The ketogenic (keto) diet, characterized by its very low carbohydrate and high-fat content, has gained immense popularity as a way to lose weight and potentially improve overall health. By drastically reducing carb intake, the body enters a metabolic state called ketosis, where it burns fat instead of glucose for energy. While generally considered safe, the keto diet can lead to some initial side effects, one of the most common being dehydration, often referred to as "keto thirst." This article delves into the causes of keto thirst and provides effective strategies to stay hydrated and healthy while following a ketogenic lifestyle.
Understanding Keto and Dehydration
The keto diet involves cutting carbs and eating fat. It's very popular because it puts the body into ketosis, a metabolic state. Overall, this diet is safe and can be a part of a healthy lifestyle. However, especially when first starting this diet, there are a few things to keep in mind as it can cause dehydration. The nature of the high-fat and low-carb diet can cause an imbalance in electrolytes, leading to dehydration and other unpleasant symptoms. When on the Keto diet, it is even more crucial to maintain proper hydration levels.
The Role of Ketones
The reason being that the Keto diet is a low-carb and high-fat diet, which means that the body produces ketones to burn fat for energy instead of glucose. This process leads to the loss of water and electrolytes, leading to dehydration. Ketones have a diuretic effect, making you urinate more often - thus losing water.
The Depletion of Glycogen Stores
As your body switches away from using carbs as fuel, the liver also releases its glycogen stores. This form of glucose is stored with lots of water. Every gram of glycogen also stores approximately 3 grams of water. So you can guess what happens when you take up keto and drastically reduce your carb intake: As your body burns up its glycogen stores on its way to ketosis-aka fat-burning mode-it also loses a bunch of the water it was storing. Hello, thirst. When dietary carbohydrates are reduced, glycogen levels plummet, and water is excreted from the body.
Insulin and Sodium
A low-carb diet also leads the body to produce less insulin. When you ingest carbohydrates and sugar, your pancreas releases insulin in order to combat the ensuing spike in blood sugar. High insulin levels in the body trigger your kidneys to hold onto water and sodium. When you eliminate carbs and sugar from your diet, your insulin levels drop, and your kidneys release this stored sodium and water. As water exits your body, you may find yourself getting thirsty.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Electrolyte Imbalance
Electrolyte intake plays a vital role in weight loss in ketosis, as electrolytes help the body absorb and utilize nutrients. Because the keto diet involves eliminating carbohydrates, you can easily sweat and lose necessary electrolytes such as sodium, magnesium, potassium and calcium. Electrolyte imbalance can lead to dehydration, and there are several signs that you should be aware of. If you experience any of these symptoms, it is crucial to increase your water intake and consider incorporating electrolyte-rich foods and drinks into your diet.
Water Weight Loss
When you start a keto diet, it is normal to lose several pounds of water weight in the first week or two due to glycogen stores being depleted and your body no longer absorbing as much water from carbs.
Recognizing the Signs of Dehydration
Getting dehydrated doesn’t just mean feeling thirsty. When your body is low on fluids for too long, it can lead to serious health problems. When your body’s fluid stores get too low, it’s a recipe for some uncomfortable effects. While these symptoms may be more unpleasant than dangerous, dehydration can become serious if left untreated. If you experience any of these symptoms, it is crucial to increase your water intake and consider incorporating electrolyte-rich foods and drinks into your diet.
Common symptoms of dehydration include:
- Increased thirst
- Dry mouth
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Muscle cramps
- Dizziness
- Constipation
- Dark urine
Some research has shown that low fluid stores could diminish cognitive performance, short-term memory, and attention.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Effective Hydration Strategies for Keto Dieters
While water is important in any diet, it is even more so in low-carb diets where the loss of essential electrolytes can quickly lead to symptoms of dehydration. Because you need to drink more water on the keto diet, here are some tips on how you can avoid dehydration:
- Start your day with water: Right when you wake up, drink a glass of plain water.
- Drink plenty of water throughout the day: Then, try to drink around eight glasses of water throughout the day. Keep in mind that this can vary based on things such as your location, activity level and weight. Fluid intake while being in ketogenic diets is recommended to be at least 2-3 liters per day. However, when following the Keto diet, it is essential to increase your water intake to compensate for the loss of water due to the production of ketones. A general rule of thumb is to drink at least half of your body weight in ounces of water. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should drink at least 75 ounces of water per day.
- Keep water nearby: It is easier to remember to drink water if you keep a full glass near you.
- Buy a tracking cup or download an app: To visually see how much you drink in a day, you can purchase a daily water tracking bottle or download a water tracking app. Fluid-tracking apps like WaterMinder or Aqualert allow you to set daily goals and log your progress.
- Keep hydrated with other liquids: While water should be your main source, you can also stay hydrated with low-sugar broths, juices, sports drinks and popsicles. Infused and sparkling waters aren’t the only alternatives to plain H2O. Other keto-friendly beverages can round out your fluid intake as well. When you’re feeling “meh” about glass after glass of water, try a cup of hot or iced tea or coffee. Another hot beverage you might enjoy: a warming cup of broth. Low-carb non-dairy milks also have a place on a keto diet. Unsweetened almond milk, coconut milk, flax milk, and cashew milk are just a few of the good low-carb choices available.
- Eat whole foods: Foods such as leafy vegetables have a high water content that can keep you hydrated, while nuts and seeds are high in electrolytes. Low-carb foods such as avocados, cucumbers and celery also contain a lot of water. For restoring hydration, water-rich whole foods are the best of both worlds. Not only do they provide fluids with their natural water content, many of them are high in the minerals that help your body retain fluid.
- Listen to your body: Listen to your body and drink when thirsty.
