Lack Of Electrolytes In The Body Symptoms – The ketogenic diet (or “keto diet”) is one of the fastest growing diet trends of the last decade. And while this approach can be great for weight loss (and can be an effective treatment for certain conditions like severe epilepsy), it can also make adherents feel terrible—often due to little-known electrolyte imbalances.

A high-fat, extremely low-carb diet is effective for weight loss for several reasons. This is partly because keto puts your body into a state of ketosis, where your tissues burn fat for energy. (Normally, your body chooses to rely on blood glucose and stored glycogen as sources of carbohydrates.)

Lack Of Electrolytes In The Body Symptoms

But much of its weight-loss effectiveness comes simply from the fact that people eat less when dieting. Many people find that the foods they eat on a keto diet help them feel fuller longer and therefore consume less. If you eat fewer calories than your body uses for a long period of time, you will lose weight.

Can Electrolyte Imbalance Cause Urinary Infrequency?

So far, doctors have found no reason to worry about the safety of the keto diet, but if they’re not careful, keto practitioners can run into problems with their electrolyte levels.

Worried about your hydration levels? Take the quiz below to find the right hydrant for your hydration routine.

No matter what diet you follow, your body needs a balanced mix of several different minerals to stay healthy. They include:

If you eat a diet that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, and other whole foods, getting enough of these electrolytes isn’t too difficult. But the low-carb diet approach used by keto dieters can make this electrolyte balance more difficult to achieve.

Electrolyte Water: Benefits And Myths

Why? First, many foods rich in these minerals are also rich in carbohydrates. For example, those potassium-packed bananas. They also have about 27 grams of carbs, which is more than half of the total carbs a keto dieter can eat throughout the day and expect to stay in ketosis.

Second, when your body is running on few or no carbohydrates, it begins to process electrolytes differently. It starts producing less insulin. When insulin levels drop, your kidneys begin excreting more sodium. If you don’t get enough sodium in your diet, several other electrolytes can also be lost.

Keto flu is usually the result of dehydration and low electrolytes. What you will experience are not like typical flu symptoms. [5] Instead, keto flu can be characterized by side effects such as:

Remember, if you have problems with your health, always consult a doctor. If you experience these symptoms, you need to make sure that nothing else is going wrong.

Low Sodium Symptoms: What Are The Early Signs Of Low Sodium?

But assuming your doctor determines that the keto diet is to blame for your electrolyte imbalance, here are some steps you can take to correct it.

There are many whole food options available that will improve your electrolyte levels. For example, if you’re concerned about sodium levels, you can increase your sodium intake by adding broth to soups or sprinkling salt on meals or raw vegetables. Some use salt as an injection if they feel an extra boost might be needed.

If you think magnesium deficiency might be the problem, you can eat more fish like salmon, snack on pumpkin seeds, or use dark chocolate or cocoa powder in your (keto-friendly) desserts. Plus, salad greens are a great way to get more magnesium.

Finally, potassium isn’t just in bananas. You’ll find it in foods like avocados and nuts, especially almonds. Here again, fish and dark leafy greens like spinach are good choices.

Electrolyte Imbalances And Hashimoto’s

If you’ve changed all your foods and still want to increase your electrolyte levels, you can use electrolyte supplements (such as sugar-free hydrate) or, more specifically, magnesium supplements or potassium supplements to maintain your levels.

As always, check with your doctor before taking any new supplements and always make sure your supplement has been independently tested for quality and the correct amount of ingredients listed. NSF Certified for Sport is a trusted mark of quality to look for even if you’re not an athlete, as it evaluates supplements for purity and consistency.

Halfway between a whole foods only approach and using nutritional supplements would be to add an electrolyte drink that is low in sugar. Such a drink can increase your daily intake of electrolytes without breaking your daily carbohydrate allowance.

