High Heart rate after drinking Full fat coconut milk

(Sonny) #1

Hey everyone,

Has anyone experienced higher heart rate after eating/drinking Full Fat canned Coconut milk? I was having issues two weeks ago while on Keto and I thought that it was due to dehydration or low electrolytes. I went off Keto and over a period of 7-10 days my heart rate normalized. Today, I ate my regular breakfast of chia seeds with almond butter and blueberries and substituted the Almond milk for the coconut milk to start back on Keto and my heart rate jumped 15-20 bpm. It normalized after 4 hours. I am definitely not dehydrated or have low electrolytes today.

Thanks,
Sonny

#2

I’m Keto and fat adapted, I wear an Apple Watch 24x7 and augment with a Polar HR strap when I walk. I have noticed a significant body sensitivity to any alcohol or sugar based consumption that pushes my heart rate up beyond what the watch determines reasonable for activity or lack of activity.

I have to acknowledge that prior to having the watch I was probable encountering the same scenarios going unnoticed.

(Mike W.) #3

Eating almost ANYTHING will cause your HR to increase. Your body needs energy to digest it. Are you monitoring your HR for health reasons?

(Sonny) #4

I started Keto a month ago and noticed that my heart rate became 15-20 points higher for everything except sleeping so I stopped Keto to figure out what was going on. After stopping it my heart rate became normal. I would like to go back on Keto so I purchased Magnesium, Potassium and pink salt but after today’s episode it seems that it might not be electrolytes. Just trying to figure it out so I don’t overtax my heart.

#5

I would guess it was coincidence that you were having coconut milk. Sometimes your heart will beat faster for no apparent reason due to stress, anxiety, or you might have some sort of tachycardia. There are some reports of keto causing tachycardia in some people.

(Mike W.) #6

Your resting HR increased 15-20 bpm?

(Bunny) #7

Your cortisol/adrenaline levels (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis HPA) may spike higher when you are on keto so your flight-or-flight-responsive-starvation-mode will ramp up and kick-in and may explain the higher heart rate?

(Sonny) #8

Sitting HR went up to 90s, low elliptical went from 120 to 140. Heart rate went back to normal in the afternoon. I tested by going back on the elliptical at the same speed and it was below 120. Really odd behavior but I don’t think that it’s a coincidence. Will try coconut milk again in a few days to see if I can replicate it. I am not in Ketosis right now and not dehydrated or low electrolytes as HR is back to normal.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #9

For what it’s worth, my heart rate has been consistently near 100 bpm for years (much higher when I was on meds in the hospital a couple of years ago), but at my last physical, after I had been eating a ketogenic diet for nine months and lost sixty pounds, it was 72.

(Edith) #10

You could be allergic or sensitive to coconut and it is manifesting itself as increased pulse. This is a very interesting short book about heart rate and allergies:

I have been having heart palpitations and thought it was from electrolytes difficulties, but have recently realized my palpitations especially occur after eating dark chocolate (Boo!) and hemp heart kernels. My heart starts to pound within a minute or so of eating those foods. I have also found it takes about two days for the palpitations to settle down after ingesting them. I’m thinking tree nuts may also be trouble for me (Double Boo!)

(Tom Seest) #11

Good for you to use your heart rate as a measurement. I think you need to develop more of a baseline for different things.

Since I wear a heart rate strap, I’ve noticed that certain foods raise my heart rate more than others. I’ve had to eliminate eating specific foods at specific restaurants because of it.

But, your heart rate will normally go up while you are eating anything, so just try to develop a baseline. Time of day also effects things, so keep the time and food in your log…

(What The Fast?!) #12

@Sonnysach I was going to suggest the same thing as Edith. I would read through the PDF she posted. It could definitely be a food sensitivity.

(Sonny) #13

Thank you all. I will test further to make sure that it wasn’t a fluke. His is disappointing because coconut milk was going to be my secret calorie and MCT weapon. I may just go low carb and not keto if this is the case.