Electrolyte balance, long term?

(E P) #1

How do you long term zero-carb folks keep your electrolytes balanced? How do you know they’re getting imbalanced? Or depleted? What’s the difference? What about kidney stones or other problems from maybe over-supplementing something?

I’ve searched the forums and seen @FrankoBear’s thread about controlling afib with magnesium and salt - fascinating. Sounds like some people retain electrolytes by adding a few carbs, but some people need the high ketones - but high ketones seem to make water flush right through.

After a year of keto, I got weak and faint. Salt, lite salt, mg citrate, and ACV fixed me right up, which I had never tried before.

More recently, almost 3 years in now, I have been on Gabapentin for nighttime foot aches/peripheral neuropathy. When it stopped working, I swapped that for magnesium glycinate and spray instead and - wow, in a week’s time, months of pain is almost gone. Coincidence?

How is “balance” achieved long term? Please, pass on the wisdom.

(Ohio ) #2

It’s something that I have been dialing in for a few years now. Currently I feel like I rely on electrolytes more than food. And the food I eat often has an electrolyte factor as well. Calcium: Cheese, Brocculi. Potassium: Nuts. Beans. Rice. Tomato. Magnesium in all foods has been on a downward trend since the 70’s, at least. So that and salt i pill that up.

I also have a tendency to eat just straight salt. Wash down w/ water. You start processing salt in your mouth. It’s also why my meat has a solid layer of salt on it. I buy salt by the 25lb bag.

(Bob M) #3

This is a tough one. I know when I’m “imbalanced” by things like leg kicks or restlessness at night; when my fingers don’t work quite right; when I have any cramps. Then I try (in this order): pickle juice; salt; magnesium. Lately, I’ve been taking magnesium glycinate at night, more often than I used to, though not always because of symptoms – I’m trying to prevent symptoms.

It’s also winter here, so I tend to have fewer issues.

Are the sprays magnesium oil spray? I forgot about that one, though I have at least one bottle of that. I might have to use it again.

(E P) #4

@ctviggen yes, mag oil spray. I thought it was hippie dippy placebo nonsense (sorry @Hippie :crazy_face:) but maybe it’s actually helping the nerves fire correctly somehow? There’s a study out there about surgically implanting pellets of magnesium next to nerve grafts to help them grow faster.

(E P) #5

Is there a such thing as too much salt? How do you know? I salt meat and water/coffee/tea heavily too. How do you dose magnesium?

(Ohio ) #6

Diarrhea is what ppl on here say for electrolytes in general. Too much salt hurts my stomach. I know I have too little salt if I’m feeling lethargic, then eat salt, and perk up.

I’m finished eating around noon, so I wait an hour then take a OOO empty pill. The cap has sea salt and the body has epson salt. I also supplement iodine as well with this. Cayenne powder also gets added to the mix sometimes as well. I hated waking up to go to the bathroom and for years I thought it was just the way it had to be. Once I put all my focus and energy into maximizing electrolytes, it seems as if I have eliminated waking up to pee.

(Ohio ) #7

I also feel I have double, triple, even quadruple my electrolytes if I’m drinking tea.

(Joey) #8

Well worth reading…

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Filled with fascinating information with supporting studies referenced accordingly.

(Ohio ) #9

It’s worth buying. Although DiNcolantonio haters come out of the woodwork here.

#10

That’s 100% specific to you, how you eat, and how you do / don’t hold onto them. Keto is a diuretic, that doesn’t change. Whether upping carbs a little or going by how you feel, it’s 100% playing with it to find where you feel best.

Glad the mag worked for you, Gabapentin isn’t a pain killer, yet doc’s use it all the time that way the second the word nerve comes into the same sentence as pain.

Whatever did that was within the previous 1-4 days, something changed. We start losing our ability to hold onto electrolytes once you started see the water weight drop when you started. When you don’t track what’s going in, it’s more or less impossible to figure out what did it other than a lucky memory / guess.

Unless you’re saying you were week and faint long term…hope not.

(Bob M) #11

Some people who have looked into The Salt Fix think some of his conclusions are not supported by the studies he cites. I haven’t delved deep enough into the book to figure that out, though I did read the book, and started adding salt to my morning coffee because of it.

(E P) #12

The individuality of it all is the one consistent thing!

I do track so I do know that that particular faintness episode was from lowering carbs even further while pregnant. It was on purpose, to squash an RA flare, but scary - and ever since, I’ve had to keep salt high. Maybe bodily reserves of something ran out.

@SomeGuy that’s next on the reading list. Currently reading The Magnesium Miracle, @VirginiaEdie recommended in an old thread that came up when I searched about magnesium. I wonder how much the two will concur/differ! Possibly related to the individuality thing…

@Hippie I had NO idea the coffee and tea all day was possibly working against me, but the Magnesium Miracle book just said the same thing.

(Edith) #13

I have been low carb for almost eight years and have had difficulty keeping my electrolytes balanced almost the entire time. For me the problem resulted in muscle cramps / aches and heart palpitations.

Within the past year, I have upped my carbs a bit, closer to the 50 grams a day (plus or minus) and I have been doing much better.

(Edith) #14

I read the book, too. I found towards the end a lot of what he wrote was conjecture.

(Joey) #15

The Salt Fix covers magnesium and potassium too. All interrelated.

(Joey) #16

Ha! Didn’t know such haters were a thing. Haven’t encountered them myself.

He basically summarizes (and explains the implications of) peer-reviewed research. What’s to hate? :thinking:

(Ohio ) #17

You will.

I’m addicted to green tea. Bad. I can detox for weeks, but I drink it to deal w/ stress, focus, energy, inflammation, etc. It’s a drug I never take for granted.

(Joey) #18

Looking forward to spotting the silliness up close. :+1:

(E P) #19

The interrelated bit is the tough part, because one affects how the other is utilized! Magnesium Miracle book recommends as much magnesium as you can handle, some sea salt, 600 mg calcium no more no less, but doesn’t say much about potassium. Also says minerals and B vitamins are related.

She did convince me to lean hard into magnesium supplementation. A 15-20g sliver of liver and an oz of cheese added to my daily sardine habit would add up to 600mg calcium, as well as a lot of the minerals and B vitamins she mentioned. A weekly can of smoked oysters adds zinc to the copper in the liver. Swapping to pink salt won’t hurt me either.

Hopefully Salt Fix says more about potassium! 1/3 tsp No-Salt gets me up to RDA but that’s such a random number.

And then there somehow exist folks living off of unsalted steak alone :crazy_face: talk about individual differences!

@Hippie green tea :tea: IS amazing.

(E P) #20

@VirginiaEdie do you think ReMag is better than magnesium glycinate? So glad you’ve found your sweet spot!