Tips to Increase Water Consumption
Drinking plain water can be a challenge, especially if you are not used to drinking water regularly. Here are some tips to help you increase your water consumption on the Keto diet:
- Keep a water bottle with you at all times and sip on it throughout the day.
- Set reminders on your phone to drink water every hour.
- Infuse your water with fruits or herbs to add flavor. Letting cold purified water steep with refreshing fruits (like citrus, pineapple, or mango), herbs (like fresh basil or rosemary), and even vegetables (like cucumber slices) creates complex flavor without knocking you out of ketosis.
- Drink water before and after meals.
- Avoid sugary drinks and replace them with water.
- Make your hydration efforts more intriguing by investing in a quality water bottle that’s pleasing to the eye.
The Importance of Electrolytes
Electrolytes are minerals that conduct electrical impulses in the body and play a crucial role in hydration. The most important electrolytes for hydration are sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. When on the Keto diet, the loss of water and electrolytes can lead to an imbalance in electrolytes, leading to dehydration. It is essential to maintain proper electrolyte levels to avoid dehydration.
Incorporating Electrolytes into Your Diet
To maintain hydration, you can add electrolytes to your diet from numerous other sources. For a natural sports beverage alternative, try coconut water. It contains plenty of sodium and potassium, along with smaller amounts of calcium and magnesium. A DIY veggie juice or smoothie with ingredients like leafy greens and berries will also help replenish magnesium and potassium stores. Meanwhile, it pays to think beyond the drink! Tons of common, healthy foods are excellent sources of electrolytes. For a hefty dose of sodium, sip a cup of broth or low-carb soup. Or, to focus on potassium, reach for bananas, cooked broccoli, seafood, or tomatoes. Magnesium-rich foods include pumpkin seeds, cooked spinach, dry-roasted cashews and almonds, and (yum!) dark chocolate.
Electrolyte Supplements
If you’d like to know exactly how much of each mineral you’re putting in your body, you may prefer an electrolyte supplement. This convenient powder comes in several fruity flavors, each of which provides 60% of your daily magnesium needs, plus sizable doses of chloride, sodium, and potassium.
Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto
Keto-Friendly Foods Rich in Electrolytes
Eating keto-friendly foods that contain electrolytes, such as leafy greens, avocados and nuts, can help maintain the balance of electrolytes in the body. Incorporating hydrating foods into your Keto diet can help you maintain proper hydration levels.
- Leafy greens: Leafy greens such as spinach, kale, and lettuce are high in water and electrolytes.
- Avocado: Avocado is high in potassium and healthy fats, making it an excellent Keto-friendly hydrating food.
- Cucumber: Cucumbers are high in water and low in carbs, making them an excellent hydrating snack on the Keto diet.
- Berries: Berries such as strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are high in water and low in carbs, making them an excellent hydrating dessert on the Keto diet.
Foods and Drinks to Avoid
Some foods and drinks can make dehydration worse and should be avoided when on the Keto diet.
- Alcohol: Alcohol can dehydrate the body and cause electrolyte imbalances.
- Caffeine: Caffeine can increase urine output and lead to dehydration.
- Processed foods: Processed foods are generally high in sodium and low in potassium, leading to electrolyte imbalances.
Monitoring Hydration Levels
One way to see if you need to drink more water is to monitor the color of your urine. It should be either light yellow or clear if you are well hydrated. Monitoring your urine color is an excellent way to know if you are properly hydrated. Urine color should be pale yellow or clear. If your urine is dark yellow, it is a sign of dehydration, and you should increase your water intake. However, if your urine is clear or colorless, it may be a sign of overhydration, and you should decrease your water intake.
Addressing Severe Dehydration
Drinking water and other clear fluids can help you rehydrate, but there may be times when that isn't enough and you need a faster fix. At Arizona IV Medics, medical professions offer mobile IV therapy to alleviate moderate and severe dehydration by getting fluid and electrolytes into your system fast. IV vitamins, such as the signature Myer's Cocktail, will help restore your body's balance.
The Keto Flu
The keto flu describes a set of symptoms some people may experience when starting a ketogenic diet.The keto flu is a collection of symptoms experienced by some people when they first start the keto diet.These symptoms, which can feel similar to the flu, are caused by the body adapting to a new diet consisting of very little carbohydrates. Signs of the keto flu may start popping up within the first few days of cutting back on carbs. Symptoms can range from mild to severe and vary from person to person.
While some people may transition to a ketogenic diet without any side effects, others report symptoms such as:
- nausea
- vomiting
- constipation
- diarrhea
- headache
- irritability
- weakness
- muscle cramps
- dizziness
- brain fog
- stomach or intestinal pain
- muscle soreness
- difficulty sleeping
- food cravings
These symptoms are commonly reported by those who have just begun the ketogenic diet and can be distressing. Symptoms typically last a few days or, rarely, up to several weeks.
Remedies for Keto Flu
The keto flu can make you feel miserable.Luckily, there are ways to reduce its flu-like symptoms and help your body more easily navigate the transition period.
- Stay hydrated: Drinking enough water is necessary for optimal health and can also help reduce symptoms.
- Avoid strenuous exercise: While exercise is important for staying healthy, strenuous exercise should be avoided when experiencing keto-flu symptoms.
- Replace electrolytes: Replacing dietary electrolytes may help reduce keto-flu symptoms.
- Get adequate sleep: Fatigue and irritability are common complaints of people who are adapting to a ketogenic diet.
- Make sure you are eating enough fat (and carbs): Transitioning to a very low carb diet can cause you to crave foods that are restricted on the ketogenic diet, such as cookies, bread, pasta, and bagels.