Electrolyte Drink Mixes: How to Read Sodium, Potassium and Sugar on the Label

Electrolyte drink mixes are sold in stick packs and tubs, and the front of the pack usually leads with a big sodium number or a “zero sugar” badge. The Nutrition Facts panel on the back tells you more. This guide shows how to read the three lines most people look for: sodium, potassium and sugar. Our worked example is LMNT Zero Sugar Electrolytes, Citrus Salt, the electrolyte mix we carry. If you are new to labels in general, our guide on how to read a supplement label covers the basics of any panel.

How we wrote this: the label lines come from the Citrus Salt panel image on LMNT’s site, viewed in October 2026, and the rules come from the FDA labeling regulations at 21 CFR 101.9 and 21 CFR 101.60. We describe what the label and the rules say. We have not tested the product, the box in your hand may differ from the web image, and this is not diet or medical advice.

First, check which panel it is

Some electrolyte mixes are sold as foods, not as dietary supplements, so they carry a Nutrition Facts panel under 21 CFR 101.9. Dietary supplements use a Supplement Facts panel under 21 CFR 101.36. The panel type changes the layout: a Nutrition Facts panel lists calories, fat, carbohydrate, sugars and protein in a fixed order, then the minerals, each with a % Daily Value where one exists.

LMNT Citrus Salt is labeled as a food. The panel image reads “Nutrition Facts”, with 30 servings per container and a serving size of 1 stick pack (6 g). Our magnesium label guide explains what this means for the magnesium line, which on a food panel shows the amount but not the form.

Worked example: the LMNT Citrus Salt panel

Here is what the label says for one stick pack, line by line, as printed on the LMNT panel image:

• Calories: 5.
• Total Fat: 0 g, 0%.
• Sodium: 1000 mg, 43%.
• Total Carbohydrate: 1 g, 1%.
• Total Sugars: 0 g, with no percent shown.
• Protein: 0 g, 0%.
• Potassium: 200 mg, 4%.
• Magnesium: 60 mg, 15%.

The footnote reads “Not a significant source of cholesterol, dietary fiber, vitamin D, calcium and iron.”

The ingredient list on the same image names salt (sodium chloride), citric acid, magnesium malate, potassium chloride, natural lemon and lime flavors, and stevia leaf extract. The LMNT ingredients page gives the same list for Citrus Salt. So the panel tells you how much sodium, potassium and magnesium there is, and the ingredient list tells you which compounds supply them.

How to read the sodium line

The sodium line gives two numbers: milligrams per serving and a % Daily Value. The FDA sets the Daily Value for sodium at 2,300 mg for adults and children 4 years and older, and also for pregnant and lactating women, with 1,500 mg for children 1 to 3 years, according to the reference table in 21 CFR 101.9(c)(9).

The percent is the declared amount divided by the Daily Value, rounded to the nearest whole percent under 21 CFR 101.9(d)(7)(ii). So “43%” on the LMNT panel means one stick has 43% of the 2,300 mg Daily Value for sodium. By our calculation, 1000 divided by 2300 is about 43.5%, which matches the printed figure.

The milligram figure itself is rounded too. Under 21 CFR 101.9(c)(4), sodium is declared as 0 below 5 mg, to the nearest 5 mg from 5 to 140 mg, and to the nearest 10 mg above 140 mg. A mix that lists 1000 mg has been rounded to the nearest 10 mg.

Two practical points when you compare mixes:

• Compare per serving, and check what a serving is. One brand may define a serving as a stick, another as a scoop of a different weight. The LMNT serving is one 6 g stick.
• Multiply if you use more than one. The panel covers one serving. By our calculation, two LMNT sticks would come to 2,000 mg of sodium, about 87% of the Daily Value.

If you have been told to limit your sodium, talk to your doctor before using any high-sodium mix. The label gives you the number to bring to that conversation.

How to read the potassium line

Potassium is read the same way, against a different reference. The FDA Daily Value for potassium is 4,700 mg for adults and children 4 years and older, according to the reference table in 21 CFR 101.9(c)(8)(iv). The same table lists 3,000 mg for children 1 to 3 years, 5,100 mg for pregnant and lactating women and 700 mg for infants.

That larger reference is why the percentages can look lopsided. LMNT lists 200 mg of potassium, which the label shows as 4%. By our calculation, 200 divided by 4700 is about 4.3%, which rounds to 4%. The magnesium line works the same way: the 15% shown for 60 mg is close to 60 divided by the 420 mg Daily Value for magnesium.

The percent is a reference point for comparing products. It is not a target or a limit. The ingredient list shows the source: on the LMNT panel, the potassium comes from potassium chloride.

How to read the sugar lines

A Nutrition Facts panel can carry two sugar lines, and they mean different things.

Total Sugars counts all sugars in a serving. There is no Daily Value for total sugars in the FDA reference table, so this line carries no percent. That is why the LMNT panel shows “Total Sugars 0g” with an empty %DV column.

