How much salt?

fasting
#9

Don’t you get diarrhea with so much salt in water? I make 1.5 litres as well and when I use 1 tsp salt (half what you use) it gives me the runs. Terrible diarrhea! Number 2 is completely liquid. Not fun! But if I use 1/2 tsp salt I eventually get dizzy, so I can’t win here. It’s always either too little or too much. I also add 1/2 tsp potassium because if I don’t take it I have chest pains

(Mike W.) #10

“5-6g of sodium” is not equal to 5-6g of salt.

(Mike W.) #11
(Carl Keller) #12

I have to be very conscious of daily salt and water intake to get 2 teaspoons and 8 cups respectively. One thing that I noticed has helped me with salt is Frank’s red hot sauce. I doused an ounce on 3 chicken wings and got nearly 1000 mg of salt which is about 20% of my daily needs.

#14

oh that’s a good tip!
i’m beginning my workouts again because i feel strong enough after starting keto and today was like “welp better get that salt intake up bc electrolytes.” i proceed to dump 1 full teaspoon of salt into a mug of water with half a lemon and chug. LESSON LEARNED. PS if you have any other tips for getting enough sodium (and magnesium/potassium) i am all ears.

(Carl Keller) #15

Just be careful about ‘hidden’ carbs. Franks red hot has .7 carbs per ounce. Some hot sauces have even less carbs and some have more.

If I might cheat a little since @PaulL explains this really well:

Nov '18

My understanding is that sodium, magnesium, potassium, and calcium are all regulated by interlocking mechanisms, and that the key is being sure to get enough sodium. It certainly seems true for me, because I don’t get cramps and the other symptoms of magnesium and potassium deficiency as long as I work to keep my salt intake up.

I suspect that things get handled better in the absence of carbohydrate, for a lot of people. I find the Stefansson experiment quite intriguing, for example. Here are these two guys who go a year eating nothing but meat, and they never develop scurvy or any other mineral deficiency.

We know now that vitamin C is unnecessary in the presence of β-hydroxybutyrate, because it restores the body’s built-in anti-oxidant mechanisms. I suspect that ketones may play a role in determining how much of other vitamins and minerals we need, as well. After all, our hunter-gatherer ancestors seem to have done just fine without supplements.

(Bob M) #16

One should note that they did not take in much if any salt (depending on which author you believe). Meanwhile, if I don’t get enough salt, bad things happen.

(mole person) #17

I’ve been wondering about this as well.

(Shona) #18

If I put one teaspoon on a plate and dip my finger in it all day will that be enough ?

(KCKO, KCFO) #19

Salt is only half sodium, what you want is the sodium. 1 teaspoon per day is not enough.

This blog is a good reference: https://blog.virtahealth.com/sodium-potassium-magnesium-ketogenic-diet/

#20

I typically only eat salt in my food, 5g salt (not sodium) is a “good” day, I often eat less as far as I know (I don’t track my salt intake but it must be around that even if I eat only salty food and that’s rare. My food doesn’t need much salt).
It works for me even if I skip a meal (I eat once a day by default) but many people seem to need much more sodium and more frequently so listen to the signs your body gives you.
I wouldn’t force myself but if I feel the need (or just drink a huge amount of water in a short time, no idea why I would do that though), I take some salt, of course.

(Cris) #21

:wave: hi
That’s about how much I add to a liter .
I was trying 1 tsp but still getting brain fog and then I ad more salt and it pics me up .
So 2 heaping tsp for 1.5 liters .

Do you use any potassium .I’m wondering if the salt helps you keep potassium levels up without supplementing .
Sometimes if I ad potassium I get anxiety and then.
Pee/flush out the sodium .
Tonight I used it because I added salt without water .

I noticed less diarrhea when upping sodium so I’m starting to think the body is trying to lower fluid levels to up the sodium .
I think it’s best to take salt with water I do notice thirst if adding salt without fluid ie …soy sauce or salt without water .
But I think that sounds about right .
I think it’s about 5 and half tsp per gallon maybe 6 .
It’s tatses sorta like milk .

#22

Yes, it’s very natural. I find salty water super gross so I could only eat salt. Yes, I need to drink afterwards, no problem, it’s still nicer for me that way. My body needs a lot of water when I consume salt, your salty water ratios sound just about right for my own body as well.

It always amazes me how different people are. Milk is quite sweet :smiley: And it’s rich and everything. Never heard such a thing before but again, we humans are amazingly different. And I felt black coffee sweet once (it actually makes a tiny sense as it was mostly water and normal, drinkable water is called sweet water for some reason :wink: I drink very weak and not particularly bitter coffees… my SO still thought I am weird and yep, it was surprising).

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #23

Yes, keeping salt in the right range helps keep potassium and magnesium properly regulated, as well. You may very well not need to supplement. Be careful with potassium, because too much or too little (hyper- or hypokalemia) can be dangerous. Magnesium is easier to get enough of in food, since it is in every green vegetable and in meats.

