Keto And Electrolytes
When you are on a ketogenic diet, your body process minerals i a slightly different way.
You kidneys will eliminate sodium at a much higher rate when you are restricting carbohydrates.
That means that you will have to supplement your sodium intake to match this loss.
Dr. Volek And Dr. Phinney in the book The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living recommend to supplement with at least 3ooo mg of sodium a day.
Yes that’s right, 3 GRAMS of salt a day! Not aways easy to do…
But very important, as sodium is necessary in the body to maintain potassium and magnesium balance.
When sodium is too low, both potassium and magnesium levels will decrease, causing cramps, headaches, dizziness and more.
So if you are feeling any of those symptoms, especially at the beginning of keto adaptation, you might be lacking some important minerals!
An Easy And Delicious Keto Electrolyte Drink
Aloe vera juice is a great supplement to your diet! It contains calcium, magnesium and sodium, and it extremely healing for the gut.
It also has a pleasant tart taste which can help reduce sugar cravings!
Pair it with the extra tanginess of lemon and it will quench your thirst like nothing else.
And don’t worry you will not even taste the sea salt.
It’s the perfect refreshment after you practice sports or when you are keto adapting!
- Serves: about 3 servings
- Serving size: 1 serving
- Carbohydrates: 1.49 gr
- 1 gram of Celtic Sea Salt (about ⅓rd teaspoon)
- 2 fluid Oz. Unsweetened Aloe vera Juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 24 fluid Oz spring water
- Mix all ingredients together, and enjoy.
- You can use chilled water or drink over ice for extra refreshment.
Comments 28
How many glasses of this should one drink in a day? is there a limit? I drink mostly lemon juice with hot water all day except for 2 cusp of herbal tea.
Count the carbs. I would probably limit to 2 to 3 servings a day…
I would start slow as aloe vera can have a laxative effect, I love this drink, especially since aloe vera is so good for you, do you have how much fresh aloe vera would equal out to 2 ounces, as I’m sure the juice probably has some water.
I render aloe from my plants at home. Can confirm on the laxative effect.
I know this is an older post but I came across this while searching for more electrolyte replacements on keto. I have tried your recipe and it’s very good.
I wanted to share another recipe that I make regularly incase there may be some that can’t tolerate the aloe Vera or want less carbs.
I drink this often and it really helps a lot during the beginning stages of keto/low carb and just as an all around electrolyte replacer and is absorbed very well.
The recipe is for 1 liter and is 1 serving.
Keto Gatorade
4 cups cold filtered water
1/4 Tsp. Mortons lite salt (50/50 salt and potassium)
2TBS lemon juice, I use ‘real lemon’ from concentrate ( can adjust to taste, more or less)
2 TBS magnesium citrate, preferred flavor ( usually available in a large bottle as a saline laxative)
1 or 2 packets of sweet leaf stevia ( or adjust to taste)
Mix it all up and drink.
Each serving supplies you with
335 mg sodium, 350 mg potassium, and 282 mg of chelated magnesium, and ~0.5 to 1gm fiber
There are no calories and no measurable carbs. This drink was a life saver for me when I was just starting out with keto.
As a note, the mag citrate is usually found in the pharmacy isle with other laxatives. It comes in a 10oz bottle and it’s usually about 1 dollar. It says to discard the remaining liquid after 24 hours. But, there is no need to do that. Just keep it in the fridge and it will be fine for 2 weeks, 1month max.
(The difference between magnesium as a supplement and magnesium as a laxative is the dose.)
Anyway, thanks for the great website. I enjoy all of your posts so far.
Thank you for sharing your recipe Chelsea. The only caveat there I would say is the magnesium citrate. As it does work as a a laxative, it will make your intestinal muscles lazy when used on a regular basis. I use magnesium lactate instead for my patients.
I would completly agree with this and thanks for pointing this out. Using mag citrate regularly can certainly cause some sluggishness in the bowel for some people. I’m a nurse and I ran the recipe by a Dr friend of mine and he said as long as no more than 1-2 TBS of the citrate was used daily it should not create a problem or any type of bowel dependency for most people. I never take more than 2 TBS of the mag citrate per day exactly for the reason you mentioned….( plus, it’s a laxative!..I don’t wanna accidentally poop all over myself, lol) I get the majority of mag from my diet and also supplement with slow mag at night. I’ve never experienced a problem with the recipe but each person is going to have to judge their own response.
This recipe I used mainly for those times during the beginning stages of keto, or whenever I feel a bit “off” and also for the times I’ve really exerted myself and need the quick electrolyte boost…it’s absorbed pretty quickly and I usually always have these ingredients on hand. It works very well when used in this manner.
I appreciate your website and your drink recipe is great. I also drink it often….I love it. My husband doesn’t like aloe Vera juice or coconut water so I came up with this for him for whenever he needs a boost.
I’ve been keto’ing for almost a year now, mainly for medical reasons and every now and then I still get random palpations, and headachy. Usually this happens on days when I’m not paying attention to my body and how I’m treating it. These diy keto friendly electrolyte drinks are the first things I reach for when I start feeling like this and it usually does the trick.
Thanks for the conversation and all the information and recipes in your website. I have found many unique recipes I would like to try here. Good info as well.
Take care and be well! 🙂
Thank you Chelsea! I think your recipe would be PERFECT for the initial stages of keto! I might have to steal it form you 😉
And great job choosing a healthy lifestyle and staying on it! I am proud of you!
My pharmacist has cautioned me on the use of the magnesium ciitrate on a regular basis as she says that it can damage your kidneys.
I do not agree with long term use as well!!
What if you have aloe plant at home, can you use that/how much would you use?
Honestly no idea…you would have to experiment!! 🙂
We’re is your carb count coming from on this? The aloe in the link has 0g per 8oz.. salt has none, 1 teaspoon of lemon should barely register and water obviously has none. I’m going to try it just curious where that number is coming from .
It’s from the Aloe! Zero just means less than 1 gram per serving but it is not accurate…labeling tricks….
I thought it might be but a serving on the bottle is 8 oz which should mean that 8 oz could be up to half a gram right?
So since the recipe calls for only 2 oz of the aloe juice wouldn’t that put the carb count in the recipe effectively at 0? Unless you bump the recipe up to 24oz of aloe.
The carb content of Aloe can vary. I think you can just consider that number a safe general guideline.
This says it makes 3 servings is that how much you should drink in one day or just one serving a day. I’m going to be restarting Keto. I failed last time cuz my electrolytes got off balance. I felt horrible and being a single mom I just couldn’t take it no more 🙁
Hi Crystal. I would drink 2 to 3 servings a day max. Make sure you get plenty of cilantro in your diet to help bring in potassium. Here is good recipe to help you start keto back:
https://thenourishedcaveman.com/supercharged-mineral-chicken-broth/
How much potassium does this drink provide?
Hi It’s hard to say exactly, as it depends on what salt you use!
Can I use Pink Himalayan salt? Is there a big difference?
Not A HUGE DIFFERENCE. You can use it with similar results!
My 18 year old son, a competitive golfer and workout enthusiast, follows a low glycemic diet. I want him to try this drink but I would like to add some vibrant colors and flavors, similar to the popular sports drinks sold on the market. Any ideas?
Why do you need to add color??? Is it just the conditioning from the soda industry? I would stay away from coloring at all cost! Same with any artificial flavor. The lemon and the mint provide all the flavor you should need 🙂
The “zinger” herbal teas by Celestial Seasoning have hibiscus in them which adds a natural vibrant color to the tea, as well as the health benefits of hibiscus. If I was trying to make the drink more exciting, I’d probably blend it with something like that myself.