The Importance of Electrolytes on Keto

The ketogenic diet has been trending in every corner of the world particularly due to the research that supports its use for Alzheimer’s, weight loss, cancer, autism, Parkinson’s, among other conditions. After starting a keto diet, you’d probably experience unpleasant symptoms such as ‘keto flu’ even if you are closely following a well-formulated ketogenic diet containing a moderate amount of protein, low amount of carbohydrates, and higher amount of fats. There are numerous strategies to implement in order to follow a ketogenic diet, and one of them is replenishing and rehydrating electrolytes. Once the electrolytes are well balanced, your body will always be nourished and functioning well.

What are electrolytes?

Electrolytes are essential minerals that your body requires to maintain specific functions like regulating the heartbeat, controlling body temperature, bladder control, neurological functions, energy production, and contraction of muscles. Your body contains magnesium, sodium, potassium, chlorine as main electrolytes but the first three are mainly focused on. When adjusting our diet, we normally forget about these important minerals and this can lead to many symptoms such as lethargy, mental fog, impaired sleep, muscle cramps, poor athletic performance, migraines, and heart arrhythmia.

Lack of electrolyte lead to keto flu

Once you decide to stick on a keto diet, you’ll definitely experience keto flu as your body tries to adjust to the lack of carbohydrates and it will switch to running on fats a process known as ketosis. Keto flu comes down to electrolyte imbalances and if you fail to understand these symptoms, you’ll find yourself concluding that the keto is not right for you but the truth is that your body is undergoing an adjustment period.

If you’re new to the ketogenic diet, it’s possible to experience electrolyte imbalances but the good news is that these imbalances can be addressed accordingly. If you consume a lot of carbs, your body retains water but when you change the diet and consume fewer carbs, only less water is retained leading to few electrolytes in your body.

How to avoid keto flu

Keto flu can excellently be avoided by replenishing your electrolytes which means that the more electrolytes you keep in your body, the more chance you have not to get the flu. So how do you replenish your electrolytes? Let’s find out.

Replenishing your electrolytes

Given that you no longer require excess carbs to replenish your electrolytes, it’s important to find other ways. In order for your body to continue functioning, you must get the right amount of each electrolyte every day. It is recommendable to get 500mg of sodium, 100mg of potassium, and 300mg of magnesium on a daily basis. It is possible that you’re asking yourself how you can get these electrolytes in your body each day but the fact is that you can get them through supplements such as pills. Besides, you must be careful about the food you put on your table and here are several suggestions.

Magnesium

If pills are not meant for you, don’t worry as there is always a solution to every problem and there are numerous alternatives that will give you the electrolytes you need through the food you put on your plate daily while staying on top of your ketogenic diet. Adding more leafy greens in your plate boosts your intake of magnesium. Alternatively, consume more fish like salmon or eat dark chocolate and this will sort you out.

Potassium

Potassium can be added through salmon, dark leafy greens, nuts, and avocados. Even though some fruits are loaded with potassium, it would not be advisable to consume them because of sugars. In other words, sugars are converted into carbs which are eventually converted into fat that you are trying to avoid.

Sodium

Sodium is the easiest to come by and adding salt to the food you eat will provide enough sodium in your diet.

Stay hydrated

It is recommendable to drink as much water as possible as this will keep you hydrated meaning that you will reach ketosis faster and electrolytes will be kept in your body. If at any point you feel like you’ll get the symptoms of the keto flu, the first thing you should do is to drink water and these symptoms will disappear with a blink of an eye. When hydrated, it becomes easier for your body to start burning fats and adjusts your body from being a sugar burner to fat burner.

Final thoughts

Everyone needs electrolytes and they become a center of focus when starting a new lifestyle such as the ketogenic diet. You can struggle during the early stages of a ketogenic diet when you ignore electrolytes, and you can as well start strong by focusing on your electrolytes. Most importantly, if planning to embark on a ketogenic diet or suffering from the above symptoms, be cautious of your electrolyte besides the macronutrients you consume. It’s therefore important to understand that an increase in water excretion and a decrease in water retention deplete electrolytes on a keto diet. You also must increase your level of water intake on a ketogenic diet in order to maintain hydration.