Staying hydrated when beginning or continuing a ketogenic diet can not be over stated. Becoming dehydrated is probably one of the most common problems (and easiest remedied) for anyone on the keto diet. Understanding the correlation between keto and hydration can be very important.
Why you become more dehydrated on the keto diet
It all comes down to biology and chemistry. I will try to explain the generalities without getting into the specifics that will most likely put you to sleep. When you are eating a more traditional diet (with carbs and sugar), you are constantly introducing sugar into your cells.
As the sugar enters the cell, the sugar “pulls” water into the cell with it. So the sugar helps hydrate the cells, and will assist with water retention. A simple way of thinking of it is that water goes where sugar goes. So, once your body has used up the sugar, then the water will also exit the body through your urine. Depending on how much sugar is in your body, your hydration level, and how well your body processes sugar, you may get rid of some excess sugar through your urine. Your body does not like to “waste” sugar, so it will try to retain as much as it can, which also means that you will retain more water.
You may notice that after you have had a sugary meal that you feel bloated, and a few hours later you are urinating more often than normal. This is just your bodies way of trying to normalize your blood sugar levels.
So, if you are starting a ketogenic diet or are already keto adapted, you will need to have a more consistent supply of water going into your body. You no longer have the sugar that will pull the water into your cells. The water also will not be retained like it was before.
Hydration and the Keto Flu
Just like your cells will no longer hold water, they will not hold electrolytes which are essential to many functions. Where water goes, the electrolytes go. This principal is the foundation of why people get the “Keto Flu”. It has nothing to do with a flu bug, virus or any other infliction, but because your body has lost its essential electrolytes. I have more details in my blog here.
As you are transitioning to a ketogenic diet, or if you have transitioned, you should be eating more of the three main electrolytes. They are salt (the regular salt you use for cooking or seasoning your foods), magnesium and potassium.
Best ways of getting electrolytes
Salt: Add salt to your foods. If you are like me, prior to going keto, I would rarely add salt to foods. I had to learn a new habit. If you already salt your foods, then you will most likely not need to add any additional salt.
Side note: If you add apple cider vinegar, the salt and vinegar will allow your body to combine the two together to make stomach acid. Apple cider vinegar is a great addition to your keto journey, and if you want to learn more about how it can help, you can read my blog here.
Magnesium: Swiss Chard, spinach, salmon, avocados, okra, almonds and even chocolate are among the foods that are good sources. Its is best to get your magnesium from whole foods. To help you understand the importance of having magnesium, you should know that magnesium is the fourth most abundant element in your body. For more information, here is a link to WebMD.
There are however times when that is not always practical. In this case, you can buy magnesium supplements. The two most common types are magnesium citrate and magnesium glycinate. Both are referred as commonly available and in a form that the body can absorb.
Precautionary note: too much magnesium can cause loose stools, so don’t take too much at one time.
Potassium: Broccoli, spinach, avocados, chicken and salmon are a few options. If you have been working out, coconut water is very hydrating, but you need to watch the sugar content. You may be surprised to know that bananas aren’t that great of sources of potassium. If you are interested in learning more about how potassium works or its sources, you can check out the blog from Harvard University here.
There aren’t many good supplements for potassium. If you are starting the ketogenic diet, and want to avoid the “Keto Flu”, you can add some cream of tartar to your foods. Cream of tartar is a good source of potassium, and can be used to help supplement in a pinch.
Because your body no longer retains water, you will need to constantly re-hydrate. It is even more important if you live in a dry climate where you dehydrate without becoming thirsty. As you continue on your keto journey, your body will eventually come to a type of equilibrium where you will know how much fluids you will need daily. While you are in the transition phase though, you are better off drinking more rather than less. I drink a little less than a gallon of water daily at work. At home, I will drink a mixture of other fluids, typically tea as well as water.
Coffee and tea have great health benefits, but regarding hydration, you should be cautioned that they are diuretics. That means that by drinking those, they are actually helping your body get rid of excess water. This is very important to understand especially as you are starting your keto journey as it will make your Keto Flu even worse. I am by no means telling you to give up your favorite cup of joe or breakfast tea. I am suggesting that you drink them sparingly during your transition phase. Once you are keto adapted, you will be able to figure out how much water you need to drink to counteract your morning coffee.
Try to create a habit of drinking more water than other beverages. I have a water jug that I take to work with me, and it helps me to monitor how much water I drink. You can use a similar method or count how many glasses you drink. However you want to keep track, try to be consistent enough to create a habit that no longer requires thinking or additional work. You want to make hydration as simple as possible so that you will be more likely to stick with it.
As you lose the sugar and carbs from your cells, you will lose the extra water weight. Drinking water will not cause you to retain any water. Eating sugar and carbs will.
Staying hydrated while being active on a keto diet
If you are eating keto, working out just seems to compliment the diet and lifestyle. Being active will help burn off some of the extra weight that most Americans are carrying around. Working out helps to use up some of the extra carbohydrates that we may have eaten, and will help use up some of the energy stored in our fat cells.
Working out does pose a different problem however. How do you stay hydrated on keto, if your
body does not retain water like it used to? Well, it needs to be a deliberate and consciously planned process.
1. Attempt to be well hydrated well before you begin your workout. If you are continually drinking water throughout the day, your cells always be in a hydrated state. As such, you will be ready to begin your workout when you decide you want to work out.
2. If your workout allows, attempt to drink some water during your workout. I know that some high intensity workouts don’t allow much time between repetitions, but drink when you can.
If anyone reading this is also getting into the habit of working out, you don’t want to drink too much water at any one time if you are working out hard. If you drink too much water, your body will reject the water by causing you to vomit. Drink small amounts, and test how your body reacts to it.
It is also worth mentioning that if you paid attention to number 1, you will most likely not become severely dehydrated. I mention this for the newbies so they understand that you don’t need to water log yourself during your workout. If need be, don’t drink any during your workout and just rehydrate afterwords.
3. After your workout, begin rehydrating. You don’t need to chug water, but you should drink a few glasses over the next couple of hours. Allow your body to cool down before you really start drinking the water. Depending on how much you lost, will effect how much you would need to put back in. Only you can determine that.
If you have never tried it, put some lemon or lime into your water to help replenish. There are several reasons why you may want to add some lemon/lime, but I will only list a few: 1. allows you to drink more water, 2. helps replace electrolytes (good source of potassium), 3. promotes weight loss, 4. slightly boosts your immune system, 5. may help lower blood sugar, 6. the sour taste can help with sugar cravings.
You can also add a pinch of salt to your water. Nothing says that you have to add salt to your food.
It is also important to note that if you are in ketosis, you will need to make sure that you are getting enough good quality sodium (sea salt, pink Himalayan salt), not iodized salt. You need salt because as you sweat, you will also be depleting your stored salt. If you lose too much salt, it will throw your electrolytes out of balance.
Stay hydrated and stay healthy.