Resources [1] Campos, Marcelo MD. “The Ketogenic Diet: Is a Low-Carb Diet Right for You?” Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/ ketogenic-diet -is-the-ultimate- low-carb-diet -good-for-you-2017072712089 [2] Jahnen-Dechent , Wilhelm and Markus Ketteler. “Magnesium Basics.” Clinical Renal Journal vol. 5, Suppl 1 (2012): i3-i14. doi:10.1093/ndtplus/sfr163  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4455825/ [3] “ Adelstein RS, Sellers JR. Effect of calcium on vascular smooth muscle contraction. I’m J Cardiol. 1987 Jan 30;59(3):4B-10B. Overview. PubMed PMID: 3028118.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3028118 [4] Harvard Health Letter. “Potassium and Sodium Out of Balance” Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/potassium_and_sodium_out_of_balance [5] Harvey, Cliff J D C et al. “Use of nutritional supplements to induce ketosis and reduce symptoms associated with keto induction: a narrative review.” PeerJ vol. 6 e4488. 16 March 2018, doi:10.7717/peerj.4488 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5858534/ [6] Dolan, Sean H. Ph.D. ACE website “Electrolytes: Understanding Replacement Options”. American Council on Exercise. https://www.acefitness.org/certifiednewsarticle/715/electrolytes-understanding-replacement-options/What are electrolytes? Electrolytes are certain nutrients (or chemicals) in your body that have many important functions, from regulating your heart rate to making your muscles contract so you can move.

Acute Kidney Injury

The main electrolytes found in the body are calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, phosphate and chloride. Because these important nutrients help stimulate nerves throughout the body and balance fluid levels, electrolyte imbalances can cause a variety of serious negative symptoms, including some that are potentially fatal.

You gain electrolytes by eating different foods and drinking certain liquids, but you lose some of them through exercise, sweating, toileting and urination. (1) Therefore, poor diet, too little or too much exercise, and illness are some possible causes of electrolyte imbalance.

Electrolytes are found in body fluids, including urine, blood, and sweat. Electrolytes are so named because they literally have an “electrical charge.” (2) They dissociate into positively and negatively charged ions when dissolved in water.

This is important because neural responses occur. Your nerves signal to each other through a chemical exchange process that relies on oppositely charged ions both outside and inside the cells.

Keto Electrolytes: Tips And Concerns

Electrolyte imbalances can be caused by a number of different factors, including temporary illnesses, medications, dehydration, and chronic conditions. (3) Some of the more common causes of electrolyte imbalance are fluid loss, which can be caused by the following situations:

Because electrolytes have so many different roles in the body, an imbalance can usually cause significant changes in how you feel pretty quickly. Depending on the type of electrolyte imbalance, a number of symptoms may occur, including:

To diagnose an electrolyte imbalance, your doctor may perform a few different tests to measure electrolyte levels. Your health care provider will likely discuss with you your medical history, any recurring symptoms, and perform urine and blood tests to detect any abnormalities.

Sometimes an EKG test, ultrasound, or kidney X-rays are also needed to rule out serious electrolyte imbalances that can put you at risk for heart complications.

Hypovolemia: What Is It, Causes, Signs, And More

Your doctor will look for any significant changes in optimal electrolyte levels, including very high or low levels of potassium, magnesium, or sodium. They are usually quite easy to spot because the body works very hard to keep electrolyte concentrations within a narrow range. The level is measured per liter of blood, and an electrolyte imbalance is diagnosed if you have a value higher or lower than the normal ranges below: (4)

How do you know when it’s time to talk to your doctor about whether you might have an electrolyte imbalance? If you can identify with the following descriptions of electrolyte imbalance symptoms, it is best to consult a healthcare provider to talk about how to correct the problem and prevent it from recurring. Here are some of the more common signs of an electrolyte imbalance and a little more about what can cause each one:

The first step to correcting an electrolyte imbalance is to determine how it developed in the first place. For many people, a poor diet, high in processed foods high in sodium but low in other electrolytes such as magnesium or potassium, leads to dangerous imbalances. In many cases, minor electrolyte imbalances can be corrected simply by changing your diet and reducing your consumption of junk food, takeaways and restaurant meals, instead cooking more fresh food at home.

Focus on whole, whole foods in your diet—especially vegetables and fruits that provide potassium and magnesium. Some of the best are leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli or cabbage, starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes or squash, bananas and avocados. A diet rich in magnesium or potassium may be sufficient to correct problems such as low potassium

Will Electrolytes Cure A Hangover? Here’s What We Found Out!