Electrolytes Everyday
- janlindquist
- May 13
- 7 min read
Do you struggle with energy and running out of gas way before the day is done?
Maybe you need to consider adding electrolytes and minerals to your water?
Blood Sugar, Adrenals & Cortisol Issues.
Adding a big pinch of a quality sea salt to your water could boost your energy and help with balancing your blood sugar as well.
Because there's no set amount of electrolytes needed to run our body well, we need to consider our lifestyle, hydration habits and how we feel.
The best way to know how much is enough is to begin experimenting and then pay attention to your energy and general feeling of well-being.
What Are Electrolytes?
Electrolytes are specific minerals:
Sodium
Chloride
potassium
Calcium
Magnesium
Sulfate
These are the minerals that our body requires to run well. Focusing on making sure we are becoming 'mineralized' allows these “spark plugs” to keep our body running well.
What Causes Us To Loose Minerals?
Eating a low-carb diet causes our to body dump more minerals, especially when our diet is very low-carb. This can lead to increased water excretion and changes in hormone levels.
Stress due to lifestyle issues, chronic illness, poor sleep, and a diet primarily centered around processed foods, places a huge load on our body. When we push ourselves by ignoring that more sleep and better eating habits could make a difference, we place ourselves into a chronic stressed situation.
Poor lifestyle habits can then increase poor health outcomes. This could be remedied, beginning with proper hydration and electrolyte supplementation.
How Much Is Enough?
This is definitely not a one-size-fits-all approach. We need to consider our age, activity level, climate, and overall health when determing how much support we require. This is a bit of a trial and error approach and you must pay attention to how you feel during this initial phase of adding electrolytes.
Adding electrolytes initially can require an openness to believing your body will adjust to the slightly salty taste. Eventually your taste buds will adjust and you will begin to both enjoy the flavor and all the benefits of feeling better.
Note: A good indication of mineral overload is loose or liquid bowels, so go slow.
Your water should taste a bit salty, but not too salty.
But, "I don’t feel great with salt".
Before you stop adding electrolytes, consider that the balance of minerals may need adjusting. Generally if this is true for you, adding more potassium could be helpful.
Potassium.
Many of us experience an imbalance in sodium and potassium and this is the most important ratio to get balanced. Every cellular function is determined by the sodium potassium pump that's attached to every cell in the body.
Nothing gets in or out of our cells when this ratio is out of balance.
Signs of Needing More Potassium:
Fatigue
Muscle Cramps/Spasms
Irregular Heartbeat/Palpitations
Constipation
Tingling/Numbness
Frequent Urination
Excessive Thirst [even with adequate hydration]
Feeling ill or Extra Thirsty [after consuming salt or electrolyte packets]
Difficulty Tolerating Salt Intake
Flavored or Unflavored - What’s Best?
I like to use unflavored and flavored electrolytes, depending on the time of year, how much I’m struggling with needing to eat sweets, and the time of day.
First Thing.
I begin my day with a large glass- 16-24 oz. of filtered water plus unflavored electrolytes. This sets me up to re-hydrate my body after sleeping.
I choose not to add something flavored and a bit sweet first thing in the morning so that my body won’t begin craving sweets throughout the day.
Why Should I Do This?
Our blood sugar is generally at it's lowest after a night of fasting [not eating], and the sweeteners in electrolytes can lead to a greater drop in our blood sugar levels. This drop signals a bigger insulin response required to stabilize our blood sugar level.
Unfortunately, this can lead to some health consequences:
Insulin resistance
Pronounced hunger
Increased appetite and cravings.
If you' re sensitive to sweeteners [meaning they increase your desire for eating more sweet foods] consider changing up the type of electrolytes you're using. Try a non-flavored, or no-sweet variety.
Using bone broth and meat stocks can work really well as an electrolyte support and will not cause an uptick in any of these symptoms mentioned above.
Ocean-Based/ Earth-Based Mineral Blends.
Ocean based minerals are solutions that contain salt drawn from the ocean.
Earth based minerals are called; Fulvic and Humic minerals-these are derived from the soil.
We need both types of minerals today because our soil is depleted through intensive agriculture, changing climates and industrial activities leading to nutrient depletion, erosion and the degradation of our soil structure and quality.
Fulvic and Humic are earth-based minerals that come from ancient soils that once were present in our food supply.
The Fulvic molecule carries 70+ minerals and nutrients. Once inside the cell, it changes its molecular charge, dropping off the minerals and then attracting bio toxins like waste and heavy metals, then these waste products exit our body through urine, tears, sweat, and feces.
