**please note these are my personal experiences, I am not a doctor. Always consult with your healthcare physicians before beginning any type of supplementation**
Electrolytes on a ketogenic diet are so important! I feel like people focus primarily on sodium and magnesium though, and attribute getting all of their potassium from foods.
The body cannot naturally produce or make potassium and so it needs to be obtained from the diet. Which in a perfect world, that would be fantastic! However we need roughly 3-4,000mg potassium daily on a ketogenic diet and most foods contain only low to moderate amounts of potassium.
Personally, I struggled to reach those amounts and when I first started. I also experienced a lot of heart palpitations and extreme flank pain. I have always been prone to kidney stones, so it was alarming to me to get that all too familiar flank pain and I got extremely nervous. I knew my body was essentially under going lots of "rewiring" whiel adjusting to switching to keto, and I was going to be losing some ketones in my urine. This is a natural process that takes place as your body gets used to running on ketones for fuel.
The problem, however, is that when you lose ketones, you’ll also lose some minerals along with them. Specifically, positively charged minerals like sodium. This is due to the fact that ketones carry a negative charge (anion), and therefore need to be extracted along with a positively charged compound (cation). Therefore, you may experience an increased level of positively charged minerals (like sodium) running through your kidneys for a short time
For most people, this shouldn’t cause an issue. However, it is another reason to make sure your hydration and electrolyte balance is on point while transitioning into keto.
I started doing some research and found my early signs could potentially be that of a kidney stone and I was likely very dehydrated! I immediately began to increase my water intake and hop on some serious electrolytes and I never looked back!
But why did I opt for Potassium Citrate instead of traditional potassium?
Potassium citrate is a urinary alkalizing medication. It makes urine less acidic. Potassium citrate works by crystallizing stone-forming salts such as calcium oxalate, calcium phosphate, and uric acid within the urinary bladder by increasing the urinary pH and urine citrate levels.
Since I was so prone to kidney stones, this type of supplementation made total sense for me.
Specifically, potassium assists in a range of essential bodily functions including:
Water balance
Blood pressure control
Muscle contractions
Digestion
Heart rate and rhythm
pH balance
Alleviates Kidney Stones There are several causes of kidney stones, but the two most common are from high-protein diets and the combination of calcium and oxalate in the urine. Studies have demonstrated a high success rate using potassium citrate to alleviate both types of kidney stones and prevent their re-occurrence. Potassium citrate helps to eliminate uric acid from high-protein diets. It can also bind to calcium, making it difficult to combine with oxalate to form kidney stones. Researchers recommend it as a safe, long-term strategy against kidney stones.
Protects Bone Health When your blood pH is low or acidic, your body will require an increase in calcium so that it can alkalize the blood. Where can the body pull that calcium from? Answer: your bones. Studies suggest that acidic blood levels can negatively impact bone health. Potassium citrate can be a convenient and effective solution. One study found that adult subjects taking potassium citrate had an improved level of total body calcium despite their diet. This could help to protect bones from low blood pH breakdown.
Lowers Blood Pressure Maintaining a healthy level of potassium can support overall cardiovascular health with an emphasis on blood pressure. Studies show that a potassium citrate supplement successfully lowered blood pressure in those subjects with the pre-existing condition of hypertension. What’s more, researchers concluded the risk of stroke also decreased.
So I definitely benefited from utilizing this supplement and I take it on the daily!
I highly recommend Thorne Products and am an Ambassador with them!
Check out the link attached here for my Thorne Storefront and also the direct link to the potassium is below!
Potassium Link: click HERE
Muscle: Essential for skeletal muscle function*
Urinary Tract: Alkalinizes the urine to promote good urinary tract health*
Heart: Supports cardiovascular health*
Free From: Every Thorne product is made with the purest possible ingredients – without gluten or other major allergens (eggs, tree nuts, peanuts). This product also contains no soy, dairy, yeast, shellfish, or fish.