One of the biggest excuses I hear from people who are scared to start keto or have done keto for a little bit is that they don't want to get the "Keto Flu"
Is the Keto Flu preventable??... YES!
When you start keto or any low carb diet your kidneys go from retaining water, to flushing it out. Hence the drastic weight loss in the first week or so. With this water; sodium and other electrolytes are also leaving the body.
Having a shortage in water and these minerals will cause: Muscle cramps, brain fog, headaches, low energy and even sometimes digestion issues. This is the dreaded KETO FLU!
To avoid the keto flu, is to keep up on your electrolytes when you first start keto. The 4 main electrolytes are sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium. I bet this sounds overwhelming. Not only have you started a new lifestyle change but now you need to keep up on electrolytes too! No keeping up with electrolytes is easy.
Sodium
5000-7000mg
This is by far the easiest electrolyte to keep up. That just equals out to be 2 tsp of UNREFINED salt. The best one I have found out their is Redmond Real Salt (https://realsalt.com/). It is made here in Utah and does not go through the chemical process normal table salt goes through. unrefined salt keeps all the minerals unlike table salt. Other things that will help add sodium back into your body bone broth and pickle juice.
Everyone has told us that sodium is bad but we do need some to help retain some water in
our body, so we don't get dehydrated.
Potassium
1000-3500mg
We are always told to eat bananas because we need the potassium. Why do we need it? Potassium helps regulate blood pressure or heart rates. Potassium also helps with the brain fog. Well on keto we don't eat bananas but we still need that potassium. Eating nuts, salmon, leafy greens and mushrooms are all potassium rich foods. *** Too much potassium can be toxic so you don't need to take supplements unless told by a doctor***
Calcium
1000 mg
Bet you didn't know that calcium is an important electrolyte! Calcium is for strong bones of course! We all remember our moms telling us to drink our milk when we were younger to get strong bones. It also helps with healthy blood clotting. Some places to get calcium is salmon, almonds, chia seeds and leafy greens.
Magnesium
300-500mg
Last but definitely not least! Magnesium, helps with nerve and muscle functions and immune health. If you're on the keto diet and you are getting Charlie horses, you need to up your magnesium. Seeds, nuts and avocados are great sources of magnesium. I also personally take a magnesium supplement since I tend to get muscle spasms alot!.
Keeping your electrolytes up will make your experience with keto enjoyable and safe. Doing this and keeping your water intake up are so important! Drinking between 64-100oz of water will help keep those electrolytes in your body.
DON'T FORGET YOUR WATER!!!
~ Listen to your body! ~
Electrolytes I Use:
Key Nutrients electrolytes
Redmond Real Salt
Outdoor Supplements Pre-workout with electrolytes
