A Cure for Healthier Hydration

In this interview with Cure, we meet Lauren (founder) to discuss the ins and outs of what makes their product the unique hydration remedy that it is.

Q: WHAT IS CURE AND HOW DOES IT STAND APART FROM WHAT WE SEE IN THE HYDRATION SPACE?

Lauren: Our formula is based on one that was originally developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) over 50 years ago. It has a ton of clinical research behind it and is proven to hydrate as effectively as an IV drip. That formula is called Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS), so it's kind of similar to something like a Pedialyte in terms of efficacy.

The main difference between our formula and other ORS products in the market is our ingredients.

Instead of using a base of processed sugar, dextrose cane sugar, or high fructose corn syrup, we're using a base of coconut water powder. It is dehydrated coconut water and pink Himalayan salt – those two ingredients are really what is powering the formula.

Coconut water is a naturally occurring source of glucose, which is important for hydration [because] it’s what is pulling the fluids and electrolytes into your system faster and more efficiently than water alone. Then we're using pink Himalayan salt for the [natural] sodium source. The other great thing about coconut water, aside from being a naturally occurring source of sugar, is that it's very high in potassium and other minerals. We don’t have to add anything like potassium citrate or potassium chloride which you see a lot in electrolyte products, which can cause some stomach issues.

We're not using any added sugar, any artificial ingredients, and are trying to harness the power of nature's best ingredients to provide an effective product that's really, really clean.

Q: WHAT’S THE STORY BEHIND THE DEVELOPMENT OF CURE?

I've been an endurance athlete my whole life. I grew up running cross country and track and then was a swimmer later in life and started doing races. I felt that particularly on my long runs, I would come back and feel completely depleted. I would almost feel like I had the flu. I realized that I just really wasn't getting enough electrolytes and was drinking way too much water and essentially draining my body of minerals. But when I looked at all of the electrolyte products out there, I just couldn't find anything that had ingredients I felt good about consuming every day. So I started making my own sports drink, which was just quite simple.

I found when I was doing these triathlons and marathons if I drink X brand, that's basically fake food. It's full of all kinds of artificial stuff. While it might be providing me the carbohydrates and electrolytes I need, it would always cause my stomach to hurt and I would feel nauseous. Then when I wasn't doing races, I also felt like consuming that much added sugar just wasn't doing my body any good.

Cure is a balanced formula, is clinically effective, and has the cleanest ingredients possible.

So, it came from a kitchen-crafted recipe essentially.

Q: WERE THERE SPECIFIC GOALS THAT YOU HAD FOR CURE AND ITS ROLE WITH ATHLETES?

It was really important to create an extremely effective hydration product. First and foremost.

I felt like I'd been an endurance athlete my whole life and always had to depend on products like Pedialyte just because I knew they were effective. But, I still never felt good about drinking the product every day because it had all of these artificial ingredients that I wouldn't normally consume. So, I would reserve it for an emergency. Then otherwise I was just drinking coconut water and making my own homemade sports drink for most days.

The goal was really to create something that was just as effective as any other hydration product out there and much better (in terms of nutrient quality) than most and with much cleaner ingredients – something you can feel good about drinking every day.

Q: HOW CAN YOU SHOW PEOPLE THAT A NATURAL PRODUCT LIKE CURE PERFORMS JUST AS WELL AS THE STANDARD HYDRATION PRODUCTS?

We're following a science-backed, medical-grade formula. We do a lot of measurements on our formula to show that we're compliant with the WHO guidelines and, because of that, we are [producing] medical products. We're FSA eligible and you can use your healthcare spending plan to buy Cure – we're the only product other than Pedialyte that has that.

You can feel assured that we're just as effective as anything similar. Hydration is interesting; you may just need a combination of glucose, sodium, and potassium…but how we're setting ourselves apart is how we're achieving that balance.

Q: HOW WOULD YOU POSITION THIS TO BE USED FOR ACTIVE PEOPLE AND ATHLETES?

It’s really important to replace what you're losing when you are working out. Our formula is designed to mimic and mirror exactly what's in your sweat.

When you sweat, you're primarily losing sodium and potassium. Cure has the perfect balance of nutrients to replace what you're losing and that's going to vary person by person. Some people are sweating a lot more than other people, but generally, we find that drinking about a pack of Cure for every 30 minutes of workout is going to perfectly rehydrate you.

For example, if you're doing an hour workout that’s mostly cardio, then you'd have two packets. That's the general rule of thumb, but [one test] you could use is when you are going on a long run or ride, weigh yourself before and after and see what the fluid loss was. Generally, it's about 500 milligrams of sodium per pound of fluid loss. So that's a good way to calculate how much sodium you need.

You can check out Cure's current lineup . They offer a wide range of tasty, healthy, and refreshing options.

Get sweaty!