If you’re struggling with headaches, muscle cramps, or fatigue while fasting or on a low-carb diet there’s a good chance you’re low in electrolytes –especially sodium.
My not-so-secret ingredient for proper hydration? LMNT electrolytes.
What are Electrolytes?
If you’re wondering what are electrolytes? I’m here to help.
First off, there are 7 important electrolytes that are found in the body:
- Sodium
- Magnesium
- Potassium
- Calcium
- Chloride
- Phosphate
- Bicarbonate
What Do Electrolytes Do?
Electrolytes are minerals that conduct an electrical charge when mixed with water.1
Helping to regulate a variety of your body’s essential functions, electrolytes are critical when it comes to:
- Hydration
- pH Balance
- Nerve Signaling
- Muscle Contraction
Are High Sodium Levels Dangerous?
We hear quite a bit about hypertension and the need to decrease salt.
However, the truth is, many people who are very active or on low carb diets are low in sodium, the most important electrolyte.
Dehydration Symptoms
Have you ever been dehydrated? This used to happen to me, often. When it did, I would get a nasty migraine.
Here are some additional signs of dehydration:
- Headache
- Dry Mouth
- Muscle Cramps
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Loss of Appetite (can be accompanied by sugar cravings)
- Low Blood Pressure
LMNT Hydration
Hydration is not just about “how many bottles of water should I drink a day” –BTW, I drink around twelve 8 ounce glasses per day.
Hydration is also about how to rehydrate effectively.
LMNT Electrolytes
My favorite electrolyte supplement is LMNT which contains:
- 1,000 mg Sodium
- 200 mg Potassium
- 60 mg Magnesium
LMNT electrolytes are sugar free, with no artificial ingredients or wacky chemical food dyes and coloring.
This electrolyte formula contains enough sodium to have a significant impact on my health and sense of well being.
What is Hyponatremia?
The above shot of the sodium level from my lab results shows that I was suffering from slight hyponatremia or sodium deficiency.
Corrected Sodium Levels
I’ve become much more emphatic about starting my day with electrolytes since the test result above showed I have low sodium levels.
I live at high altitude and make a point of hydrating, drinking a lot of water. The issue is that I can over-hydrate and end up diluting my electrolytes.
The solution? Supplementing with LMNT.
How to Increase Sodium Levels
Low sodium levels, referred to as hyponatremia, can have detrimental effects on hormones, immune system, brain function, and much more.
Sodium deficiency can be a serious problem among athletes as well as those following a low carb diet.
Keto Electrolytes
LMNT electrolyte supplements have a full gram of sodium per packet which is crucial for my overall health2 and they do not contain sugar, making them a great hack for keto.
Electrolytes and Keto Flu Symptoms
Whole food diets such as Paleo and Keto are naturally low in sodium.
These diets do not include the processed foods that contain added salt, but it’s not just the fact that your sodium intake is lower when you eat this way, it’s that you’re also excreting more sodium when your body is operating in a carb-restricted state.
Keto Flu
Have you ever heard of the Keto Flu? It can cause headaches, fatigue, and muscle cramps which are often ameliorated by increasing electrolyte intake.
Trust me, a keto headache is no joke.
LMNT Electrolytes and 18/6 Intermittent Fasting
Over the last decade I’ve enjoyed practicing an 18/6 intermittent fasting model now and then. Doing a 16 hour fast, with an 8 hour eating window is a great way to detox without doing a multi-day fast.
When I do this short fast, I stop eating after dinner, sleep for 9 hours, then skip breakfast in the morning.
When I wake up extremely thirsty I prepare an electrolyte drink, using LMNT to rehydrate as I continue to fast until lunchtime.
Drink LMNT Electrolyte Powder
When we do not replenish electrolytes during a fast, we may feel more tired, crampy, and weak than normal.
Increasing electrolyte intake may be the answer.
LMNT Drink Hydration Packs
My boys played sports growing up and it bummed me out when they were given commercial sports drinks full of artificial dyes and empty calories.
I wish we had LMNT electrolytes back then.
They’re family friendly and a fantastic on-the-go solution for beating dehydration.
The boys love them, their favorite flavor is lime. I drink a lot of the orange, and my husband is a huge fan of watermelon.
Detox Drinks to Retox
My younger son also uses LMNT hydration packets as a mixer for alcoholic beverages and helped me create these recipes:
Water With Electrolytes
Mixed drinks that are low carb are great, but I’m more focused on everyday hydration and water with electrolytes.
When we add LMNT electrolytes to our water, we get quick and flavorful hydration drinks that support our healthy lifestyle.
