Sport Drinks

Aajonus's objection to Gatorade and similar products was not simply that they contain artificial ingredients, though that was part of it. The deeper problem, in his framework, was that the electricity they generate in the body is chemically induced rather than biologically natural. When a cell receives that kind of stimulation, it gets a short burst of activity followed by depletion. There is nothing sustainable in the formula because the compounds are not food; they are industrial substitutes for food. Corn sugar and caffeine create a temporary excitation that exhausts the system faster than doing nothing.

He also argued that water itself, regardless of whether Gatorade or any electrolyte additive is mixed into it, fundamentally dehydrates the body at the cellular level. His position was that a cell cannot absorb water that is not ionically bound to fats, proteins, or carbohydrates. When plain water or water with chemical additives enters the body, it dilutes the digestive tract, leaches nutrients out of tissues, and leaves the cell drier than before. He described watching athletes drink more and more water during competition and get progressively weaker, not stronger, because the water was pulling nutrients out rather than delivering any. "Water dehydrates the system," he said. The more they drank, the more labored their breathing became, the more exhausted they grew.

He contrasted this with the performance of his own athletes, who drank only about one quart of the Sport Formula during five hours of competition, while their opponents were consuming a gallon, a gallon and a half, or even two gallons of water over the same period. His athletes, by his account, did not experience fatigue, did not weaken, and maintained full clarity and endurance through the entire match.

He also pointed out that this was not a new discovery but a return to something that was understood before the water industry manufactured a different consensus. He referenced Aboriginal peoples living in deserts at 120 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit who do not drink water. If they drink anything, he said, it might be a sip of coconut water passed around once in a day. Their food is their water, bound ionically to nutrients, and it works because it integrates with the cellular environment rather than disrupting it.

The Sport Formula provides hydration through what Aajonus called ionically bound water, meaning water that arrives in the body already integrated with the minerals, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates present in whole raw foods. Because the water comes packaged with nutrients, the cells can absorb it without it creating an osmotic disturbance. The electrolytes in the formula are natural, not chemically synthesized, and they provide what he called "real electrolytes" as opposed to Gatorade's "chemical crap."

The formula also contains lactic acid precursors from whey, which he said helps convert and eliminate the lactic acid that builds up in muscles during exertion. That is one reason he considered it specifically suited to athletic performance: it does not just hydrate, it also helps clear the metabolic byproducts of exercise that cause fatigue and cramping. The lime juice in the formula, he noted, functions to surround and encapsulate damaging toxins, including mercury, reducing the amount of vapor mercury discharges by approximately one third. The combination of lime juice and lemon juice together manages this encapsulation while also counteracting the lime juice's antibacterial properties, which if left unchecked would interfere with proper fermentation in the gut.

He described the formula as something athletes can sip continuously throughout training and competition, never gulping, always taking small amounts. He was consistent and emphatic about this: guzzling any fluid, including the Sport Formula, would undo its benefits. The body needs time to integrate small amounts of fluid-bound nutrition; gulping overwhelms the system and the person ends up more thirsty, not less. Sipping maintains a continuous state of hydration without overloading the kidneys or intestinal tract.

Aajonus gave the Sport Formula many times across workshops, Q&A sessions, newsletters, and personal consultations between 2008 and 2012. The formula evolved, and he was explicit that what he called the most recent version superseded earlier ones, though he presented the earlier versions in different contexts based on individual needs.

**Sport Formula (latest version as of May 2012 and confirmed in written correspondence)**

The base of the formula is three cups drawn from at least two of the following five foods: cucumber (pureed, peeled), tomato (pureed, skins left on), watermelon (pureed, pink and red flesh from the seeds down to the rind), raw whole milk, and fresh raw liquid whey (the liquid byproduct of making cheese, not powdered whey from health food stores). Any combination of these five may be used to reach the three-cup total. A person could use all five or just two, depending on availability and preference.

To that three-cup base, the remainder of the ingredients are: - 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar - 2 tablespoons lime juice - 2 teaspoons lemon juice - 2 tablespoons coconut cream - 2 tablespoons dairy cream - 2 to 3 eggs - 1 to 2 tablespoons unheated honey (optional)

Blended together, this makes approximately one quart. The person sips on it throughout the day. A variation he mentioned for someone who specifically needed more enzymes was to add 1 to 2 ounces of whole pineapple (not juice) and reduce the three-cup base to 2.75 cups.

**Sport Formula (March 18, 2012 appendix version)**

- 3 cups of any combination of cucumber, tomato, watermelon - 3 tablespoons coconut cream - 3 tablespoons dairy cream - 2 tablespoons lime juice - 1 tablespoon lemon juice - 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar - 2 to 3 tablespoons honey - 4 eggs

This makes one quart. If the blended result falls short of a quart, a small amount of water may be added to reach the full volume.

