Natural sports nutrition: what to use and when

Short answer: Natural sports nutrition starts with ordinary meals, drinking enough and salt. Before exercise, make sure you have eaten and drunk well; during long or hard exercise, drink water and, if needed, a drink with electrolytes and carbohydrates; and after exercise, replace fluid, salt, carbohydrates and protein. Single products such as electrolyte powder, magnesium, cordyceps, shilajit, maca and rhodiola are an addition, not a replacement for eating well.

Last updated: 5 November 2026 · Written by Florian Fermin

At GOYU we sell natural sports nutrition ourselves: electrolyte powder, magnesium and a few single plant-based ingredients. That is exactly why we set out honestly here what to use when, what the sports nutrition guidelines say and what you should not expect from a supplement.

What is natural sports nutrition?

By natural sports nutrition we mean food and single ingredients without complicated blends: ordinary meals, water, salt and, if you want, a product with one clear ingredient and a dose on the label. Not a pre-workout with ten substances, but for example electrolytes in your bottle or magnesium with your evening meal.

The major sports nutrition organisations agree on one thing: what you eat and drink, how much and when makes a difference to how you train and recover. In their joint position statement, the American and Canadian dietetic associations and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) advise working with a sports dietitian for a personal nutrition plan (Thomas et al., 2016). Supplements only come after the basics.

What should you eat and drink before exercise?

Start well fed and well hydrated. The ACSM advises, when needed, drinking a little extra a few hours before exercise on top of your normal meals. That gives your body time to absorb the fluid and to pass any excess water before the start (ACSM, 2007).

• Meal: a few hours before a long session, eat a normal meal that agrees with you. Don't try new things on race day.
• Drinking: drink throughout the day, so you don't start on an empty tank.
• Caffeine: if you drink coffee, matcha or yerba mate before exercise, count the caffeine. According to the European Food Safety Authority EFSA, up to 200 mg of caffeine at once and up to 400 mg a day give no reason for concern in healthy adults (EFSA, 2015). If you are pregnant, the limit is 200 mg a day.

What do you need during exercise?

For a short session of half an hour to an hour, water is usually enough. The longer and harder you train, and the warmer it is, the more fluid and salt you lose through sweat. According to the ACSM, the goal is not to lose more than 2% of your body weight in fluid. Because sweat volume and its salt content vary greatly from person to person, it recommends a personal drinking plan. You can estimate your sweat loss by weighing yourself before and after exercise (ACSM, 2007).

For long endurance sessions, races and exercising in the heat, the same position stand advises replacing electrolytes, especially sodium, and carbohydrates during exercise as well as water. Drinking too much is not a good idea either: drink according to what you lose, not as much as possible.

When should you drink electrolytes?

You mainly drink electrolytes around long or hard exercise, on hot days or when you sweat a lot. How much you need depends on how much you sweat and how salty your sweat is. For most people who exercise for an hour or so, ordinary food and drink are enough.

Our lemon electrolyte powder contains 137 mg of sodium and 56.3 mg of magnesium per daily dose of 6 grams. According to the label, you dissolve 6 grams in 200 ml of water once a day. When you do that is up to you: before, during or after exercise. What exactly is in it, how much salt that is and when plain water is the better choice, you can read in electrolyte powder: what's in it and when do you use it?

If you would rather make electrolyte water yourself with sea salt or lemon, homemade electrolyte water explains how to go about it.

What should you eat after exercise?

After exercise, you replace what you have lost. According to the ACSM, the goal after exercise is to replace any fluid and electrolyte deficit. How fast and how much depends on how large the deficit is and when you need to perform again (ACSM, 2007). A meal with carbohydrates, protein and some salt helps, because you get food, fluid and salt at the same time.

• Protein: from ordinary food or a shake. The difference between whey and plant protein is explained in whey protein or plant protein.
• Creatine: one of the best-researched sports supplements. We list the facts and myths in 5 facts and myths about creatine.
• Do you train fasted or with intermittent fasting? Then read muscles and fasting first.

