anti-cramp (hydration?) foods

[Mahir Barbaro]

What I always heard from football coaches growing up was that bananas are the go-to food to prevent cramping. I now know that a lot of information I received from coaches may not have been the best advice, so I'm just trying to clarify this one. Are bananas good because of the potassium and manganese? And if so are there any other foods that provide a good amount of these minerals? Any quick recommendations or links for more information on cramping in general would be much appreciated.

Also, I haven't been keeping track of my water intake, and I'm sure the South Carolina humidity isn't helping my situation at all. But I'm pretty sure that cramping isn't prevented just by an increase in water.

Oh and I could deal with side stitches, but these are calf cramps. Makes it pretty hard to keep running!

[Mahir Barbaro]

damn, just realized I put this in the wrong section. I wanted it in nutrition, but not necessarily paleo. No idea how to move it. my bad!

[Garrett Smith]

Emergen-C or Electro-Mix packets with water are a decent way to go.

Natural Calm plus Calcium mixed with water is a similar thing.

Pinches of good sea salt, either by themselves or with the above, are better than nothing.

Coconut water alternated with plain water is another option.

Increasing plain water without any electrolytes can actually be a good way to increase cramping issues.

[Christine Petty]

I was always told to dilute Gatorade with water half and half, is that accurate?

[Allen Yeh]

Originally Posted by Mahir Barbaro

damn, just realized I put this in the wrong section. I wanted it in nutrition, but not necessarily paleo. No idea how to move it. my bad!

Moved to Nutrition > Other.

[Garrett Smith]

Christine,
Gatorade should be diluted, IMO, but only if you really want to be drinking what is basically HFCS with a sprinkle of table salt.