Liquid IV, LMNT, and “Electrolyte Scams”
Lately I’ve been seeing videos saying things like:
“Electrolyte drinks are a scam”
“LMNT is a lie”
“You don’t need any of this”
And I’m not going to lie… it annoyed me.
Because once again, it’s one of those conversations where you’re only being given part of the story.
So let’s actually talk about it.
What These Products Actually Are
Electrolyte drinks like Liquid I.V. and LMNT are basically:
sodium
potassium
magnesium
They’re meant to help with hydration and replenishing what your body loses.
That’s it.
Not magical.
But also not a scam.
My Experience With LMNT
When I started Will Cole’s program, one of the things he recommended was electrolytes.
And it made sense—his patients are typically dealing with gut issues, inflammation, and overall imbalances.
So I started using LMNT.
1 packet every morning
sometimes 2 if I was more active
I’ve been doing that for about 2 years now.
Here’s where it got interesting
Recently, I decided I wanted to stop using it.
Not because I thought it was bad—just because of the price.
And almost immediately…
I started getting really bad headaches.
And I knew:
I was drinking enough water
I wasn’t dehydrated
So something else was going on.
When I added electrolytes back in, the headaches went away.
What That Told Me
For me, it wasn’t about hydration in the basic sense.
It was about what my body actually needed.
With gut issues, your body doesn’t always absorb and regulate things the same way.
So having those minerals consistently?
It clearly made a difference for me.
Where the Internet Gets It Wrong
This is the part that frustrates me.
You’ll see people say:
“You don’t need electrolytes, just drink water”
And for some people—that’s true.
But not for everyone.
There’s a big difference between:
a generally healthy person
and someone who is actively working on their health
Let’s Be Real for a Second
I don’t think the average person needs to be drinking electrolyte packets every day.
If you:
eat well
move your body
aren’t dealing with specific health issues
You’re probably fine.
But if you:
are healing your gut
dealing with imbalances
sweating more
or putting extra stress on your body
It can actually be helpful.
Liquid IV vs LMNT (Simple)
Liquid I.V.
includes sugar
more general hydration
LMNT
no sugar
higher sodium
more targeted for specific needs
Neither one is “bad.”
They just serve different purposes.
My Honest Take
I don’t think everything marketed is necessary.
But I also don’t think everything is a scam just because someone said it in a video.
That mindset will have you constantly second-guessing everything you do.
What I’m Doing Now
I’m more aware of why I was using LMNT in the first place.
And instead of just blindly taking it—or blindly cutting it out—I’m paying attention to what my body is telling me.
That’s it.
Final Thoughts
There’s a lot of loud content online right now.
A lot of strong opinions.
A lot of bold claims.
And not always a lot of context.
If you take anything from this, let it be this:
Not everything is a scam.
Not everything is necessary.
And not everything applies to you.
You don’t need to panic every time you see a video.
You just need to understand what something is…
and decide if it actually makes sense for your life.