 
body, while complex carbs must travel through the liver for conversion, 
then out into the blood stream to find their way to every cell, and 
finally locate a glucose receptor to take them in. The two take totally 
different pathways and are totally different in function. Electrolytes 
make everything metabolically possible and are absorbed lightning fast. 
Taking them separately, just 5 or 10 seconds apart, would be enough if 
the electrolytes were consumed first.

Normally you do not salt sugary foods. Electrolytes are salts and salt 
goes with meat and potatoes, soups, vegetables, etc. All animals seek a 
salt source to lick when they feel the need. Electrolytes are put in 
water for livestock, especially for race horses. Can you put them 
together? I suppose you could but we do not suggest it.

Reaching for high performance however, requires both, electrolytes and 
glucose. You need electrolytes for everything that happens in the body, 
all the time. Glucose is needed after you run out of your stores of 
glycogen, which occurs about an hour or so after you start your workout.

There are those who propose that sweeteners encourage you to drink, to 
ensure hydration. If you run short of fluids and the fluids are 
available, there are few that will need drinking instruction. The 
biotech sophistication of the body is far beyond our current 
understanding. The only argument that has relevance is, can the athlete 
carry both while working out and reach both when they need to, which 
cyclists and runners or any long distance performers have to consider.

The market for drink products is huge, far greater than that used by 
high performing athletes. And that huge public is where the real market 
is. There is no way the general public would go for a salty flavor 
drink. However, they are all watching you, the performers, and copy what 
you say and do. But it is sill unlikely they would buy anything that 
wasn't sweetened. It's a great big Coca Cola, Pepsi, Gatorade world. 
ElyteSport is a breath of fresh air in the area of sports medicine with 
a totally new look at function first and marketing second. For all of 
you who are after performance, ElyteSport is the only way to go.

Can you take ElyteSport and complex carbs. Sure, just separate them 
momentarily. That way you can determine what the body wants when it 
wants it. The body really knows. All you need to do is listen.

Not All "Sports" Drinks are Created Equally

Sport Drink Comparisons for 12 oz Serving

Product 	Calories 	Electrolytes
  	  	Sodium
(mg) 	Potassium
(mg) 	Magnesium
(mg)
E-LYTE SPORT 	0 	282 	584 	210
Accelerade 	140 	190 	64 	128
AllSport 	105 	82-120 	75 	0
Cytomax 	75 	60 	112 	0
Enervit G 	120 	46.5 	45 	13
Extran
Thirstquencher 	90 	122 	83 	0
G Push 	105 	285 	60 	5
Gatorade 	75 	165 	45 	0
GU2O 	75 	189 	30 	0
Powerade 	108 	79 	49 	0
PowerBar
Perform 	90 	165 	52 	8
Revenge Sport 	90 	100 	110 	20
Ultima 	24 	75 	112.5 	18