**Sport Drink (February 22, 2009)**

- 2 cups cucumber puree (some tennis players use 3 cups) - 1 cup tomato puree - 1 tablespoon vinegar - 1 tablespoon lemon juice - 1 to 4 tablespoons honey - 2 to 4 tablespoons coconut cream - 2 to 4 tablespoons dairy cream - 2.5 ounces sparkling mineral water

Blended together. For athletes performing five or more hours in a tournament, he prescribed adding one egg per cup of the finished drink, whipped in immediately before drinking each cup rather than blended into the full batch ahead of time.

**Sport Formula (December 14, 2008)**

For heavy sport with significant perspiration, he altered the hydration formula from his book "We Want To Live" to be less acidic and more cooling: - 2 to 2.5 cups cucumber puree - 1 cup tomato puree - 1 tablespoon vinegar - 1 tablespoon lemon juice - 2 to 4 tablespoons coconut cream - 2 to 4 tablespoons dairy cream - 2.5 to 4 ounces sparkling mineral water (or the equivalent amount of whey substituted for the water)

He noted that whey could be added in place of the sparkling water, or added alongside the vinegar, or used instead of vinegar entirely.

**Sport Formula (August 24, 2008)**

- 1 to 1.5 cups tomato puree (skins left on) - 1.5 to 2 cups cucumber puree (peeled) - 3 to 4 tablespoons coconut cream - 3 to 4 tablespoons dairy cream - 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar (maximum 2 tablespoons for athletes; maximum 1 tablespoon for non-athletes; approximately 0.5 tablespoon for sedentary workers) - 1 tablespoon lemon juice - 3 to 4 tablespoons honey (reducible to 2 tablespoons for athletes who have trouble with that much) - 1 cup water if performing high-intensity sport (because at that level the body needs a small amount of pure water) - 1 egg for sports persons; optional or omitted for non-sports persons

This version takes an athlete through five hours of hard activity on one quart.

**Sport Drink (January 9, 2011)**

- 1 cup tomato puree - 1 cup cucumber puree - 1 cup whey - 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar - 1 tablespoon lemon juice - 2 to 2.5 tablespoons honey - 2 tablespoons dairy cream - 2 to 3 eggs

Blended together to make one quart. His athletes go through a quart in five hours without getting weak or tired.

**Sport Drink given to a woman in a Q&A session (September 11, 2011)**

- 2 cups watermelon (pink and red flesh from the seeds down to the rind) - 1 cup raw milk - 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar - 1.5 teaspoons moist Terramin clay - 1 tablespoon lime juice - 1 tablespoon lemon juice - 2 tablespoons coconut cream - 2 to 3 eggs - 20 blueberries (to pull out metals)

Blended and sipped. He noted that watermelon relates to perspiration and body heat. Optional additions include half a cup tomato, one cup cucumber, and whey.

**Simplified runner's version (mentioned in workshop)**

One person who was a runner drank approximately one quart per day made of: - About one third cucumber juice - About one third blended tomato - About half a teaspoon vinegar - About two tablespoons honey - About four tablespoons coconut cream - Two tablespoons dairy cream

He described this as providing everything needed for fuel and body cooling, reducing the need to perspire and therefore reducing overall fluid requirements.

**Early dehydration formula from "We Want To Live"**

He described the original hydration formula in his book as being predominantly tomato with cucumber, and said he converted it into what became the Sport Formula because it was too acidic for many athletes. The original was heavier in tomato; the evolved formula reversed the ratio to favor cucumber more heavily.

Cucumber was consistently present across virtually every version of the formula. Cucumber puree provides cooling to the body and is high in natural sodium, which Aajonus said supports proper removal of toxic sodium and maintains physical strength. The cucumbers are always peeled before pureeing.

Tomato puree also appears across most versions. Like cucumber, tomato is high in sodium and provides what he described as the electrolytes and collagen precursors the body needs during exertion. The skins are left on when pureeing tomato.

Watermelon puree he described as specifically associated with perspiration and body heat regulation. It is the food that causes the most perspiration of any food, which is relevant both for athletic activity and for use during hot baths. Watermelon is also high in sodium. It is always pureed, not juiced, so that the pulp and collagen precursors remain intact.

Whey, the liquid byproduct of making raw cheese (not powdered or commercial whey), is high in natural lactic acid, which he said helps the body convert and eliminate the lactic acid that accumulates in muscles during exertion. It also provides a high concentration of natural electrolytes. He described it as tasting somewhat like yellow urine but said that when mixed with a little sparkling mineral water it takes on a soda-like quality.