Best Hydration Powder
Some consider LMNT the best hydration powder. When it comes to the science-based formula made without sugar that may be the case.
I think my homemade electrolyte powder is better because I increase the magnesium, a critical ingredient. My electrolyte recipe is also far less expensive and it also reduces waste by eliminating packaging.
Still, if your #1 concern is flavor, LMNT can’t be beat!
Homemade Electrolyte Drinks
For those of you who love my keto recipes and are in need of hydration help, I’ve got you covered.
Learn how to make your own electrolyte powder in order to create amazing electrolyte water.
What’s your favorite way to hydrate? Leave a comment and let me know!
Margie says
I love LMNT! I include it in my water bottle and sip on it throughout my morning workouts. In fact, I use it daily whether I’m working out or not. Because it tastes so good, it helps me hit my hydration level for the day. My favorite flavor is raspberry but citrus is a close second. During the summer months, I use the citrus flavor to make margaritas. My recipe is very similar to yours!
Elana says
Margie, thanks for sharing your favorite flavors!
Susan Bates says
Hi Elana! I’m a terrible at hydrating but know how important that it is. Plus I drink way too much coffee and tea which doesn’t help, especially since I’m migraine-prone. Maybe LMNT would add enough flavor to encourage more water consumption :-) Thanks for sharing your success with it!
Elana says
Susan, thanks for your comment! If you try LMNT, I hope you’ll let me know what you think!
Emily says
I love your helpful insights to a better life. I side LMNT and can’t go a day without. Has help me soooo much with dehydration issues I used to have.
Elana says
Emily, thank you for letting me know you love my insights and glad you are enjoying LMNT!
Grant says
I’m into trail running and the electrolyte options aren’t amazing, so I’m very interested in a recipe on making my own.
Elana says
Grant, stay tuned!
Angelina Gonzalez says
I’ve heard so much about these electrolytes! Would absolutely love to try them!! My hydration habits include the obvious of drinking a ton of water. As much as I try to track my intake, some days I definitely don’t drink as much as I should be
Elana says
Angelina, thanks for sharing your hydration habits! If you try electrolytes, I hope you’ll let me know how it goes.
Lise says
This is interesting. I recently heard about someone using electrolytes in the summer to feet better and have been interested to try them, but not sure where to start. I also tend to have lower sodium levels, so this sounds like a good option.
I usually drink tons of water, but still feel thirsty, so I think I’ll try electrolytes to see if they help. Thanks Elana!
Elana says
Lise, thanks for your comment. If you try electrolytes, I hope you’ll let me know how it goes.
George Garry says
This is awesome! I’ve been looking for a healthy electrolyte drink since I started a candida diet two months ago. I’m a cyclist and have relied on Skratch to replace my electrolytes for years but of course it’s full of sugar, so tried riding with just water for a couple weeks and could no longer keep up with my peers. Since trying LMNT I’m back in the saddle! And riding as well as always. I didn’t know a sugar-free sports drink existed so I’m glad I found it. Luckily I don’t experience cramps while riding, but do in the evening sometimes, maybe I need a bit more electrolytes while off the bike. I’m also looking for the healthiest way to replace the carbs during a riding. Thanks for the confirmation that LMNT is a good choice!!
Elana says
George, thanks for sharing! I’m glad to hear LMNT is helping with your cycling :-)
Alexis says
Hi Elana,
I love keeping my body hydrated with a healthy electrolyte mix. Finding clean electrolytes can sometimes be difficult. I enjoy trying your recipes and always trust your wisdom when it comes to health. Thanks again
Elana says
Alexis, thank you for your trust in me, that means a lot!
Dalia says
Hi Elana,
Thanks so much for all your recipes! I’ve prepared many of them. I also deal with autoimmune disease.
Over night, I drink 2-3 mason jars of water (total one litre). Two cups of black coffee in the morning. One cup of matcha ginger green tea during my workout. Break my fast around 1:00. Protein shake with almond milk. A bit of water here and there through the day. Herbal tea in the evening. Probably totalling about 3 litres a day.
Elana says
Dalia, thanks for letting me know you love all of my recipes <3 And thanks for the reminder to stop answering comments and go lift weights!
Alexandra says
I love! Love! Love! Lmnt. It is a game changer. I discovered it when I was postpartum and breastfeeding with my first son. It has powered me through my intense Crossfit workouts and hikes, through a second pregnancy and (currently) postpartum breastfeeding with my second son and is really my go to help my body through all the activity and life creating it is doing. Great blog post! More people could benefit from LMNT instead of their gross sugar competitors
Elana says
Alexandra, so glad to hear you love LMNT! We love it too, especially the sugar free component:-)