Added Sugars counts sugars added during processing. Under 21 CFR 101.9(c)(6)(iii), it appears indented under Total Sugars as “Includes X g Added Sugars”, to the nearest gram, and it may read 0 g below 0.5 g. The Daily Value for added sugars is 50 g for adults and children 4 years and older, and 25 g for children 1 to 3 years, so this line does carry a percent.

The rule also says when the Added Sugars line can be left off. It is not required when a serving has less than 1 g of added sugars and the label makes no claim about sweeteners, sugars, added sugars or sugar alcohols. When it is left off for that reason, the panel should carry the footnote “Not a significant source of added sugars” at the bottom. Total Sugars follows a similar structure under 101.9(c)(6)(ii).

On the LMNT Citrus Salt panel image we viewed, there is a “Total Sugars 0g” line, no “Added Sugars” line, and no “Not a significant source of added sugars” footnote. We are describing the image only. The printed box may differ, and how the rule applies to a given label is a question for the FDA and the brand, not for us.

Check the sweetener in the ingredient list

A sugar line of 0 g does not tell you whether a product is sweetened. For that, read the ingredient list. On the LMNT panel, the only sweetening ingredient listed is stevia leaf extract, which comes last. No sugar or sugar alcohol is listed. On any mix, the sweetener is named in the ingredient list, so that is the place to look.

“Zero sugar” and “no added sugar” are different claims

Front-of-pack sugar claims are defined terms. Under 21 CFR 101.60(c)(1), “sugar free”, “no sugar”, “zero sugar”, “without sugar” and “sugarless” may be used only when all of these hold:

• the food has less than 0.5 g of sugars per reference amount and per labeled serving;
• it contains no ingredient that is a sugar or contains sugar, unless that ingredient is marked with an asterisk saying it adds a trivial amount of sugar;
• it is labeled “low calorie” or “reduced calorie”, or each use of the term is accompanied by “not a reduced calorie food”, “not a low calorie food” or “not for weight control”.

“No added sugar” and “no sugar added” are a separate claim under 21 CFR 101.60(c)(2). That claim is about what was added in processing: no sugars or sugar-containing ingredients added, plus other conditions. Put simply, “zero sugar” describes how much sugar is in the food, and “no added sugar” describes what went into it.

On LMNT, the pack says “No Sugar”: the panel image carries a “NO SUGAR” badge and a strip that reads “NO SUGAR – NO CAFFEINE – NOTHING DODGY”, and the product is sold as Zero Sugar. Whatever a front claim says, the panel and the ingredient list are where you check it.

A quick electrolyte label checklist

1. Panel type: Nutrition Facts (sold as a food) or Supplement Facts (sold as a dietary supplement)?
2. Serving size: one stick, one scoop, and how many grams? How many servings in the box?
3. Sodium: mg per serving and % Daily Value, read against 2,300 mg for adults.
4. Potassium: mg per serving and % Daily Value, read against 4,700 mg for adults.
5. Other minerals: magnesium or calcium lines, if listed, and their sources in the ingredient list.
6. Sugars: Total Sugars, plus an Added Sugars line or the “not a significant source” footnote.
7. Sweeteners: named in the ingredient list.
8. Front claims: “zero sugar” or “no added sugar”, and do they line up with the panel?
9. Your total: multiply by the number of servings you use.

If you take supplements as well, add their mineral lines to the drink mix lines. Our supplements buying guide covers doses and testing marks across the products we carry.

FAQ

What does 43% mean on the sodium line?

It means one serving has 43% of the FDA Daily Value for sodium, which is 2,300 mg for adults and children 4 years and older. On the LMNT panel, 1000 mg works out to 43%.

Why is there no % Daily Value next to Total Sugars?

The FDA reference table in 21 CFR 101.9 has no Daily Value for total sugars, so the line has no percent. Added Sugars has a Daily Value of 50 g for adults, so that line does.

Is “zero sugar” the same as “no added sugar”?

No. Under 21 CFR 101.60, “zero sugar” is about the sugar content of the food, below 0.5 g per serving with other conditions, while “no added sugar” is about whether sugars were added in processing.

How can a “zero sugar” mix taste sweet?

It can use a sweetener that is not a sugar. Check the ingredient list: LMNT Citrus Salt lists stevia leaf extract.

Why does the potassium percent look so small next to the sodium percent?

The Daily Values differ: 2,300 mg for sodium and 4,700 mg for potassium. The same milligram amount gives a smaller percent for potassium.

Is an electrolyte mix a dietary supplement?

Not always. Some are sold as foods with a Nutrition Facts panel, as LMNT Citrus Salt is. Supplements carry Supplement Facts instead.

Where to go next

See the full product page for LMNT Citrus Salt, read how the magnesium line works in our magnesium label guide, go back to the basics in how to read a supplement label, or compare more products in the supplements buying guide. Browse the vitamins and supplements collection to see everything we carry. To see this panel next to a Liquid I.V. Sugar-Free stick, read our LMNT vs Liquid I.V. Sugar-Free labels comparison.

Talk to your doctor before adding a new drink mix or supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, take medication, have a health condition or have been told to watch your sodium or potassium.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.