Raw whole milk can substitute for or complement whey in the formula. He noted that for someone who is very thin and low on muscle fat, substituting milk for whey adds more energy to the formula because the fat content of milk provides denser fuel than whey alone.

Raw apple cider vinegar appears in all versions. He adjusted the amount based on activity level: 2 tablespoons maximum for athletes, 1 tablespoon maximum for non-athletes, and approximately half a tablespoon for sedentary people. For someone who is large or ill, one and a half tablespoons is appropriate. He specified raw, unfiltered, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar throughout.

Lime juice he described as specifically protective: it surrounds and encapsulates damaging particles, including mercury, reducing the vapor discharge from mercury by approximately one third. He prescribed two to three tablespoons for people with lymphatic congestion and as a general component of the formula.

Lemon juice counteracts the antibacterial effect of lime juice, which if left unchecked would suppress the fermentation in the digestive tract that the formula is meant to support along with the bacteria from eggs and cream.

Coconut cream and dairy cream both appear in all versions, generally two tablespoons each for non-intense athletes and up to four tablespoons each for intense athletes. These provide fat for sustained energy and also help protect the muscles, including preventing charley horses and muscle spasms. He specifically noted that if someone is doing very acidic sports, adding a small amount of butter to the formula also helps protect muscles from cramping.

Eggs are central to the formula for anyone engaged in intense athletic performance. He consistently prescribed two to three eggs for moderate sport and three to four eggs for intense sports like tennis, basketball, soccer, or volleyball. For a five-hour tournament, he prescribed adding one egg to each cup of the drink immediately before consumption rather than blending them into the full batch in advance. He described a scenario where someone playing tennis was running out of energy by the third set and said the solution was to have eggs in the sport formula. The bacteria introduced by eggs (and cream) into the formula increases digestibility of the whole preparation.

Honey is listed as optional in some versions and specified at one to two tablespoons in others, up to three or four tablespoons for athletes who need it. Some athletes had difficulty with higher amounts of honey. He noted that honey provides electrolytes and ions that support energy, and that the amount can be cut back if a person becomes too thirsty.

Sparkling naturally carbonated mineral water appears in some versions at 2.5 to 4 ounces, used to bring the total volume up to a quart when the other ingredients do not reach that volume. He preferred naturally carbonated mineral water such as Pellegrino over still water when water was needed in the formula at all.

He was consistent about one rule above all others: sip, never gulp. Taking a mouthful at a time, swishing it around the mouth, and swallowing it slowly is how he recommended consuming the formula. If there is pulp in the preparation from the pureed vegetables and fruits, the person should chew the mouthful before swallowing. The more the formula is mixed with saliva and chewed, and the more bacteria from the eggs and cream are introduced into the digestive process, the more of the formula the body will be able to absorb and utilize.

A full quart lasts one athlete approximately five hours of intense competition. He described his tennis champions drinking only one liter (about one quart) during a five-hour match while their opponents drank a gallon or more. If someone gulps the formula instead of sipping, they will experience the same diminishing returns as with water or Gatorade: short bursts of relief followed by increasing thirst and fatigue.

He suggested pairing the Sport Formula with cheese and milk throughout the day. His general protocol for athletes during competition or training was to have cheese every thirty to forty-five minutes, sip two ounces of Sport Formula every thirty minutes, and sip milk interchangeably with the formula so that the two alternate. This combination provides sustained fuel from fat and protein in the cheese and milk, electrolytes and hydration from the formula, and prevents the athlete from ever reaching the point of gulping due to extreme thirst.

For the hot bath protocol specifically, he prescribed drinking half a cup of the Sport Formula about twenty minutes before entering the bath, sipping on one cup of it while in the bath (up to three cups if the bath lasts ninety minutes), and drinking another cup after the bath. That leaves two cups to sip throughout the rest of the day, for a total of approximately four cups (one quart) consumed across the full bath day.

He also said that for very intense sports involving hot baths as well, a person might go through two quarts of Sport Formula in a day. On a day of seven hours in a hot spring, he said he personally went through three Sport Formula preparations plus his normal two quarts of milk.

He repeatedly referenced two athletes as the central evidence for the effectiveness of the Sport Formula: Walker Tieran (also spelled Kieren or Kieren in different transcripts) and Valerie Bisick (also referred to as Valerie Ngauamo Adams or Valerie Micek in different transcripts). Both were his patients from the time they were eight and nine years old respectively, and both became the number one high school tennis champions in 2009, the male champion nationally and the female champion as well.

