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Why Do We Need More Salt on Keto?

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FACT CHECKED
  Published on May 28th, 2021
  Reading time: 3 minutes
  Last modified June 15th, 2023
Salt is especially important for people on keto

As you should be, you’re proud of your progress on a ketogenic diet, but you’ve heard you need plenty of salt! Do you need more salt on keto, and why? What are the healthiest sources of salt? What are the best ways to include more salt on your keto diet?

Why Do You Need More Salt on Keto?

Your body functions differently on a ketogenic diet, and you shift from primarily burning carbohydrates (glucose) for fuel to using fat and ketones! When you switch to ketosis, your body loses stored electrolytes, including sodium (salt). Your body can’t live without this essential mineral that often gets depleted on keto. Sodium is needed for regulating water retention and more.

Sodium is abundant on the standard American diet, but sodium consumption is naturally decreased on a keto diet. Most people on a standard American diet also usually consume heavily processed table salts, as opposed to more natural healthy sources of salt like Celtic sea salt.

In recent decades, salt has been demonized, despite contradictory research on the subject. If your sodium levels drop too low, you can feel unpleasant symptoms of the keto flu, like fatigue, brain fog, and dizziness. Fortunately, keto flu is short-lived and can be prevented with the right steps, such as replenishing electrolytes and staying hydrated.

Low sodium levels can also cause problems like digestive issues because the muscles in your digestive tract require sodium to function properly. Some people experience nausea, constipation, and other digestive issues with low sodium levels. Low electrolyte levels, in general, heightens your risk of muscle cramps.

benefits of sodium on keto

Electrolytes on Keto

If you’re in nutritional ketosis, make sure you’re consuming enough salt since sodium levels will be lower than usual. Sodium and potassium work in tandem, so when your sodium level drops, it also directly affects potassium, making you feel even worse. Fortunately, you can also increase your potassium intake in your keto diet with delicious foods like avocado and leafy greens!

How Can You Get More Salt on The Keto Diet?

Increasing salt is an easy fix! Just start adding more salt to the foods you eat. You can add more salt to all your meals and drink bone broth.

Check out the irresistible and creative range of recipes here at ketogenic.com, and happy salting!

You might be tempted by this keto salted butter fudge or swayed by this keto carrot cake with salted caramel frosting.

Some keto folks even add a dash or two of salt to lemon water as a morning refresher! You can also eat more foods and food products that are higher in salt or salted, such as sausages, salted nuts, and some canned goods.

The most popular keto salts include pink Himalayan and Celtic sea salt. These also happen to be more natural and less processed options. Himalayan salt is derived from rock crystals of salt mined from areas near the Himalayas, often in Pakistan. The appealing rosy hue is from trace minerals in the salt, such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium.

Sea salt is made from evaporated seawater from various places, usually collected from shores around Brittany. The salt is typically dried in the sun and wind and packed with minerals! The larger crystals make it much saltier than regular table salt.

You’ll love the sound and salivate when you hear the crunch of the salt grinder gifting you with fresh, flavorful granules. A sprinkling of salt might be just what your keto dish needs! Let’s be honest; salt typically makes the food taste even better!

sodium intake cheating on keto

What are Your Favorite Salts to Use on Keto?

Are you getting the right amount of salt on your ketogenic diet? What are your favorite salty recipes?  

Steph Green is a content writer specializing in and passionate about healthcare, wellness, and nutrition. Steph has worked with marketing agencies, written medical books for doctors like ‘Untangling the Web of Dysfunction,’ and her poetry book ‘Words that Might Mean Something.’ In 2016, after four years of struggling with her own health problems and painful autoimmune disease, Steph developed a life-changing and extensive knowledge of keto, nutrition, and natural medicine. She continues on her healing journey and enjoys helping others along the way.

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