Now, that’s interesting, because I get diarrhea from too much salt, not too little. If I don’t get enough salt, I get constipated, and my migraines start to come back.

In any case, as you will see from the chart posted earlier in this thread, the sweet spot of sodium intake is 4-6 g/day. That translates to 10-15 g/day of sodium chloride. Note that this includes sodium from all sources, including what is already present in food, so we don’t need to go bonkers getting enough salt. Though it is worth noting that the risk curve for intakes above the sweet spot rises much less steeply than the risk curve for intakes below the sweet spot (a J-shaped curve). The exception is for salt-sensitive hypertensives (fortunately these are very rare), for whom the risk curve rises equally steeply on both sides of the sweet spot.

In any case, if the salt starts to taste horrible, it means you’ve had far too much that day and don’t need any more for a while. As long as the taste is good, it’s safe to have some.

P.S.—Welcome to the forums!

(Chuck) #24

When I was eating high carb I had a terrible time with water gain when I had any amount of salt intake. Now on the low carb lifestyle, I don’t really consider it keto because my carb intake is at 50 total carbs average and sometimes as much as 70 carbs. But my salt intake is an about 3000 mg a day and I don’t have any water weight issues. Some say I intake too much salt, you know the SAD believers, others say I am not getting enough salt, like @PaulL I seem to have a fine line between not enough and too much. Not enough and I get constipated and to much I get diarrhea. But I am doing my best to balance my salt intake and to enjoy my life. I am eating my kosher dill pickles again, and I am going to have corned beef again, something I really enjoy.
And to be honest I don’t miss bread, toast, and donuts or other sugary snacks. I am finding I savor salty foods more than sweets. But I still have to walk that tightrope between too little and too much salt.

(Cris) #25

I just went back to low carb for this reason .
With me I become confused mentally that’s when I know I need sodium .I only eat one meal and a minor meal at night dessert yogurt fruit or my keto bread french toast topped with allulose and butter .
I suspect people that don’t fast need less.
Do you know if @PaulL does intermittent fasting .
I believe you lose alot of salt .

Does this sound weird maybe we are replacing sodium frn the days when we were hunter gatherers and we would drink the blood of our kills .
I know alot of indigenous tribes do this includingvthe native Americans.
I’m currently reading David Brownstein Salt your way to health .
I didn’t want to read James Denicol antonio for personal political reasons😁I won’t go into that here .
.thank you

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #26

I do, but only in the sense of not eating from my last meal until sometime after noon, and not on purpose; it just usually works that way. I get enough salt when I do eat, but there’s nothing to stop anyone from drinking water or coffee with some salt in it.

(Chuck) #27

I don’t know if @PaulL does intermittent fasting or not he always says it isn’t necessary. To me it just comes naturally. I don’t like eating late at night and I don’t like eating when I get up in the mornings. A 16 hour fast is just as normal as me breathing. Now I haven’t been able to get past 21 hours of fasting without being so caught up with some project or work issues. But being retired now that doesn’t happen and if I am driving somewhere I don’t seem to make it more that about 3 hours without a bathroom break. There was a time I could drive for 6 to 8 hours with stops except for filling up the car. And I wouldn’t eat while driving.

(Cris) #28

I’ve been playing with fasting for awhile .
Its hard to wrap your head around how much salt you really need .
I assumed the salt was making me thirsty but it was not enough .
Yes potassium is terrifying especially when I was fasting and having cabs like beans and sweet potato .
I haven’t been adding any since lowering carbs and upping salt .
I did notice a little tightness in my solar plexus and I know that is regulated by potassium but to much and to little have the same symptoms .
I spoke with fasting coach on YouTube .
He uses 1600 / 2000 sodium and 130miligrams of potassium twice daily and 400 magnesium .
In trying those low amounts of potassium now .
I’m still feeling I need more salt tho I get confused mentally without it .
I do drink a lot of fluid coffee and water .
I’m reading Salt your way to health and the author states the more water you drink the more salt you will need .The author recommends non white salts .
It’s super interesting salt brine pockets in the salt have a lot of potassium and magnesium .
Celtic sea salt and pink salt or Redmond’s real salts.
Sodium fills the extracellular ocean of the body and potassium fills the intercellular ocean of the body .

(Chuck) #29

I have for years , at least 20 years been limiting my salt to less the 2000 mg a day, with some days below 1000, but that was on the SAD diet, since doing low carb I have been ramping up my salt and find so far my body can handle between 3000 and 4500mg a day without severe side effects. But I do fine that I crave salty foods. I love kosher dill pickles, and pig skins with the pink salt. Around here I get the evil eye every time I add table salt to my food, this is a retirement community and so many are still brainwashed to believe in SAD. But if I am asked I tell them I am following a low carb lifestyle. People and even doctors around here seem to accept low carb instead of keto without too much concern.