Low Electrolytes?


#1

I take a 1g scoop of Bulk Powders Electrolyte Powder first thing in the morning, and another at 5pm if I’m going to the gym c6.30pm but I find my legs are struggling: sore calves when walking and the exercise bike at the gym is harder work than it should be.

Should I be taking more? Is there a danger of taking too much? What do you guys take/eat for electrolytes?

I used to have a fruit shake every morning but that’s obviously off the table at the moment.

https://www.bulkpowders.co.uk/electrolyte-powder.html


(Alex) #2

aim for 5g of salt daily and make sure you’re staying well hydrated. lack of energy could also just be from your body adjusting to its new fuel source if you’re still early on in this way of eating, and/or from not eating enough fat.


(squirrel-kissing paper tamer) #3

I have trouble with potassium. In the beginning I was using lo-salt (salt and potassium chloride) and had racing and heavy beating heart and muscle cramps but I just thought I wasn’t taking enough.

After some reading on the forum (thanks to @CarlKeller) I learned that as long as your sodium intake is appropriate, the other electrolytes sort themselves out. I started just using salt and all of the problems stopped.

A couple of weeks ago I ran out of regular salt and used the lo-salt and got some wicked leg and back muscle cramps. I realized what was happening and stopped and so did the cramps.

We might be able to help if we knew exactly what was in one scoop of your electrolyte powder.


(Carl Keller) #4

I have to give credit to @PaulL for teaching me that.

There’s a video that Paul likes to reference sodium intake with. Maybe he can pop in and post it again.

Another point Jason Fung makes in his book The Obesity Code, about potassium.

Even studies of prolonged fasting have found no evidence of malnutrition or micronutrient deficiency. Potassium levels may decrease, but even two months of continuous fasting did not decrease levels below normal, even without the use of supplements.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #5

#6
Nutrition per 1g Serving per 100g
Sodium (Na) 260mg 26g
Potassium (K) 77mg 7.7g
Calcium (Ca) 47mg 4.7g
Magnesium (Mg) 7.5mg 0.75g

Hope this comes out ok… if not it’s in the link in the OP.

Looking at it now, I wonder what makes up the other .6g?


#7

Thanks for the replies, I’ll try adding in just normal salt and see if that does the trick.


(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #8

That is an important question. Usually they are required to list the “inactive” ingredients as well as the “active” ones. The U.S. site doesn’t give any more information than the British one.

If you don’t get the results you are expecting, try cutting out this powder and see if that makes a difference. Sometimes these things are cut with something like maltodextrin, which could blow you past your carb limit in no time.


#9

On closer inspection the nutritional information says 65g salt per 100g and everything else 0 or N/A so I presume it’s mainly salt with added other electrolytes.