So I have heard you need to be taking elecrolytes while on keto. Is that just during the induction phase or do you need to always take them?
Electrolytes always?
amwassil
(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.)
#2
If you mean do you have to āsupplementā forever, maybe maybe not. Depends on the sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and assorted other minerals in the food you eat. Carb eating is water retaining, which is the unnatural state. Keto eating is not water retaining, which is the natural state. The water passing through removes lots of waste, and water soluble minerals go with it. Iām sure our ancestors, who spent most of their lives in ketosis, didnāt supplement. They got all the minerals they required from food. We could too.
Alex_PN
(Alex )
#3
I havenāt always taken them, but I am currentlyā¦ Iād say the difference for me is negligible, but I like the peace of mind that they are in there!
OgreZed
#5
If you end up going from eating a lot of processed foods (with a lot of sodium) to eating āwholeā foods (with little or no sodium), you may find you need to get more salt.
Whenever I feel a little āoffā (maybe once or twice a year), Iāll have some chicken broth or egg drop soup, with a few shakes of Himalayan pink salt. Fixes me right up.
lfod14
#6
100% up to how youāre eating. If you were to track your intake with something like cronometer whether keto or not youād see itās pretty unlikely youāre getting enough potassium to begin with, most people arenāt getting enough salt either. When the carbs are gone you flush even more of them. For most supplementing Pot/Mag while salting food is enough once youāre adapted.
ketoloss
#7
Has anyone found the perfect electrolytes? Iāve tried various kinds and Iām having issues with dizziness. Itās the lack of proper electrolytes and not dehydration. If you seen my recent post youāll see of my progress but Iām needing a good electrolytes. I canāt have anything with sucralose or aspertame. Stevia is ok. I take salt stick but it seems to be not working like it once did and Wonder if I need different concentration of each mineral. Iāve taken a multi mineral pill but my body never digested it, it just went through me.
ajbennett
(Jack Bennett)
#8
Iāve found electrolytes seem to make longer daily fasting windows go easier. This might be due to the salt, or it might be satisfying the psychological urge to sip something or taste a flavor.
I didnāt use them when doing 16:8 but use them deliberately now, when I am doing 20:4.
I like LMNT. It checks all the boxes and is sweetened with stevia. Only downside is that itās expensive.
Janie
(Jane)
#9
I donāt normally take electrolytes so I guess it varies a lot with individuals. When fasting more than 24 hours I take some pink salt a couple of times a day
Shinita
#10
It surely individual to some extent. We all need electrolytes but our food may provide enough to notice no problems at all. Our needs arenāt the same either, my body strongly prefers my 5g salt (not sodium) a day (much more is simply impossible for me) and 48 hours fasts are fine without supplementing anything (probably heavy exercise or high temperatures would interfere but I donāt have that when fasting).
Still, I think I know the feeling of lack of sodium. Itās a slight dizziness in my case so if I ever feel it and there is a possibility I donāt get enough sodium, I eat some salt. It never happened in the last years but it probably will if I do longer fasts.
PaulL
(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?)
#11
I have heard that a lot of full carnivores feel no need to add salt to their diet. Presumably they are getting enough in their meat. It would not surprise me to learn that the kidneys are better at retaining sodium on a plant-free diet, so that possibly the need for exogenous salt is reduced. (Similar to how a ketogenic diet promotes endogenous anti-oxidative processes, thereby greatly reducing the need for vitamin C.)
But you are probably right that there is some need for a daily intake of electrolytes. I believe, however, from what Iāve learned, that the key is sodium. If sodium is in proper balance, it is usually possible to keep calcium, magnesium, and potassium in balance as well, and to get enough from dietary sources to maintain that balance. This makes evolutionary sense, since salt is the mineral that is easiest to find in the wild, and our appetite for salt is highly variable and appears to match our need for it.
SomeGuy
(Joey)
#12
Without a doubt our bodies need certain levels of electrolytes. Itās also the case that most (all?) folks who cut out water-retaining carbs find they need to adjust their daily intake of water + electrolytes upwards to avoid ill effects.
Just how much one needs to supplement, if at all, over time is a function inputs & usage. Exercise, heat/sweat, altitude, and other environmental factors play heavily into this too.
The good news is that in most cases for most people itās simpler (and safer) to take in more salt(s) than needed - as your body will simply excrete the surplus.
Hereās a book loaded with cited research thatās well worth a read on this topic:
In case the image is hard to read itās Dr. James DiNicolantonioās āThe Salt Fixā
PaulL
(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?)
#14
How much sodium are you getting in a day? Getting enough salt helps the body to retain and balance the other electrolytes. A healthy range of table salt is 10-15 g/day, which equates to 4-6 g of sodium intake (this includes salt already present in food, by the way).
ketoloss
#15
I get about 4-5g of sodium. I take about 10 saltsticks and chew on Himalayan salt all day. I just started taking keyto protein powder and adding 1/8tsp sea salt. It seems to be helping me. Powder is expensive but Iām getting crazy energy from it and kicks my ketosis into high gear. I take it every other day. Havenāt had cramps like before.