Mineral deficiency/nutrient deficiency

(Leslie) #1

I wrote a post a few days ago about my terribly swollen ankles.
I want to update the forum on what I have learned.
Just to refresh your memory; I’ve been keto for four months with tremendous success.
What I didn’t mention in my first post was that I live in North America and that, in addition to eating keto, I also practice intermittent fasting.
Three weeks ago I developed severely swollen ankles. Almost overnight. Pitting edema. It was awful. I could not figure out what was going on. I started doing some research, including asking for advice on this forum, but really did not find anything that worked.
The day before yesterday I consulted with a nutritionist who works at a wholistic health clinic. After about forty minutes in her office she told me that I was mineral difficient. I was getting plenty of salt but nothing else. Even though my diet is very leafy and green. She also said my acid/base balance was off, possibly from breaking my fast with heavy cream.

She made several recommendations. The first was sea weed. Roasted, salted sea weed. She said that the soil in which we grow food is nutrient depleted and the most nutritious plants grow on the sea bed.
Ok, no problem.
Next she recommended spirulina. That’s a blue green algae. Weird. But, hey, I would have tried anything at this point.
In addition, she said to season everything with Gomasio. That’s a seasoning that incorporates sea weed.
I have added lemon juice to my water and to my tea to try to get back to an alkaline state.
I have had no heavy cream in those two days, instead I broke my fast with half an avocado and a fried egg with raw cheese. Delicious.
The result?

My ankles are completely back to normal. It’s like some kind of miracle. I’m floored. In only 36 hours the edema is gone
I hope this information is helpful
BTW, I have also had problems with leg cramps at night and she said this will remedy that problem as well
It’s amazing what proper nutrient balance can do for a person

Keep calm and keto on

(Vincent Hall) #2

Interesting, thanks for sharing.

(Banting & Yudkin & Atkins & Eadeses & Cordain & Taubes & Volek & Naiman & Bikman ) #3

Interesting.
Ketones are acidic and tend to make you a bit more acidic than carb burners… nothing to worry about unless your ketones go sky high.
Leg cramps is likely potassium. But this seems like a workable plan.

(Diane Marie) #4

Hi could I contact you about the edema with Keto? How did you end up doing on the diet? I have edema and the last time I tried Keto I quit because of the edema. Would love to speak to someone who knows!

Thank you!

(Justin S) #5

Out of curiosity, were you also experiencing digestive issues? Particularly diarrhea? When my salt was far higher than my potassium, I found that the waterfalls were near constant.

I have since been using more lite salt and even some pure potassium citrate powder in my drinks, and it has helped with the digestive issues AND the occasional edema I was also experiencing. But now I seem to have shriveled skin of my fingertips most of the day.

I did start eating roasted seaweed last week for the iodine content, and didn’t realize it might also help with proper mineral balancing, allowing me to eventually get away from all these salty drinks. I don’t mind them, but they get old sometimes.

Electrolyte balancing has been the bane of my existence on keto, and so I’m always on the lookout for posts like these. Would love to chat about your experiences. I’ve learned a lot, but remain stumped by quite a bit. But I guess that keeps things interesting, haha :stuck_out_tongue:

(Bunny) #8

I am always eating seaweed, spirulina or chlorella, this stuff is super nutritious but I do not eat too much of it as my way of doing things is take a quarter of what is recommended when it comes dosage or amount and very infrequently!

E.g. Why I get my Nicotinamide Riboside from brewers yeast is because it is a natural and organic source with endless other things in it that work with it and take in very small doses using gel caps.

What happens when you take too much of one supplement:

Why You Should Be Careful With Niacin and Nicotinamide Riboside | Chris Masterjohn Lite #54: Are you using niacin or nicotinamide riboside? If so, watch this video! These supplements can help you age more gracefully and give you more energy, but they can also hurt your liver, mess with your neurotransmitters and your mood, and even sap your energy.

What EVERYONE Should Be Doing About Methylation | Chris Masterjohn Lite #73: MTHFR or not, this is the minimum that EVERYONE should be doing to support methylation, boiled down into five simple rules.

Tune in to learn the rules!

3 “Healthy” Habits That Could Be Hurting Your Thyroid: Restricting salt, replacing iodized salt with natural unrefined salt, and consuming plant foods that generate isothiocyanate can all have their place in a healthy diet, but raise the risk of iodine deficiency. Here’s how to spot the problem and what to do about it.

(Bunny) #9

Symptoms of Electrolyte Imbalance, Plus How to Solve It - Dr. Axe

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(Jocelyne Slattery) #10

I have really bad edema. Everyone keeps telling me to have more salt! I am in Canada too. Where do you get the products you mention? I have been stalled since October and I am eating keto and IF too. I am getting discouraged.

(Leslie) #11

Jocelyne,

While salt is the easiest fix and the most likely culprit, you may be suffering from other mineral deficiencies. I’ve had to walk a very hard line and am now adding mineral drops to my water every day. I cannot go without it. There are two formulas that work for me, one is called keto drops or fasting drops and the other is made by a keto food supplement company in Utah, USA. Both are are formulated to make it easier to balance minerals while on keto. Look for labels that include verbiage such as no more muscle cramps and such as that

Leslie

(Jocelyne Slattery) #12

Thanks so much for the information Leslie. I am in Canada, hopefully I can find fasting drops or similar. Do you continue to take salt, if so, how much per day?

(Leslie) #13

Well, I love salt and salty food so I’m pretty liberal with it. I put salt in my coffee and rub all my meat with it. I salt my one meal a day as well. I also found out that I can’t tolerate heavy whipping cream so I avoid it now. In the USA heavy cream is not pure. It always contains carrageenan or other chemicals. So, I salt my buttery coffee and I love it! I’ve even found coffee shops here that don’t look at me sideways when I ask for it!

(Jocelyne Slattery) #14

Sounds like the way I use salt. I also noticed that heavy cream here is not pure :frowning:.

(Jocelyne Slattery) #15

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How does this look to you? I cannot find the kind you mention…

(Leslie) #16

It actually looks pretty good. Give it a try! Let me know how it goes, I’m very interested especially since it’s being mined in my home state!

(Jocelyne Slattery) #17

I will order some today! I will keep you posted :).

(Edith) #18

Unless you buy organic heavy cream, then it is pure.

(Michele W) #19

Excellent information, and I am so glad everything went back to normal! I am on week 6, and I have had some leg cramps myself (I usually pop a few potassium pills when that happens). In light of your shared info here, I will be cognizant to keep mineral intake in balance. Thanks!

(Leslie) #20

You are SO welcome!! It is my pleasure to help! My personal journey has been an adventure and I really enjoy sharing what I’ve learned

(Leslie) #21

I wish that were the case here. I have shopped every brand in all the stores in the area and they all contain carrageenan, as well as mono and disaccharides. It’s really quite frustrating and i know its one of the additives that I am having such a reaction to

(Jocelyne Slattery) #22

I had some electrolyte capsules at home. I decided to take one this morning. I don’t know if it is a placebo effect or for real but I had an energy boost about 20 minutes after. I have been finding mornings more difficult lately…