Wondering how to get electrolytes on keto or are you feeling a bit under the weather?

You probably know that electrolytes are essential for your body, but it’s hard to get enough of them on a keto diet. It’s not just about the salt in your food – there are also minerals like potassium and magnesium that need to be replenished. Simply upping your sodium intake alone won’t be enough to prevent keto flu symptoms.

Low carb, high-fat diets are all the rage these days. But how do you get electrolytes on a ketogenic diet? There are many ways to increase your electrolyte intake to stay healthy and avoid the side effects of keto flu. 

Many foods are rich in electrolytes and minerals that are crucial for maintaining a healthy body. Sodium, potassium, and magnesium are key electrolytes your body needs to perform at its best. In this post, we will go over how to find safe sources for potassium and sodium on a keto diet.

How you can avoid the side effects of keto flu

Keto flu symptoms can be unpleasant and derail even the most dedicated keto dieters. Signs of electrolyte imbalances can include:

• Brain fog or fatigue.
• Nausea or vomiting.
• Muscle cramps.
• Muscle aches are caused by a lack of electrolytes after the body adapts to a low carb diet.

For anyone feeling the side effects of keto flu, it’s a good idea to up your potassium intake through natural sources like avocados, leafy greens, and nuts. There are also electrolyte supplements that can give you what you need when adapting to a ketogenic diet. Fortunately, it is easily prevented, and symptoms disappear quickly once you replenish your electrolyte levels.

Electrolyte imbalances can be a nuisance to someone who is already feeling under the weather. Eating magnesium dense foods such as almonds and spinach can help with symptoms of magnesium deficiency, such as muscle cramps. Maintaining a proper electrolyte balance will help you stay healthy and avoid the unpleasant side effects of keto flu.

How to get electrolytes on keto diets

Getting sufficient electrolytes on keto can be a challenge and require planning, not as much as your meals, but it is something to keep in mind. Ultimately it will require either keto friendly foods with key electrolytes or supplementing daily. It is possible to eat magnesium rich foods and restrict your carbohydrate intake, but keto friendly food sources generally have a lower potassium and magnesium content. Getting more sodium by adding sea salt to pumpkin seeds can help provide a blood glucose boost while helping ensure you consume enough sodium.

Over time you’ll find ways to get enough electrolytes on keto without having to put much thought into your sodium intake and how to replenish electrolytes. Weight loss is work, and ketogenic diets are no different; a potassium deficiency or low sodium intake will make a keto diet more challenging than needed.

Finding keto diet safe sources of potassium and sodium

On keto electrolytes that are most difficult to source naturally with a low carb intake are sodium, potassium, and magnesium. A keto electrolyte drink can be an easy way to keep up with those on the go while also maintaining your fluid intake. Another eating benefit of electrolyte drinks is the benefit to muscle and nerve function.

Potassium rich foods are avocado, potatoes, sweet potato, and spinach. Your whole food intake will help replenish lost electrolytes and regulate insulin levels. Some individuals will process electrolytes differently, so how you feel is an essential indicator of electrolyte balance on a low carb diet.

Bone broth is an excellent source of important electrolytes while also being one of the healthy low carb keto foods easy to eat on the go. You can replenish sodium quickly and help maintain your fluid balance with broth.

Some sodium rich foods are celery, olives, cashews, and salmon, for example. When you’re following a ketogenic diet, it is vital to have an adequate sodium intake with the loss of water from restricting carbohydrates. This can lead to chronic dehydration, which causes headaches and fatigue in some individuals. Sodium deficiency is also a significant cause of keto flu symptoms, so maintain proper sodium levels. Excess sodium can also lead to high blood pressure, so it’s important not to overdo how much you supplement with.

Why you might need electrolyte supplements on a ketogenic diet

Are you wondering how to get electrolytes on keto or a low carb diet through ways other than whole foods? Magnesium supplements are often recommended for people on a keto diet, but how do you know if you need them? It is often recommended to take these supplements during heavy exercise, heavy stress, or on a keto diet. While it is possible to obtain potassium naturally with popular keto diet foods like salmon, chayote, and avocados, taking a potassium supplement will help ensure you avoid an electrolyte imbalance and achieve ketogenic diet success.

A magnesium deficiency, for example, can lead to a lack of oxygen in the brain, causing headaches, muscle cramps, and spasms. Magnesium supplements are recommended because they help relax muscles as well as calm the nerves.

Using potassium supplements to maintain electrolyte levels

A potassium deficiency is also common on ketogenic diets due to many high-fat foods containing lower levels of this mineral. Low potassium will cause your body to retain more water, which can lead to high blood pressure and heart problems.

Electrolyte supplements will help prevent these deficiencies from developing by getting the necessary electrolytes into your diet through supplement form without having any unnecessary carbs or sugar, for example. A keto diet with proper sodium, potassium, and magnesium balance is much easier to maintain in the long term.

Potassium supplements are available in tablets, capsules, and liquid form and are commonly carried at most health and grocery stores.

Eat low-carb vegetables like celery, broccoli, or cucumbers to prevent electrolyte imbalance

As you adapt to a keto diet, your body will be able to regulate insulin levels better than before. Eating correctly will keep your blood sugar levels balanced and help maintain your electrolyte balance. Low blood sugar will result in a diminished level of blood electrolytes, so don’t forget to eat your vegetables for potassium. Ensuring your meals are well balanced with whole foods, and leafy greens will lead to long-term success and help in promoting weight loss. Though adding more sodium to these can help make your keto friendly foods.

Take a magnesium supplement if you’re experiencing muscle cramps

Magnesium citrate is easily absorbed by your body and has benefits beyond just being an electrolyte supplement. Some significant advantages of magnesium citrate are that it helps regulate blood pressure levels and improves how much calcium you absorb from food. Magnesium glycinate is another excellent option because it is a more gentle form of magnesium. It is also easy to absorb and can help aid in getting a good night’s sleep. Mineral supplements are highly recommended for those on the keto diet because they can help prevent muscle cramps and other issues that may come up from not having enough.

Drink coconut water for electrolytes and fluid balance

While coconut water is considered low carb when net carbs are factored in, it does have more per serving than what some consider keto friendly. Weight loss is a balancing act, and while you want to avoid stored carbohydrates, coconut water is an excellent key electrolyte source. It has over double the potassium of a banana and has more sodium than a teaspoon of table salt.