Salt: Sodium
To state that in a ketogenic diet you have to eat more salt is a frightening thought for many. However, it is important to know that the stopping of sugar consumption will stimulate the production of insulin and by limiting it, the body stops retaining fluids. Therefore, the kidneys release much more water than before.
It is salt, more precisely sodium, that allows the body to maintain its fluids, so you need to eat more salt than before, otherwise you risk dehydration and all the problems it causes. The kidneys also release water, which can lead to serious health problems, such as heart problems, because the kidneys also release mineral salts: sodium, potassium…
Moreover, salt is very important for cellular exchanges, it is also involved in many processes: The absorption of other mineral salts such as potassium, the acid-base balance. It also plays an important role in nerve impulses and cardiac conduction. It often happens that at the beginning of the ketogenic diet, people suffer from headaches, great tiredness, dizziness or cramps, which is a sign that they are not eating enough salt.
The amount of added salt I recommend per day is about 5 to 8 g, i.e. a good teaspoon. I also take into account the amount of salt naturally contained in food. I’ll give you a little precision to know the salt / sodium equivalence. You must divide the amount of salt by the amount of sodium in the food. For example: 10g of salt correspond to about 5g of sodium.
For people suffering from hypertension (I personally belong to this group), I advise you two kinds of salt. Pink Himalayan salt and unrefined sea salt, such as Guérande, Ré and Noirmoutier. These salts are very high in other mineral salts.
Magnesium:
Magnesium is an essential mineral salt for the wellbeing of our body and it is involved in:
- The regulation of blood sugar and insulin production
- A well functioning brain as it influences many neurotransmitters and particularly those that act on our mood: serotonin
- It regulates the nervous system
- It is involved in the manufacture of DNA
- It supports the mitochondria
- It has an impact on the matabolism of sugars
- It also has a role in muscle activity
I advise a daily intake of magnesium between 400mg and 800mg per day. It is important that the form chosen is well adapted to the body. In my opinion the royal form is magnesium bisglycinate. Another form is easily absorbed: mangesium citrate, which can be taken in combination with bisglycinate or on it’s own. It can be chosen by people who tend to be constipated, since it stimulates transit. In addition, you can also use transcutaneous magnesium in an oily form. It must be applied on the skin and it gives an immediate contribution which can be useful in case of tiredness or muscular cramps, and aches.
Potassium:
Potassium really has an essential role at the level of our body, it allows the electric conduction: cardiac, neurological and muscular. It also controls the intracellular water balance, i.e. the osmotic balance between the inside and the outside of the cells. We agree that a cell that is all cramped up because it lacks water will not be efficient, just as a cell that is full of water will end up bursting… I told you above that it is involved in muscle contraction, the heart being a muscle, it is therefore involved in an important way in cardiac contraction.
I tell you this because you should not do just anything… Too much potassium as well as not enough can be very dangerous and create serious heart problems. Therefore I do not recommend supplementing with potassium, you should just make sure that you get enough potassium from food.
However, if you have had a blood test which shows that your kalemia (potassium level in the blood) is low, I advise you to talk to your doctor who will give you an adapted supplementation.
You really have to be careful and eat enough potassium-rich foods, but also eat enough salt because as I said above, if you lack salt you will have a mineral loss at the urinary level…
The average amount of potassium your body needs per day is about 5g. Foods high in potassium that are compatible with ceto are:
- Avocados: 700mg per 100g
- Sardines and mackerel: 400mg per 100g
- Spinach: 500mg per 100g
- Dried seaweed: 10,000mg per 100g
- Dark chocolate: 600mg per 100g
- Aromatic herbs: 500mg per 100g on average
- Artichokes: 500mg per 100g
Calcium:
Calcium intake is often forgotten in the ketogenic diet, especially when we exclude dairy products and oilseeds, which are usually our main sources of calcium. Of course, some vegetables such as cruciferous vegetables contain calcium, but it is difficult to reach the daily requirement with vegetables alone, especially since vegetables are not unlimited because of the carbohydrate control.
Calcium participates in:- Good cellular health
– Regulation of insulin secretion
– The maintenance of a good bone capital in association with vitamin D
– Cardiac, neurological and muscular functions
The form of calcium that I would recommend is citrate. Unfortunately, a lot of calcium is found in the form of carbonate, which is much less well absorbed… The daily amount of calcium citrate should be between 1000 and 1500 mg
If you follow these recommendations, you will be able to live your ketogenic diet with peace of mind and your body will be able to work without suffering and in an optimal way to allow you to reach and maintain your ketogenic revolution.
