Something that is not talked about enough is why you need electrolytes on low carb. If you have ever experienced muscle cramps, you most likely have an electrolyte imbalance but don’t worry, this can totally be fixed in no time. Electrolytes are extremely important for our health and are vital for a healthy functioning heart.
So, what are electrolytes? They are minerals in your body (calcium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, chloride and potassium) that give off an electric charge. They help regulate our fluid concentration which is super important. Today I am sharing with you my top 5 reasons to add electrolytes to your diet on low carb.
Whole Foods
A majority of our dietary sodium comes from processed and packaged foods. According to the FDA, it accounts for up to 70% of the dietary sodium in our diet. Now, while there is nothing necessarily wrong about having these in our diet, I recommend sticking to a whole foods based on, which is naturally lower in sodium. If you are adopting a whole foods based diet, you will want to make sure you are getting electrolytes in some other way.
You Can Lose More Salt on Low Carb
This is one of the reasons why you need electrolytes on low carb. When you are eating a low carb diet, your kidneys naturally excrete more sodium. Low sodium levels actually RAISE our stress hormones cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine. Did you know that too high of an increase in these stress hormones actually inhibit our ability to burn body fat regardless of calorie intake.
Electrolytes on Low Carb for Running/Working Out
If you are a runner or work out regularly, you are most likely going to lose electrolytes through sweat. Sometimes, it is not enough to just drink water. Supplementing with electrolytes in your water is a great way to rehydrate after a tough workout.
Leg Cramps
Have you ever experienced those awful charlie horses in the middle of the night or suddenly you’re watching tv and you turn your leg the wrong way and BAM cramp? The first thing I think of when someone tells me they get legs cramps is electrolyte imbalance. To help prevent these cramps from happening, I recommend adding electrolytes to your water and seeing how you feel.
Fasted Workouts
Adding electrolytes to your water if you are doing a fasted workout is a great idea. Fasting depletes our sodium levels quicker than if we were taking in food. You see, when we are in a fasted state (say overnight) our insulin levels are pretty low which naturally sends a signal to our kidneys to excrete more sodium. This system is called natriuresis. We won’t go further into the science but now you know why. So, when you are doing a fasted workout, you are most likely a bit dehydrated from the night before so this can definitely help with feelings of fatigue, giving you a little more pep in your step sort of speak. This should not be thought of as a pre-workout replacement or anything like that but I notice I usually have a bit more energy when taking electrolytes.
A brand I personally really love for electrolytes is LMNT. LMNT is a flavorful electrolyte blend (watermelon, mango chile and raspberry are my favorite flavors) that don’t contain added sugar like gatorade and other sports drinks do. It contains 1000mg of sodium, 200mg of potassium, and 60mg of magnesium. I sometimes drink half before a run or a workout and half after and I definitely feel that “more pep in my step” kinda energy. Use this link if you want to try a FREE sample pack to test them out. All you have to do is pay for shipping!
If losing weight living a low carb lifestyle without counting calories or being hangry is something you want to learn more about, I have a FREE training on exactly that. You get instant access to it if you click this link. It will bring you straight to the video and you can watch my step-by-step process that I teach my clients to lose weight, living a low carb lifestyle!
