Hello, Steemit Community,
After nearly 6 months keto I have found myself forgetting some of the basics. When first starting the keto diet I read ,what seemed to be, hundreds of articles and the recurring theme was the "Keto Flu." I was able to completely avoid any of the effects of the "Keto Flu" by doing just a few basic things. I will get to that in a bit.
"Practice breeds proficiency, proficiency breeds competence, and competence breeds complacency." This was said to me by a mentor years ago and it rings in my head to this day. Whenever I become lazy at a task and start cutting corners I think to myself. "Has complacency set in?", "Is this due to over competence?" With the Keto diet, my complacency has never been clearer than it was last week. I thought once keto-adapted I could start being lazy in some areas of the diet. Fatigue set in. I was achy and my muscles were cramping. I had a horrible headache; so much so I wanted to reach for the Advil sitting in my cupboard. I realized what was happening and I knew how to fix it. Advil was not the answer. I had to give my body what it lacked. I was deficient in electrolytes( Sodium, Potassium, and Magnesium.)
Why you need more salt
On a Ketogenic diet, your liver releases more water and with it the minerals that makeup electrolytes. To combat electrolyte deficiency while on the ketogenic diet there are a few things that you can do. First, and foremost, make salt your friend. Salt everything. I'm sure you have heard the horror stories about salt and its link to high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. In order to alleviate some of your concerns here is a quote from ScientificAmerican.com.
Seven studies involving a total of 6,250 subjects in the American Journal of Hypertension found no strong evidence that cutting salt intake reduces the risk for heart attacks, strokes or death in people with normal or high blood pressure.
I hope this puts some of you at ease about increasing your sodium intake while on a ketogenic diet
As for the other minerals Magnesium and Potassium, Increase your intake of avocado and dark leafy greens like spinach.
How I fixed it
When I finally registered my condition was due to an electrolyte deficiency I whipped up an electrolyte cocktail. I drank a 16oz glass of cold water with a 1/4 tsp of salt and then made a big plate of spinach with avocado. I dressed it in extra virgin olive oil (to help increase the fat content.) Finally, yes, I sprinkled salt on that too just for good measure. I was delighted when, after eating that meal, not even an hour has passed when I started feeling my symptoms improve. This diet has not only helped me improve my overall health but has taught me to listen to my body more closely and actually understand what it is saying.
If you got any benefit from reading this post, please help me out by up voting it. I want to spread the message of a low carb high-fat diet to as many people as possible. I truly believe that people have the willpower to help themselves and get healthy. It is the information they are receiving that is leading them astray. Thank you, everyone, for the support.
sources:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/its-time-to-end-the-war-on-salt/