Electrolytes: How long ...forever?

(Susan) #4

Can you use Pink Himalyan salt?

(Andi loves space, bacon and fasting. ) #5

I add Himalayan salt to it, but the Lite Salt is important bc it has potassium.

(Susan) #6

I have never done this since I began Keto, I will now buy this stuff, but why is it important? just wondering, I was thinking of it before reading this as everyone seems to keep mentioning it and I do daily IF 18/6 or 20/4 and 1 weekly 24 fast ( that I want to increase) so I think this is something I should be adding… I was just wondering why we do?

(Raj Seth) #7

My understanding is that if you take enough salt, (like really really enough), everything else just falls into place.

The presumption is that one is eating real food, with real salt. I’ve been keto 18 months, fasted over 150 days, (not all at once :open_mouth: ), and have yet to take an electrolyte supplement. YMMV.
On the other hand my wife finds Brenda Zorn’s home made electrolyte essential for daily IF.

(Susan) #8

Okay, thanks andesite and Rajseth, and I would then say to Fracmeister, maybe we (meaning I need to as well!) just buy this cheap version that andesite has mentioned.

I will be doing it with just tap water, as that is all I drink!

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #9

I got interested in electrolytes when my night/morning leg/foot/ankle cramps became unbearable. It got to the point I didn’t want to go to sleep knowing I’d wake up in excruciating pain that might take 5, 10, 15 minutes or longer to go away and leave my foot, ankle, calf feeling sore the rest of the day.

A bit of investigation identified electrolytes as one possible source so I started experimenting with various mixes of sodium (Real Salt), potassium (No Salt) and magnesium (Epsom salt). Calcium is also important, but since I eat lots of dairy I don’t think I have any problems getting that.

The severity of my cramps have lessened since starting the electrolytes. In addition, when a cramp starts I can now stop it by relaxing and stretching the affected area. Wereas before I could do nothing to stop it and had to let it run its course. So I think the electrolytes have helped immensely. At least I no longer fear going to bed!

I continue to modify proportions of the various salts and daily dose in the continuing quest to eliminate the cramps or get them to the point of being non-crippling. I fully accept this will be a lifelong necessity. Although I agree with @Rajseth that food ought to be the primary source of various nutrient salts, food choices affect that quite a bit.

Mineral deficiencies are not exclusive to keto by any means. Knowledgeable food choices can minimize the necessity and/or amounts of mineral salts to add to one’s dietary regimen. Of course, keto is a water-purging diet, and minerals especially electrolytes go out with the water and need to be replenished. Rather than a supplement requirement, I look at it as just another nutrient source that enhances the flavours of other foods.

Do blood electrolyte tests have any value?
(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #10

I started out with added electrolytes (potassium, magnesium and sodium). I dropped the potassium and stuck with Mg and Na (sodium) for a while but got lazy and quit the Mg too. Now I just salt everything, even my coffee. When I was going through my leg cramp fiasco and trying everything I found that upping my carbs one day a week (to like 40 instead of 20) stopped them altogether. I haven’t had a leg cramp in months. I will add, however, that I am pounding the water throughout the day and also dramatically decreased Diet Mt. Dew during work. So it could be a combination of things. My point is try experimenting without them, if you don’t want to buy them again, and see what works for you. I do suggest staying very hydrated no matter what though.

(Susan) #11

I never put salt on anything… haven’t used salt in ages, as I don’t like anything salty, so this is going to be an adjustment for me.

I bought the Pink Himalyan salt and put it on veggies twice and had to rinse them off as it was horrible, (washing off the salt probably removed most of the olive oil too, but I had to get that salt off) so I am a bit worried how I am going to drink salted water now… eek.

(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #12

I can’t taste it in coffee and it cuts the bitter taste out of it. I don’t like Pink Himalyan salt, personally. I like table salt. I saw someone recommend once that they put how much they want to consume in a day in a little bowl and try to use it up by the end of the day. Maybe this would help and it wouldn’t be more than you think you could tolerate, taste wise.

(Andi loves space, bacon and fasting. ) #13

It keeps the leg cramps at bay and for me helps with my arrhythmia, also I just feel generally better when I drink the electrolytes on a daily basis.

(Susan) #14

Maybe I will try it in coffee, thanks for the advice, PetaMarie =) I don’t like coffee a lot because of the bitter taste, so maybe I will with the salt in it.

I only bought the P.H. salt because I saw it recommended for Keto… before I joined the forum, when I was cruising the net looking for Keto ideas…before I found this wonderful forum! now I never bother checking for info anywhere else, no need =).

(Susan) #15

@andesite
Okay, thanks very much, I do get the leg cramps at times so I would love to get rid of them, thanks!

(Susan) #16

Is it okay to just buy the Magnesium Citrate tablets and take them? or do you have to buy the Morton’s Lite Salt and put that in water to drink?

(Andi loves space, bacon and fasting. ) #17

Magnesium Citrate for magnesium and Lite Salt for potassium, you need them both. I’m not sure about the tablets, I know that absorption is an issue with magnesium, so do a bit of research before you invest in the tablets.

(Susan) #18

OKay, I was trying to do this cheaply was all, and when I looked on amazon for the salt was $20 dollars and I only saw tablets for the M.C. so wondered.

(Andi loves space, bacon and fasting. ) #19

You can find the bottles of Rexall magnesium citrate at your local pharmacy for about $2.

(Susan) #20

Okay, I will look tomorrow than, thanks =) I try to buy most stuff on Amazon as I only go to the shops once a week is all so I always check there first =).

(Jane- Old Inky Crone) #21

One thing I was cautioned about, be very careful with the potassium supplements. Some people don’t need it at all, and it is dangerous to get too much. I completely quit using it and my last blood test showed my potassium to be normal. Magnesium and enough sodium are key to relieving leg cramp problems. I use this product from Amazon, it is very bio available and works great to keep my leg cramps at bay. My doctor even recommends it (I’ve used it for several years before I found my doc). I do love salt and tend to get plenty, so YMMV.

#22

There was an interesting question about this on a recent Robb Wolf podcast. I think he’s been watching the KetoGains leaders and finding that they are very on top of their salt - long term - and it makes all the difference to ongoing success on keto. He guessed that ancestral eating patterns would have naturally included more sodium.

(less is more, more or less) #23

I have been low-carb for 2+ years. When I was starting, several months in, I was drinking a cup or two of beef or chicken broth a day (NOT low-sodium, always check ingredients) Now, like @PetaMarie I salt my meals. I might add up to a tablespoon over a day to my meals. Sodium helps with the rest of the electrolytes.

The good news is this need not be complicated.