Why Electrolytes?
Keeping yourself hydrated while on the keto diet is especially important. When following a keto diet the amount of carbohydrates consumed is extremely limited which can cause you to feel dehydrated, dizzy, nauseous, and maybe a bit irritated especially when you’re first starting out. These symptoms all add up to the keto flu which is directly related to a lack of electrolytes. When a person is low in electrolytes it can impact the way their body functions. Believe it or not, most people are already low in electrolytes to begin with so when your body switches gears to burn fat for fuel, it begins to run through a lot more electrolytes. That is why electrolytes are the key to keto success. Electrolytes are most commonly consumed through electrolyte drops, electrolyte powder, and electrolyte drinks.
What Are Electrolytes?
Electrolytes are essentially mineral salts that the body uses to stay hydrated and ensure proper cell function. When we are properly hydrated, our muscles work best and our kidneys are able to adequately eliminate unwanted toxins. Our nervous system also operates at full capacity when we are meeting our recommended electrolyte intake. The most common electrolytes in the body are sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. When we become dehydrated, we experience unpleasant feelings of muscle cramping, headache, dizziness, bloating and weakness. We can become dehydrated simply by completing an arduous workout, having an unbalanced diet, or being ill.
What is Electrolyte Powder?
An electrolyte powder is exactly what it sounds like, a powdered form of all the electrolyte minerals. These minerals include potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sodium. You consume electrolyte powder usually by dissolving it in water or mixing it into a smoothie and it is used to ensure that you are getting all of the electrolytes you need. Essentially, electrolyte powder is just a more efficient way of getting the minerals you need by targeting them specifically.
Pro Tip: A great electrolyte powder contains electrolytes and not much of anything else. Look for electrolyte powder that is keto-friendly from a reputable company like Adapted Nutrition. You want a product that naturally replaces electrolytes that are lost through sweat, prevents muscle cramps, and aids in post-workout recovery. Not all electrolyte powders are made with keto in mind so keep an eye out for the unwanted added sugars and fillers. In fact, most electrolyte powders add maltodextrin (which spikes blood sugar and kicks you out of ketosis) as a “processing aid” so they don’t have to list it in their ingredients labels. This practice is so pervasive in the electrolyte supplements industry that if an electrolyte powder doesn’t specifically say it doesn’t include maltodextrin, it probably does.
Keto and Electrolytes
It’s no secret that electrolytes and keto go hand and hand. To get the best out of your keto diet, you need to stay on top of your electrolytes. When you’re looking to maintain a keto diet, or any diet, it’s safe to say that your body will experience some changes. In this case, electrolyte imbalances can be common. Therefore, to maintain hydration and peak performance levels at all times, consider your nutrition. What are you fueling your body with? With the right amount of electrolytes and a proper keto diet, you’ll reap all the benefits that come with the two.
Benefits of Electrolyte Powder
Electrolyte supplements are designed to offer rapid hydration, to eliminate cramps, and to beat the keto-flu. There is a long list of benefits when it comes to electrolyte powder, making it one of the most popular supplements in the keto community. Electrolytes can help with the following:
- Avoid keto-flu
- Stay hydrated
- Improve mental clarity
- Regulate blood pressure
- Ease headaches
- Prevent muscle cramps
We all know the importance of staying hydrated and that dehydration is to blame for a lot of unpleasant side effects. Thankfully, an electrolyte powder high in potassium and magnesium, which are under-represented in the American diet and critical on keto, can help replenish any lost electrolytes to keep your body functioning properly.
How Much Electrolyte Powder Do You Need?
Determining how much electrolyte powder you need depends on how many electrolytes you get from your diet and how you feel. Our bodies need at least 5,000mg of potassium daily to function at our best. Add in daily exercise, and our bodies require even more. Without potassium, our bodies feel weak, jittery and listless; it is an essential mineral that keeps our bodies in fighting shape.
In order for our diet to support this need, we would need to eat over 10 servings of vegetables a day. Most people consume only 2 or 3 servings. That’s why you need to use electrolytes to support your keto diet. Doing so will keep you energized and feeling great.
Electrolyte supplements like K1000 have 1,000mg of potassium which is the equivalent of 10 servings of vegetables. If you know what you are eating and you already have researched electrolyte powder then you can find out for yourself based on your specific situation exactly how much you will need based upon the recommended daily amounts. Listening to your body is key. Each electrolyte mineral is responsible for different functions so the lack of one or another can lead to varying symptoms.
- Low on sodium- Dizziness, headache, irritability, restlessness
- Low on potassium- Muscle cramps, nausea, fatigue, low blood pressure
- Low on magnesium- Muscle weakness and spasms, anxiety, lethargy
If you take into consideration what you are eating and compare it with what you need and how much of each mineral is in your electrolyte powder you can find out exactly how much of it you will need to take. Ultimately, it will take a bit of trial and error to get the balance right, but once you do it should help to mitigate some of the discomforts that come with the keto-flu.
Electrolyte powders are a crucial part of keeping your body healthy, keeping muscle cramps away, and keeping you feeling good. Often overlooked as a necessary part of a low carb diet, a great electrolyte powder can not only ensure your body is functioning properly at the cell level, it can completely eliminate the feelings of “keto flu” altogether- Sounds like a win-win to us! Your electrolyte powder should complement your diet and lifestyle, and supply you with the fuel you need, and nothing you don’t. Let’s face it, we all can use a pick me up every once in a while and you can trust that clean, keto-friendly electrolyte powder will do the trick. They're just as convenient to take on the go as a water bottle or an energy drink, yet they offer much more to your overall health.