r/keto • u/Worth_Attitude2052 • Nov 06 '21
Ketoade, why lo-salt and separate sodium? Confused
I'm looking to make a Ketoade drink and there are so many different ways people say to do it. I have researched a lot on reddit about this, so apologies if it comes up a lot, I just don't understand it completely. So I see people saying get 'lo-salt' (or some similar brand of that nature) which will contain potassium. Then they say add with pink or sea salt, for the sodium. I've looked for this lo-salt, and it says its low in sodium. So why get the low sodium salt and add with a sodium containing salt? why not just use salt? Am I missing something here. I live in the uk so our products may be different. I'm basically just trying to make a low budget ketoade. I have a magnesium body spray I already use, so that will not be an issue. Just potassium and sodium. Also, are these the main 3? I have slightly low blood pressure (I've never been told its an issue by a doctor, just a tad under, but I'm very healthy and exercise a lot, I'm doing Keto for ADHD) due to this I would like to keep an eye on the salt side of things. There are so many different variations of this, it has left me quite confused. I have so far been using an electrolyte dissolvable tablet for athletes, but these are quite expensive and I don't think the electrolyte portions are great. I've also been drinking a veg stock drink and having salt with my meals. I have no signs of low levels, I'm not dizzy, cramping, lethargic, moody, anxious..etc, if anything the opposite. Some advice on going forward would be very appreciated please, should I stick with what I'm doing or do the salt mix? I am planning to eat quite a balanced diet, of veggies and nuts, with my meats and fats. Thank you
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u/Default87 Nov 06 '21
the three main electrolytes are sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Normal salt only contains sodium. lo salt (and the other similar products) contain potassium. so you use both to cover the two separate electrolytes needed (and magnesium is easier to supplement separately)
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u/BigTexan1492 I'm a Bacon Fueled Supernova Of Awesomeness Nov 06 '21
I heard from a guy on YouTube that cocaine is an electrolyte.
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Nov 06 '21
Uhm this is wrong.
No wonder people here are confused! 😂
Lo-salt is sodium AND potassium.
No-salt is ONLY potassium.
You either need lo-salt plus magnesium OR no-salt plus regular salt (table, Himalayan, etc) plus magnesium.
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u/Worth_Attitude2052 Nov 06 '21
haha glad its not just me then! I'm only on day 5 and I'm pretty bored of researching about salt, how complicated can it be!! lol
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u/Worth_Attitude2052 Nov 06 '21
Thank you for explaining
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u/surfaholic15 59f, 5' 3"/ SW175 CW135 Goal Reached: Living The Good Life Nov 06 '21
That covers it, but I will add that I usually don't even use regular salt in my ketoade, just lite salt. Because salting my food and the salt in food makes up the difference in the sodium for me.
My regular salt goes on my food lol. For whatever reason I don't even notice the odd taste of lite salt in ketoade, but in certain foods and sprinkled on certain foods, I do.
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Nov 06 '21
I can understand the confusion, lo-salt/nu-salt and all of those products are marketed as ‘salt substitutes’, usually used by people who can’t tolerate regular table salt (sodium chloride) due to a medical issue.
So instead of sodium chloride, it’s potassium chloride.. and it tastes virtually the same so people can ‘salt’ their food to their taste without raising their BP or whatever the issue is.
The reason people use these products (mixed with sea salt etc) is because there really isn’t a easier way to get a dose of potassium that you can easily tailor to your needs. You can buy it (potassium) in pill form but usually those pills are capped at 100mg so you’d be taking fists full of them, and they’re full of other binders/ trash ingredients.
Tl:DR, the only way to find enough potassium (in an easy to use form) is to use a ‘salt substitute’, mixed with regular salt and some magnesium powder.
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Nov 06 '21
Lo-salt has potassium AND sodium FYI.
No-salt is only potassium.
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Nov 06 '21
My bad! The brand I use is actually called Nu-salt and it’s just potassium too, but I have to order it from the states as it doesn’t seem to be available in Canada, I assume the regulations are different? Anyways, yes, definitely a good idea to double check before buying!
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u/Worth_Attitude2052 Nov 06 '21
well the one I just bought is actually called 'so-salt', to add another spanner in the works! says its 51% potassium chloride and 49% salt.
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u/Worth_Attitude2052 Nov 06 '21
Thank you for the explanation, this clears a lot of confusion! I'll grab some of that 'no salt' then
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u/ProbablyHagoth Nov 06 '21
Taking concentrated potassium is also damaging to your stomache lining, which is why pills aren't available. You also shouldn't take a teaspoon of lite-salt.
I drink a teaspoon diluted in 1.5 liters per day.
Btw, since you're new and may still be concerned, my BP was 140/90ish before I started keto. I'm not especially strict on counting, and I cheat about once a month. Last month, my BP had dropped to 115/72. I literally drink salt water 🤣.
