Is Ancient Wisdom Behind Today’s Loaded Water Trend?

There’s a glass of water on your desk right now. You drink it diligently throughout the day because you know hydration matters. And yet, do you ever feel like you’re drinking water all day long but still feeling thirsty, tired, or dry?

You’re not imagining it. Water, while essential, isn’t the whole story. And our ancestors knew this instinctively.

In this post, Ancient + Brave nutritionist, Madison Miller, explores how our ancestors benefited from natural electrolyte hydration and guides you through supporting your own hydration with three easy loaded water recipes you can make to enjoy electrolyte drinks at home.

What’s missing from modern water?

Picture a mountain spring bubbling up from deep within the earth. For millennia, our ancestors drank from springs, rivers, and wells, naturally rich with minerals. Every sip was loaded with electrolytes that helped water move into cells, hydrated tissues, and supported essential functions throughout the body.

Fast forward to today, and we’ve gained convenience but lost the mineral matrix our bodies evolved to expect. 

We drink water that has been reverse-osmosed and purified of nearly everything, including the very minerals that help support hydration at a cellular level. 

At the same time, we grab convenient meals that are often nutrient-poor, and live in climate-controlled environments that quietly dehydrate us. We also move less, stress more, and sleep poorly, all of which increase our hydration and mineral needs.

True hydration: What your cells actually need

The good news? We can bridge that hydration gap in our modern lifestyle by fortifying our water with sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and chloride - essential minerals responsible for pulling water into cells. 

Without these electrolytes, water passes through you without properly hydrating tissues, but they aren't the only way to support hydration from within.

Collagen peptides can also play a key role in hydration thanks to the hydroxyproline and glycine, amino acids that help tissues hold moisture. 

Likewise, creatine can also help maintain hydration and energy within muscle cells, supporting cellular volume, recovery, and performance.**

Fortifying your water with these hydration-helping ingredients echoes the wisdom of our ancestors. They didn’t separate hydration from nourishment. Every sip carried minerals from the earth, every meal was an opportunity to support the body’s innate intelligence

Loaded water: Why everyone’s upgrading their water ritual

So, what is loaded water and where does loaded water fit into all this?

A hydration TikTok trend that’s revolutionizing the way we drink, loaded water is a welcome return to the kind of mineral-rich nourishment our bodies were designed for.

Hydration beyond H₂O, loaded water is water fortified with the nutrients your body needs to actually use that water, such as electrolytes for cellular uptake, and amino acids for tissue repair.

Easy to make at home, loaded water recipes will typically combine water with herbs and fruits. Loaded water can also contain creatine or collagen- compounds that support energy and recovery.

For us, the beauty of loaded water lies in its simplicity. You’re not adding another supplement to swallow or another task to your list. You’re enhancing something you already do, drinking water, and making it more effective.

The Loaded Water Recipes: Electrolyte recipes for loaded water rituals

We may not have access to mountain springs anymore, but we can recreate that mineral-rich, nutrient-dense hydration in our own kitchens. 

Simply start with clean, filtered water, then consider what your body is asking for.

Ready? Here are three easy loaded water recipes you can make at home to help optimize your hydration ritual.

The Restore and Recover Loaded Water Recipe

If you’ve been active, under stress, or simply navigating a full day, this post-movement water recipe is perfect for you.

Ingredients:

• 8oz Coconut water

• 1 serving True Creatine for muscle, performance, and focus⁺

• 1 serving True Hydrate

• 1 serving⁺ + True Collagen 

• A squeeze of lemon

Adding creatine to your water helps support cellular energy production, while continued electrolyte replenishment keeps you balanced.

Coconut water provides natural potassium and a subtle sweetness, while lemon adds brightness and vitamin C to support collagen synthesis. It’s functional, delicious, and deeply replenishing.

The Replenish and Energize Loaded Water Recipe

After hours of overnight rest, your body craves minerals and amino acids. Begin your day with a water ritual enhanced with electrolytes and collagen.

This supports gentle rehydration, provides building blocks for cellular repair, and sets a nourishing tone for the day ahead.

To make this morning hydration water recipe, you will need these.

Ingredients:  

• 10oz water

• 1 serving True Hydration for clean electrolytes + minerals

• 1 serving True Collagen for skin, hair, and energy⁺

Simply mix these ingredients, then sip and enjoy.

The Evening Wind-Down Loaded Water Recipe

As you transition into rest mode, lighter hydration with calming minerals supports relaxation and overnight repair.

Try our evening wind-down water recipe and help your body prepare for peaceful sleep.

Ingredients:

• 12oz herbal tea or warm water

• A pinch of sea salt 

• 1 serving True Nightcap ⁺ for magnesium and glycine for deep rest + recovery

Conclusion: 

While loaded water might be a 2025 wellbeing trend, it is also a welcome return to an older, wiser way of thinking about hydration - one that honors the body’s complexity and remembers that water, in its purest ancestral form, was never just H₂O.

Reference List: 

** Armstrong LE, et al. Hydration biomarkers and dietary fluid consumption of women. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 2012;112(7):1056-1061.

** Kreider RB, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 2017;14:18.

Popkin, B. M., D’Anci, K. E., & Rosenberg, I. H. (2010). Water, hydration, and health. Nutrition Reviews, 68(8), 439–458. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2010.00304.x