Newbie - Salt question

(Joey) #21

Same, same. A heaping teaspoonful of sea salt and a scoop of magnesium citrate powder … every morning in my 1 quart H2O jug. Important for hydration, electrolytes, digestion, and grossing out anyone who doesn’t get it. :crazy_face:

#22

HI,
My dietician who has just submitted her PhD on keto recommends I take 3 grams of salt a day, which I get from an electrolyte mix I get from the US, which hasn’t got sugar in it. I am an elderly insulin resistant female.

I think it is good to get informed advice on this stuff, so I have a keto informed doc and a dietician who both recommend I take 3 grams of sodium a day; not sure what they tell their other keto diet eating patients. I take it in supplenment form because I can’t eat food with salt on it after years of not eating it at all.

Reason I take it is if I am seriously on keto and not eating carbs and stuff I don’t plan to, I excrete a lot of sodium, as I believe is common for most people. I get a lot of cramps, even on 3 grams a day of sodium.

The danger is not enough sodium on Keto, not too much afaik.

When your insulin levels drop (as intended on keto) you excrete sodium and need to replace it. Talk to an informed doc or dietician for individual advice though.

#23

I am on my 4th day of my “eating extra 8g salt beyond my normal ~5g” experiment.
Nothing happened yet but I seriously hate the salt eating from the first day… But it’s doable for some time, it’s quick and at least I don’t find mere water boring afterwards :wink: (I drink a lot of water anyway but I often fancy something else especially in winter.)

IDK how long I should do it if nothing happens but I won’t do it for too long, I will get bored of the quick low-key suffering every day.
I will do very low-fat experiments too but it’s hard, I would need special food choices (pork roast, eggs and desserts only) to go to, like, 2g salt a day. Well that menu actually sounds great so I will try it :slight_smile: Low-salt experiements are better for me as I won’t feel bad and if my body will want more salt, it will tell me without problems. And it will bring the extra benefit of eating stricter, I even put a toe out of my carnivore-ish lately and this way I will be pretty close to my strictest carnivore.

(Ohio ) #24

Welcome to my world. “I’m done eating for the day” before the thanksgiving dinner never goes over well.

(Edith) #25

I don’t think you should force yourself to add extra salt if you don’t need it. I have found that when I need more salt, even tossing down a 1/4 teaspoon with some water doesn’t taste bad to me. If my body has all it needs, tossing down that 1/4 teaspoon tastes terrible.

#26

But I totally continue :slight_smile: I am curious :slight_smile:
I just can’t resist temptation and I have zero reason this time as I am not in danger, I maybe will feel the burn I felt last time but then I stop.

Salt (and everything else) always tastes about the same to me. Salt is horribly salty. I suffer it - and a minute later I gleefully salt my too lightly salted food as I need the salt for it… I don’t feel I would have any level of salt aversion yet. I just hate it alone as I always did (ONE lick may be different but it’s way more at a time).

Today I ate it before all my food and yep, when I had no sodium since half a day, it’s a tad easier. Still quite unpleasant as it’s pure salt, though. But maybe I am getting used to it?

I am very sure I don’t need it, in the contrary (my body is very serious about 4-5g salt a day being the perfect amount as far as I can tell) but it can’t harm me if I do it for a while.

ALL salty water is gross to me, always. Okay, I only tried it 1-2 times but it was awful well THAT would be forceful. Not eating a teaspoon of salt. I am just spoiled and dramatic, used to consume only whatever I like but everything I really fancy. So it’s a tad new and exciting as well. Bonus points.

I am super stubborn too so even I couldn’t persuade myself at this point.

(Joey) #27

Indeed. Once you’ve evicted the ghosts of SAD eating habits/addictions then, when it comes to salt (and general appetite level), let your taste buds guide you and you’ll rarely be led astray.