Incorporating both Fulvic and Humic minerals can be accomplished in a product called BEAM Minerals and they are available in a liquid form, 100% bioavailable which means we can absorb them fully and they bypass our digestive process too.
BEAM Minerals provides both minerals and micronutrients for every stage of life.
Please Filter!
We now need to filter our drinking and bathing water to remove the harmful contaminants. Unfortunately this also filters out the beneficial minerals as well.
This is the major reason why adding back these necessary minerals is crucial for our health!
Begin With Salt.
Before adding an expensive electrolyte blend, try adding a quality salt or Sole Water to every glass or bottle. Remember, your water should taste slightly salty, but pleasant.
Sole Water.
Sole Water is easy to make and very inexpensive. This can be a great first-step in supplementing your water.
1 quart mason jar with lid
1/4 cup good quality sea salt, Celtic salt, pink Himalayan salt
1 cup filtered water
Combine ingredients into the jar, shake well.
Leave jar on counter overnight
Shake jar again in the morning before using.
Add 1 tsp. of Sole Water to 16+ ounces of filtered water and include a squeeze of lemon juice to improve taste.
Try These Salts.
Redmond’s Real Salt - redmond.life
Crucial Four - crucialfour.com
Celtic Sea Salt - amazon.com
High Blood Pressure?
If you experience elevated blood pressure, this could be an indication of low potassium levels. When adequate sodium levels are reached, our body is then able to regulate sodium properly and this can help reduce high blood pressure.
To actually have data on mineral ratios, consider a hair mineral test. Without a data-driven test, consider the common side effects listed above to see if you would benefit from more potassium.
Consider REVEAL - Hair. Mineral. Tissue. Analysis
This test reveals both mineral levels and heavy metal toxicity along with a blueprint to follow that can increase your energy, reduce brain fog, diminish fatigue, and increase energy!
Add These Potassium-Rich Foods To Your Plate.
Aloe Vera Juice - 961 mg per 1 cup
Portobello Mushrooms - 630 mg per 1 cup
Bok Choy - 631 mg per cup
Brussel Sprouts - 494 mg per cup
Salmon - 534 mg per 3 oz
Avocado - 708 mg per 1 cup
Broccoli - 457 mg per 1 cup
Cucumber with skin- 442 mg per 1 large
Pumpkin - 394 mg per 1 cup
Pork Tenderloin - 365 mg per 3 oz
Chicken Breast - 332 mg per 3 oz
Artichokes - 343 mg per medium artichoke
Zucchini - 325 mg per 1 cup
Cauliflower - 320 mg per 1 cup
Kale - 296 mg per 1 cup
Asparagus - 271 mg per 1 cup
Green Beans - 183 mg per 1 cup
Potassium Supplements to Consider.
Redmond’s Re-Lyte [try the unflavored for best blood sugar balance]
Adrenal Cocktail -Jigsaw Health
Cream of Tarter - add a pinch to your water to increase potassium
Mineral & Electrolyte Blends.
Mineral blends are also supportive because they contain trace minerals and can be very helpful in supporting mineral balance in our body.
40,000 Volts -traceminerals.com
These are my go-to electrolytes. I put a squirt in every bottle of water. I recommend beginning slowly and increase as you become accustomed to the taste of your mineralized water.
Magnesium.
Magnesium is definitely a magnificent mineral and one that many of us can benefit from supplementation.
Magnesium Glycinate - this form is tolerated well and helpful for sleep, gut health and anxiety.
Magnesium Oxide - helpful to those struggling with constipation. This magnesium is a good first-step in helping to relieve constipation symptoms while you work on the root causes of your constipation. I prefer Oxide rather than Citrate as citrate interferes with how our cells utilize energy.
Adding electrolytes to your daily routine offers many health benefits, especially during warm weather. Improving our hydration will help our body absorb and retain fluids better than water alone.
When we are under-hydrated our nutrition suffers because our amazing nutrient transport system relies on a fully hydrated bloodstream.
Benefits of Hydration.
If constipation is an issue, begin by including more water with electrolytes to help motility.
When temperatures soar - we need electrolytes to help our body manage heat.
Experiencing cramps at night? This can be an indication of low mineral status and a need for hydration.
Drinking electrolyte supported water throughout the day can be a great remedy for night cramps.
Electrolytes are vital as nerve impulse transmitters enabling communication between nerve cells and the brain. This translates into improved cognitive function, that can impact memory, focus, and decision-making.
I encourage you to consider some simple steps in improving your hydration which can improve your life!
I’m here to help - You can find me here:
Thanks for reading,
Jan
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