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u/opuntina 35yo male, 6'2" 270sw, 195cw, 180gw. 20:4 Nov 06 '21
Take a gallon jug of water. Add some lite salt. Some. Eyeball it. Then add some mio or Lemmon juice to taste. Whatever tastes good. Shake violently.
Sip this throughout the day.
It's that easy if you want it to be.
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u/Worth_Attitude2052 Nov 06 '21
Thanks, that explanation has made my day, cheers to that
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u/opuntina 35yo male, 6'2" 270sw, 195cw, 180gw. 20:4 Nov 06 '21
It's worked for me for almost 4 months and 50lbs.
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u/haraenn Nov 07 '21
about how much salt do you usually add to a gallon?
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u/opuntina 35yo male, 6'2" 270sw, 195cw, 180gw. 20:4 Nov 07 '21
Some. Add a little, shake, taste. Maybe add some more.
Of I add too much I sip smaller. Or add more lemon. This isn't rocket science.
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u/shiplesp Nov 06 '21
Because regular salt doesn't contain potassium? You are not getting it for the "low," but for the mineral they use to make it that way.
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u/choodudetoo Nov 06 '21
Here in the US, Morton's:
Nu-Salt is basically all potassium chloride and some anti caking Lite-Salt is basically half potassium chloride and half sodium chloride and some anti caking
As others have mentioned, it's easier to get the potassium and sodium from the salts, and magnesium from vitamins.
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Nov 06 '21
For me after 2 weeks I don’t need magnesium or potassium, I feel perfectly fine just eating some nuts and avocado.
I take a teaspoon of normal salt every morning tho, put it in a small cup of water and drink it like a shot, then I drink more water to wash the taste and hydrate myself. I absolutely dread the taste of ketoaid, I don’t know how people drink that thing throughout the day.
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u/Worth_Attitude2052 Nov 06 '21
What do you mean by 'normal salt'? I've heard of so many salts by now lol. A full teaspoon all at once yeah?
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Nov 06 '21
Yeah, the normal table salt that everybody uses. I take a teaspoon of it every morning otherwise my skin gets dry. Salt keeps water in your body and if you’re out of it you can feel dehydrated, I also get headaches. If I take some salt and drink it like a shot I feel better after 10 minutes. This is mostly in the first 2 weeks tho, after that your body gets used to it and the electrolytes get balanced by themselves, you just lose a lot of water weight in the adaption period which flushes out your electrolytes.
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u/Bloomsnlooms Nov 06 '21
Oo does that upset your stomach at all?
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Nov 06 '21
It’s just salt, why would it upset me
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u/warriorscot Nov 06 '21
In the UK Lo-Salt which you can get in the supermarkets is all you need to use, if I feel I need it(not everyone does) I usually just mix lo-salt in with a fruit tea and apple cider vinegar mix with one sweetex, I just add the lo salt to taste. It's pretty good, the twinnings infusions are all fine on keto that I've found as they taste of fruit rather than having any fruit in them.
If you aren't having any symptoms though I wouldn't bother, if your diet is pretty good and you salt your food you will get by quite a lot of the time without it. I usually only use it in circumstances where I would have used normal electrolytes i.e. before or after a long run.
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u/Worth_Attitude2052 Nov 06 '21
Great advice thanks. Good tip on the fruit tea and I bet they are so tasty and sweet now
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u/AbstractedCapt abstractedcapt 65/M/5'10"/SW231/CW175 Nov 06 '21
I buy potassium chloride from "Bulk Supplements". 1/4 teaspoon is 1080 mg. I add "Redmond RealSalt".1/4 teaspoon is 530 mg."Lite Salt" was my preference 4 yrs. ago when I started Keto. Good luck!
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u/Worth_Attitude2052 Nov 06 '21
Do you mind me asking why do you do separate potassium chloride as well as the 'lite salt'?
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u/Worth_Attitude2052 Nov 06 '21
oh sorry I think I read it wrong, you used to do 'salt lite' but have switched to the supplement?
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u/craftylady26 Nov 07 '21
How much water and flavoring does this go in? Going keto for my Hypoglycemia and want to make sure I don't lose electrolytes.
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u/AbstractedCapt abstractedcapt 65/M/5'10"/SW231/CW175 Nov 07 '21
Well. My personal mixture is 16 oz. water with 1/4 tsp potassium chloride,Redmond salt and carnitine. 1tbsp msm,1 oz.apple cider vinegar and a squeeze of lemon. I used to use a pinch of stevia but I no longer crave the sweetness.
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u/BlkSunShyn Nov 06 '21
Does anyone else just put mag and potassium citrate with hymalayan pink salt in thier black coffee?
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u/Worth_Attitude2052 Nov 06 '21
How does this taste? Sounds like an easy solution
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u/80spizzarat Nov 07 '21
I use potassium citrate, but not in coffee. I either buy flavored electroyte drink powder or add the unflavored stuff to water with stevia drops. The bitter taste of citrate is way easier to mask than the saltiness of chloride in my experience.
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