Where do magnesium, cordyceps, shilajit, maca and rhodiola fit in?

These are single ingredients that many athletes use alongside their normal diet. They don't replace a meal or a drinking plan. No health claims have yet been approved in the EU for cordyceps, shilajit, maca and rhodiola, so we don't promise any effect on your performance. Follow the dose on the label for each product.

Only a few small studies have looked at cordyceps and sport, with mixed results. What exactly has been studied and which species are allowed in the EU, you can read in the articles above. Some athletes use MCT oil as an easy source of fat; when that makes sense, you can read in MCT oil intake.

What should you look out for with sports nutrition?

• Add up overlapping ingredients. If you use magnesium complex and electrolyte powder, you get magnesium from both.
• Count all your caffeine, from coffee, tea, matcha, yerba mate and sports products.
• Rhodiola is, according to the label, for adults only and is not recommended during pregnancy and breastfeeding. That advice is also on the French ingredient list Compl'Alim (Compl'Alim, 2026).
• Pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have a medical condition? Talk to your doctor before using a supplement.
• Do not exceed the daily dose. More is not better.

And is it allowed? According to the European Commission's novel food catalogue, cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps sinensis), shilajit and rhodiola are not novel foods when used in food supplements, and maca is not a novel food as an ordinary food either.

Summary in 3 points

• Sports nutrition starts with ordinary meals, drinking enough and salt; supplements come after that.
• During long or hard exercise and in the heat, replace salt and carbohydrates as well as water; the ACSM recommends a personal drinking plan.
• Follow the dose on the label for every product and add up overlapping ingredients, such as magnesium and caffeine.

Frequently asked questions

When should you drink electrolytes?

Mainly around long or hard exercise, when you sweat a lot and on hot days. For a short session, water is usually enough. According to the label, you take 6 grams of our electrolyte powder in 200 ml of water once a day, at a time you choose.

What is the difference between sports nutrition and sports supplements?

Sports nutrition is everything you eat and drink around exercise, from your meal to your bottle. Sports supplements are single products you use on top of that, such as electrolyte powder or magnesium. Ordinary food remains the basis.

Can you combine magnesium and electrolytes?

You can, but add up the amounts of magnesium, because both products contain magnesium. Follow the daily dose on the label for each product and, if in doubt, ask your GP or pharmacist.

Isn't water enough?

For most sessions of up to about an hour, yes. If you train long, hard or in the heat, you lose more salt through sweat and you can replace it, for example with a drink with electrolytes. How much you need varies greatly from person to person.

Sources

1. American College of Sports Medicine, Sawka MN et al. (2007). Exercise and fluid replacement. Med Sci Sports Exerc 39(2):377-390. Position stand on drinking before, during and after exercise. doi.org/10.1249/mss.0b013e31802ca597
2. Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM (2016). Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Joint position statement of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada and the ACSM. Med Sci Sports Exerc 48(3):543-568. doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000000852
3. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (2015). Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine. EFSA Journal 13(5):4102. doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4102
4. Compl'Alim, French Ministry of Agriculture. Entry Sedum roseum (L.) Scop. (rhodiola), with ANSES/EMA advice, accessed 5 November 2026. compl-alim.beta.gouv.fr
5. European Commission. Novel food catalogue: Ophiocordyceps sinensis, Asphaltum punjabianum (shilajit), Rhodiola rosea and Lepidium meyenii, accessed 5 November 2026. ec.europa.eu
6. Labels and product information GOYU Electrolyte powder, Magnesium complex, Cordyceps, Shilajit, Maca and Rhodiola rosea, accessed 5 November 2026.

You'll find all our sports nutrition on the page buy natural sports nutrition.

This article is for information only and is not medical advice. Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. If in doubt, or if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication, talk to your GP or pharmacist.