#28

I definitely use my taste buds to decide how to salt my food :slight_smile:
I just want to prove (if it’s true) that the recommended amount isn’t healthy to me, my ideal amount is lower. AND maybe some other changes will happen. I read about so many things related to salt, some people get more energy that way. Sometimes I have cramps, okay, I won’t do it long enough to figure out if it stops that, I very very rarely get them close to carnivore… But I want to see if something will be different with more salt.

And so many people don’t follow their tastebuds, they use some little salt in the foods like me but they drink salty water all the time. I would never do that as it is gross to me but I can eat salt :slight_smile: I don’t think I need it but I try it out.

There are plenty of people who just follow their tastebuds/hunger/etc. and underdo something important. I don’t think I am one of them though. I just experiment for fun (and some knowledge, experience).

(Ohio ) #29

In “The Salt Fix” he goes over how taste buds screw us over. Food can taste too salty when it’s actually a sign you’re low in sodium. IMG_2723%20Small

(Joey) #30

Fair enough! It’s time for me to re-read that book again.

#31

The loose stools and diarrhea will pass (no pun intended). This is due to higher fat consumption. A tablespoon full of MCT oil to a new Keto person will give you the runs or disaster pants. Increase gradually. Your weight and level of activity also play a crucial role in overall water intake. Salt can be used as a laxative in larger amounts. For example, 2 teaspoons of non-iodized sea salt with lemon juice and cold water on an empty stomach. This protocol works for some, but for others may lead to nausea and high blood pressure. I personally have a cold glass of water first thing with 1/4 tsp of pink salt. I drink about 2 litres of water every day, spread out throughout the day. More on exercise days. I add a bit of salt to most of my meals. I certainly do not go overboard with it as it does seem to raise my blood pressure. Test and see if when you consume 1 tsp your blood pressure increases. On exercise days 3-4x per week, I will increase my salt and supplement with Mg.

#32

Instead of rereading the book do a test on yourself. Take 1 teaspoon of salt mixed with water and measure your blood pressure at 15 minute intervals for 1 hour and see what happens. Do this test both before eating and after eating in the am and pm. This way you will know for sure if your increase consumption of salt will adversely effect your blood pressure and increase your risk for cardiovascular disease

(Joey) #33

Reasonable suggestion (except for not reading the book)…

But in my case I already drink a teaspoon (or more) of salt in my water every morning and heavily salt my food … so there’s no special experiment left to conduct on this front. FWIW, if anything my blood pressure (<110 over mid-60s) is rather low - never too high, unless I’m watching C-SPAN. :roll_eyes:

So for this n=1 guy, eating all this salt, high saturated fat, low-carb, TMAD, and exercising regularly has left me with a resting pulse in the mid-50s. When it comes to blood pressure, this particular 65+ yr old is more likely to suffer postural hypotension (= BP so low that I’m can get dizzy if I stand up too quickly and bolt off).

YMMV

#34

Do you know what is causing the low BP? It sounds like dehydration if you are getting dizzy. Just my 2 cents worth

(Joey) #35

Could well be. While it’s not dangerously low (and my physician loves it) it may suggest I’m not getting enough salt water. :+1:

(Edith) #36

This happens to me when I don’t have enough salt and I’m very close to zero carb. I have found getting some carbs each day, helps me hold on to the sodium better.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #37

Naturally, since each molecule of glucose requires the body to hold on to three molecules of water, and the extra water requires salt to help maintain the electrolyte balance.

#38

What does the lemon juice do?

(Joey) #39

I’ll add this thought: Such extra water (and its weight) will not be doing one’s health any good since it is bound up molecularly with those carbs - i.e., it’s unavailable for other metabolic functions for which water is needed.

The human body does not need carbohydrates to thrive. If carbs help you “retain” water (and by extension, electrolytes) such hydration bound by carbohydrate molecules is beyond the reach of organs, tissue, skin …

#40

I have no idea. Years ago I recalled something called the Saltwater Flush. Never tried it myself. Claimed to make you regular and detox the liver.