Walker had asthma as a child. He could not tolerate even raw milk initially, or at least pasteurized milk was impossible for him. After going on the raw diet and drinking the Sport Formula, he transformed from an asthmatic boy with a weak, raspy voice (he gave testimony before a board of supervisors about the raw milk bill in that voice) to the national high school tennis champion by 2009. Aajonus described seeing the same person years apart and said it was almost impossible to believe it was the same individual.

Both athletes drank only one quart of Sport Formula during their competitive matches, while their opponents consumed a gallon or a gallon and a half of water during the same five-hour periods. The competitors became progressively weaker and more labored in breathing. His two champions "just stayed clear and focused for six hours of tennis without ever weakening," as he put it.

He also referenced a male athlete who was 57 years old and competing in a category against people aged 35 to 50. Before going on the raw diet, he typically finished around 35th to 50th place in his category. After one year on the diet, including drinking the Sport Formula and not drinking water, he placed fifth. Aajonus described this as remarkable given the age differential among competitors.

He mentioned a six-foot-tall female runner who drank only one quart of the formula per day during her training and did not need more fluid than that, despite the intensity of her workouts. He contrasted her with John McEnroe, who by Aajonus's account went through two and a half gallons of fluid during sports alone and then drank additional water off the court. He described how athletes who drink enormous quantities of water dry out and become brittle over time, losing their ability to perform, because the water carries no nutrients and strips the tissues of what it cannot replace.

He also mentioned a kung fu master in New York City who does not consume water and maintains full function and health on the Sport Formula and raw foods.

Because hot baths cause significant perspiration and lymphatic movement, Aajonus prescribed the Sport Formula as the primary hydration during hot bath sessions. He said the formula helps compensate for the fluid loss from heat exposure without the problems that water creates. The watermelon component in particular relates to perspiration and body heat regulation, which is why he included it in formulas given to people using hot baths.

The specific protocol: drink half a cup approximately twenty minutes before entering the bath, sip one cup of it while in the bath (up to three cups for a ninety-minute bath), drink another cup when exiting, and sip the remaining two cups throughout the rest of the day. If water is also needed, he said to mix it into the Sport Formula rather than drinking it straight.

For hot spring sessions lasting six to seven hours, he said he personally consumed three full quarts of Sport Formula plus his normal two quarts of milk across that time. He was clear that rehydration at this level of heat exposure requires serious fluid volume from the formula, not water.

Aajonus did not say people should consume zero water under all circumstances, but his position was that water consumption should be minimized drastically and that sport activities and hot baths should be handled with the Sport Formula rather than water. He said the maximum pure water intake for most non-athlete adults is about half a cup per day, consumed in tablespoon-sized sips spread throughout the day, never all at once, because gulping water pushes it directly to the kidneys and causes damage before the body can use it.

For athletes, he allowed up to a cup and a half of water per day, still only in sips. For large athletes doing very intense sport, perhaps two to two and a half cups per day. But in every case, the primary hydration source should be the Sport Formula and raw milk, with water as a minimal supplement for solvent purposes only. The body needs a small amount of pure water, he acknowledged, to help dissolve certain compounds that cannot be dissolved without a pure solvent, and the body also uses pure water as the base for manufacturing viral solvents that become more reactive when mixed with water. But the quantities required are small, and they should never displace the nutrient-bound hydration of the formula.

He also addressed naturally carbonated mineral water specifically: Pellegrino is acceptable when a small amount of water is needed in the formula. He was more cautious about high-sodium sparkling waters like Perrier but said Pellegrino was fine. Any added water or sparkling mineral water in the formula should be incorporated into the blend rather than consumed separately.

A recurring theme across all of Aajonus's discussions of the Sport Formula versus Gatorade and water was his insistence that all food is already water. Meat is 55 to 70 percent water. Milk is 86 to 90 percent water. Fruit is 90 to 92 percent water. The water in these foods is ionically bound to the nutrients in the food, which means the cells can absorb it properly and use it without disruption. When water arrives without ionic bonding to fats, proteins, or carbohydrates, the cell either cannot absorb it at all or, if it does absorb it, the water pulls nutrients out of the cell and dehydrates it. This is the mechanism by which he said water dehydrates rather than hydrates.

This is also why he said that sipping milk alternately with the Sport Formula is such an effective hydration strategy. Milk is 86 percent water but all of that water is bound to the fat, protein, and mineral content of the milk, so every sip delivers hydration that the cell can integrate without being disrupted. The same is true of the pureed vegetables and fruits in the formula. None of the water is free-standing; it all arrives carrying or carried by nutrients.

He contrasted this explicitly with Gatorade: "I don't care if you're drinking Gatorade or what it is. All you're doing is throwing H2O that's nutrient deficient into your cells. You're going to dehydrate them."