Best Electrolyte Supplement for Fitness and the Keto Flu
Best Electrolyte Supplement for Recovery and the Ketogenic Flu Symptoms
How to get enough electrolytes when you are exercising and on the Ketogenic Diet.
One of the things that can hurt your body and how you feel is getting low on electrolytes. Electrolytes are the minerals, (I.E. Salt, Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium) that you will sweat out when you exercise. You may be drinking sugar-laden expensive sports drinks to get these electrolytes or you may be skipping them altogether.
Just Drinking Water Will Not Replace Your Electrolytes!
When you are dieting there is a good chance you will not be taking in all the electrolytes in the correct balance you need. If you take much salt and not enough potassium you can retain much water. Potassium and Salt are the balancers of fluid inside and outside of your cells. Too much of either can unbalance your water retention and cause either dehydration or you could be bloating. As you may know, balance is the key to a healthy body.
BALANCE IS THE KEY TO HEATH IN YOUR BODY!
This information is so important I wanted to quote a doctor and not just a layman like me. I can tell you and will tell you what they have done for me and my recovery process, but not all the internal stuff that is happening.
Dr. Axe says in this article on electrolyte imbalance,
“Electrolytes are certain nutrients (or chemicals) present in your body that have many important functions — from regulating your heartbeat to allowing your muscles to contract so you can move.
The major electrolytes found in the body include calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, phosphate, and chloride. Because these crucial nutrients help stimulate nerves throughout the body and balance fluid levels, an electrolyte imbalance can cause a variety of serious negative symptoms, including some that are potentially deadly.
You obtain electrolytes through eating different foods and drinking certain fluids, while you lose them partially through exercise, sweating, going to the bathroom and urinating. This is why a poor diet, too little or too much exercise, and being sick are some possible causes for an electrolyte imbalance.
Some of the major roles that electrolytes have within the body include:
- Calcium: helping with muscle contractions, nerve signaling, blood clotting, cell division, and forming/maintaining bones and teeth
- Potassium: helping keep blood pressure levels stable, regulating heart contractions, helping with muscle functions
- Magnesium: needed for muscle contractions, proper heart rhythms, nerve functioning, bone-building, and strength, reducing anxiety, digestion, and keeping a stable protein-fluid balance
- Sodium: helps maintain fluid balance, needed for muscle contractions, and helps with nerve signaling
- Chloride: maintains fluid balance
How Electrolytes Work and the Causes of an Imbalance
Electrolytes are found in bodily fluids, including urine, blood, and sweat. Electrolytes are given their name because they literally have an “electric charge.” They separate into positively and negatively charged ions when they’re dissolved in water. The reason this is important is that of how nerve reactions take place. Your nerves signal to one another by a process of chemical exchanges dependent on oppositely charged ions, both outside and inside of your cells.
An electrolyte imbalance can be caused by a number of different factors, including short-term illnesses, medications, dehydration and underlying chronic disorders. Some of the common causes of electrolyte imbalance are due to fluid loss, which can stem from situations including:
- Being sick with symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, sweating or high fevers that can all produce fluid loss or dehydration
- A poor diet that’s low in essential nutrients from whole foods
- Trouble absorbing nutrients from food (malabsorption) due to intestinal or digestive issues
- Hormonal imbalances and endocrine disorders
- Taking certain medications including those for treating cancer, heart disease or hormonal disorders
- Taking antibiotics, over-the-counter diuretics or medications, or corticosteroid hormones
- Kidney disease or damage (since the kidneys play a critical role in regulating chloride in your blood and “flushing out” potassium, magnesium, and sodium)
- Chemotherapy treatments, which can cause side effects of low blood calcium or calcium deficiency, changes in blood potassium levels, and other electrolyte deficiencies
Signs and Symptoms of an Electrolyte Imbalance
Because electrolytes have so many different roles within the body, an imbalance normally causes noticeable changes in how you feel pretty quickly. Depending on the type of electrolyte imbalance you experience, a number of symptoms can occur including:
- Muscle aches, spasms, twitches, and weakness
- Restlessness
- Anxiety
- Frequent headaches
- Feely very thirsty
- Insomnia
- Fever
- Heart palpitations or irregular heartbeats
- Digestive issues like cramps, constipation or diarrhea
- Confusion and trouble concentrating
- Bone disorders
- Joint pain
- Blood pressure changes
- Changes in appetite or body weight
- Fatigue (including chronic fatigue syndrome)
- Numbness and pain in joints
- Dizziness, especially when standing up suddenly
To diagnose an electrolyte imbalance, your doctor can perform a few different tests to determine your electrolyte levels. Most likely your health care provider will discuss your medical history with you, any reoccurring symptoms you experience, and take a urine and blood test to identify any abnormalities.”
