Homemade "Pedialyte"

With so many people still dealing with stomach bugs, I thought I'd share this recipe that I got years ago. At one of the places I worked we would give this recipe to patients' families because it would keep people from running out to buy Pedialyte while sick--'cause who keeps that stuff on hand hoping for an illness before it expires? And it's not a good idea to go out when you're sick because you spread your germs.

Most people have all the items for this recipe on hand all the time. If you don't typically keep Jello around (I do because I make popsicles with it), it's easier & cheaper to buy a box of Jello for the Just in Case of Illness spot in the pantry, than a bottle of expensive Pedialyte. The Jello is optional but it's downright gross without it & the point is to get a sick person to drink a lot of it. The natural flavor of this stuff is truly counterproductive for that.

This recipe is also so much cheaper than the bought stuff.

Mix until dissolved:
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 Tbs sugar
1 tsp Jello powder, any flavor 
Stir in 3 1/2 cups cold water. Refrigerate. This is good for up to 3 days. 

Without getting into the chemistry of this recipe--as much as I love talking about chemistry *cough cough*--it gives you the electrolytes you lose when you have gi issues & aren't keeping anything down. You can double or triple this recipe but you have to keep the proportions correct in order to get the proper electrolyte balance...more chemistry right there, folks.

See how I avoid using any word to do with not keeping food down? They're all my most hated words in the world. Well, most hated words along with the word "chore". Ew. Chore. Shudder.

My kids have always known to just skip any word that describes tummies losing their contents. They literally make me sick to hear the words. Just writing the end of that first sentence made my tummy turn. Blah.

Blondie says "threw the ball"...it always makes me smile. "The ball" replaces "up" & I'm okay with that. Yes, I'm aware that I have 27 children who occasionally have illnesses. Yes, I'm aware that I've worked in health care for the last several years & have had to deal with illness more than occasionally. Give me internal organs on the outside of bodies or missing limbs & I'm in my glory. I'll deal with anything my coworkers' patients can throw at me (sometimes literally) in trade for a coworker dealing with my patient who is throwing the ball. For some reason that I don't get, I am always the odd one but this works in my favor. There are always plenty of CNA's willing to take on my icky patients & think I'm crazy for the things that don't get to me.

Hopefully you don't need this recipe, but it's a good one to have on hand for Just in Case of Illness.