Keto Diet - The Importance of Electrolytes

Keto diets are great for losing weight and treating severe epilepsy. As you eat fats and eliminate carbohydrates, you push your body into ketosis, encouraging it to burn fat instead of carbs. What many people don’t realize is how many essential vitamins they could be missing.

As you embrace a keto diet, you want to make sure you hydrate enough and consume sufficient electrolytes and vitamin C. In this article, we discuss ways to make sure that happens.

Staying Healthy on a Keto Diet

Most of us know that cutting carbs and other foods from our diet means we are cutting common sources of many vitamins and electrolytes. This simply means we need to seek those out from other, healthy sources. Most of us get electrolytes and other essential vitamins from fruits and other everyday food items. Without sugary fruits like apples and bananas on the menu, what are you supposed to do? Let’s discuss ways you can stay healthy on a keto diet.

Electrolytes Are Essential

Staying hydrated is crucial to the success of any diet, especially when doing Keto. As your diet changes with Keto, one can get what is known as the “keto flu” - it has flu-like symptoms resulting from an imbalance of electrolytes and minerals. MANTRA Labs’ Hydration has all the vital electrolytes you need to stay healthy, hydrated, and motivated.

Magnesium

This critical nutrient is involved in more than 600 body functions. Magnesium helps convert food into energy and creates new proteins from amino acids. It also repairs DNA and RNA. Magnesium helps muscles contract and relax, and it regulates neurotransmitters.

Calcium

We all learned when we were little that drinking milk helps us build strong bones. That is because milk is high in calcium. This electrolyte also helps your heart, muscles, and nerves function properly.

Sodium

Most commonly contained in table salt, sodium controls blood pressure and blood volume in the body. Muscles and nerves also use sodium to function.

Potassium

Strong electrolytes like potassium have numerous benefits. Potassium helps regulate muscle contractions and fluid balances. It even helps send nerve signals. A healthy intake of potassium can prevent stroke and osteoporosis by reducing blood pressure and water retention.

Phosphorus

This essential electrolyte helps your body keep moving and relax. Similar to other electrolytes, it aids in muscle contraction and the creation of DNA and RNA. Phosphorus also filters and removes waste from kidneys, keeps bones and teeth strong, and helps manage the body’s energy usage and storage.

Chloride

Also found in table salt, chloride is another electrolyte that your body needs. This nutrient helps balance the amount of fluid inside and outside of your body’s cells. Additionally, Chloride helps maintain the proper blood volume, blood pressure, and pH of body fluids.

Even electrolyte drinks from leading brands may only have a few of these electrolytes, and many contain unhealthy (and non-keto) sugars. Getting sufficient amounts of each electrolyte contributes to a healthy life, and doing so while remaining in ketosis is critical. Stay healthy by drinking a beverage that doesn’t leave out critical electrolytes and minerals.

Tips for Starting the Keto Diet