Now that you know Dr’s orders, how do you get these into your diet and exercise habits?
So as you can see Electrolytes are very important. It is very common on the Ketogenic Diet for folks to get a sort of Flu as their bodies adapt to the eating style. Several sources of your previous electrolytes are not being consumed, so you fall short on these important minerals. Taking an electrolyte supplement, and one that has no sugar will help bring you back into balance.
My favorite product for getting the correct balance of Electrolytes is NUUN Tablets:
Link for NUUN Electrolytes with Caffeine
What I like about NUUN Tablets is that they are high quality, travel easy in those convenient tubes, and also dissolves easily in water. They are little like an Alka Seltzer tablet when you put them in the water, but they do not carbonate the water. The flavors are mild, not overpowering or very sweet. I have seen no spike in my blood sugar when I have one.
Nutrition Facts:
serving size: 1 tablet (prepared with 16 fl oz water), servings: 10, amount per serving: calories 10, total carbohydrates 4 g (1% dv*), sugars 1 g(#), vitamin c (as ascorbic acid) 38 mg (63% dv), magnesium (as magnesium oxide) 25 mg (6% dv), sodium (as sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate) 360 mg (15% dv), potassium (as potassium bicarbonate) 100 mg (3% dv). *percent daily values (dv) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. #daily value not established.
Ingredients:
citric acid, dextrose, natural flavors, calcium carbonate, monk fruit extract, stevia leaf extract, beet juice powder (for color), avocado oil, riboflavin (for color)
My Workout Fluid Routine.
I use one tablet in a quart of water to make my workout drink along with one scoop of BCAA Powder. My favorite is GenesisCellNutrition BCAA Recovery. I also add one TBS of Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar, and one TBS of Lemon Juice. This makes a great tasting workout drink, does not spike my blood glucose, and does help tremendously with recovery after my workouts. If I ride my bike, work out in the yard, garden in the flower bed, play golf, work on a construction site (I am in that industry) I take NUUN with me and add in an electrolyte tab every day or sometimes two a day. WATER along will not rehydrate you. You can still be getting dehydrated and be drinking enough water. Crazy but true.
Workout / Recovery Drink:
- One Quart of Water.
- One NUUN Tablet.
- One Scoop of BCAA Powder.
- One Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar.
- One Tablespoon of Lemon Juice.
By adding a TBS or two of Maple Syrup to the mixture will make this as good or better than any commercial sports drink. Plus you can control the level of Glucose that is contained in the drink. All the commercially available sports drinks are way too sugary for me. I usually cut them in half with water. I am on Keto as you know, so no sugar for me. But you may be different.
Shake this all together and drink during and after your workout.
The other electrolyte I enjoy using is SOS Rehydration. SOS is more expensive each use, but it is a very high-quality product with a high dose of complete electrolytes. It was developed by Doctors who were doing work in third world countries while treating natives with severe dehydration. I like it because it is in a foil pouch that I can keep in my pocket, dissolves in seconds in water or any other liquid, and is packed with lots of potassium. It does have a little of a “tinnie” aftertaste, but that is all the extra stuff inside. This one is about 85 cents per or so per packet, so I wait till I am in need. The NUUN cost an average 57 to 65 cents each, depending on the source. If it is really hot out and I am really soaking my shirt thru then I pull out the big guns. The SOS Rehydrate. Their marketing slogan is, “Just as good as an IV.” That is quite a claim. If you check the nutritional panel, they do have more Potassium, both have the same calories, 10 per serving, and good natural sweeteners.
As you can see the Potassium is almost double of the NUUN tablets, and you can taste it. On the occasion when I have indulged to deeply into the libations I have doubled up on the SOS packets in the morning, with aspirin, and it has gotten me back to normal in half the time. This is the answer to quick-fix emergency need hydration. Well, this has gone on long enough.
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Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night!
Steve Crossley, The Second Half Lion
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