How much salt should I consume with fasting?


(George) #1

Hey there,

So this week I’m going to start a new fasting regimen. I’ve been doing 16/8 or OMAD since I started Keto, with only one 72 hour fast. Now, I’m going to start doing 3 day fasts, with 2 days of OMAD and 2 days of 16/8.

I felt OK during that fast, and pretty damn good by end of day 2, but it wasn’t until later that I heard I should’ve been upping my salt intake.

So, how much salt should I be consuming? (I only have access to regular table salt)


(Carl Keller) #2

Hi George, I would normally say shoot for 5000 mg of sodium per day but fasting presents a challenge because we are not eating any food to help deliver the sodium. In my few months experience with EF, I would periodically toss a pinch of salt in my mouth and I was probably lucky to get 2500 mg which is about one teaspoon. I never showed any symptoms of sodium deficiency at that level but I certainly would have increased if it I did.

Signs of hyponatremia:

  • Nausea and vomiting .
  • Headache .
  • Confusion .
  • Loss of energy, drowsiness and fatigue .
  • Restlessness and irritability .
  • Muscle weakness , spasms or cramps .

(George) #3

Thanks Carl!

I didn’t feel any of those symptoms last time I did an EF, but then again I added quite a few pinches of table salt to a glass of water out of precaution on one of those days. I’ll definitely try to aim for 5000mg if my body experiences any of those signs.


(Carl Keller) #4

Here’s a interesting graph that Stephen Phinney used at one of his presentations, which I found on an old @SlowBurnMary post. You will note that 5000 mg is right in the ‘sweet’ spot for the lowest risk for all cause mortality.

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