The Art Of Keto

Dispelling keto misinformation and helping you lose fat.

KETO FLU

Can Keto Cause Sore Throat? [Yes, And Here’s Why]

I remember the very first time I started a ketogenic diet over 15+ years ago. I felt MISERABLE, and that's putting it lightly.

But I guess I'm a masochist, because I kept going, and here I am.

One of the most prominent symptoms I remember was having the worst sore throat because when I usually get one, that means I'm about to get sick for a while. Now, I understand why all of that happened, and here's the main culprit.

Can keto cause a sore throat? Sore throat on keto is a real thing, and it's a result of the diuretic nature keto has on your body. Both dehydration and a deficiency in electrolytes, especially sodium and potassium, are the main reasons you may be experiencing a sore throat when starting a ketogenic diet.

In this article, I'll go over how keto may be causing your sore throat, other symptoms you may be experiencing, how to relieve your symptoms, and how to avoid it in the future.

Sore throat keto pinterest

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Can Keto Cause Sore Throat

When people start a ketogenic diet, they are often faced with a multitude of different changes to their body they've never experienced before.

After all, there's a good chance the foods you're eating are COMPLETELY different than what you may have been used to. 

 One of the significant reasons, and usually the main one, why you have a sore throat when starting keto is that you're DEHYDRATED! 

You may not think you are, but let me explain why it's very likely that you are.

Why You're Dehydrated

You may have noticed that in the first week of starting a ketogenic diet, maybe around the third day on, more frequent trips to the bathroom.

That's because when you start a ketogenic diet, your body starts to expel a large amount of water. 

On average, your body stores ~500 grams of carbohydrates in the form of glycogen. When you restrict carbohydrates from the diet, the body begins to use this stored energy.

But what's that have to do with dehydration, you ask?

For every gram of carbohydrate that's in your body, you store an additional three grams of water along with it. That means you'll likely be shedding 1,500 grams or 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) of water in just the first couple of weeks on keto.

And with that water that you're expelling, you're getting rid of vital minerals (electrolytes), but more specifically sodium int potassium.

Sodium and potassium are electrolytes needed to help maintain fluid and blood volume 1, so you can see how that might make matters worse when you're flushing them out of your body at a rapid pace.

 Assuming you don't have a bacterial or viral infection, there's a good chance you're suffering from dehydration and other symptoms of the “keto flu.” 

Keto Flu Symptoms

Sore throat is just one of the symptoms you may be experiencing on keto. Throat tightness may be another related symptom to your sore throat that is related as well.

Other symptoms of the keto flu include:

  • Headache
  • Lethargy
  • Irritability
  • Brain fog
  • Nausea

If you're experiencing one or more symptoms, you're suffering from what many refer to as keto flu. Don't worry, you're not alone in this, it happens to many people who transition to a ketogenic diet. 

Is Keto Flu A Sign Of Ketosis?

While people who start a ketogenic diet experiencing symptoms of keto flu, it doesn't necessarily mean you are in ketosis. 

The only way to accurately assess if you are in ketosis is by testing your ketone levels.

There are three primary methods in which you can test for ketones:

  1. Urine test strips
  2. Blood ketone meter
  3. Keto breathalyzer 

Urine test strips are the easiest and cheapest (initially). They are what most people tend to use because you can find them at your local drug stores like CVS or Walgreens. 

However, after a while, urine test strips tend to be less accurate once you become better adapted to using ketones for fuel.

 The most accurate, and what I would recommend, is a blood ketone meter. A blood ketone meter is essentially like a blood glucose meter a person with diabetes would use to check their glucose levels.  

You puncture your finger to produce a drop of blood and place it on a test strip. Then, the ketone test strip is inserted into your blood ketone meter to get a reading.

It's commonly held that anything above > 0.5 mmol/L means you are in nutritional ketosis. 

Here is the blood ketone meter I recommend if you're interested in testing. 

How Long Does Keto Flu Last?

For most people, but not you, because I'm going to tell you how to get rid of it sooner later in this article, keto flu lasts between one and three weeks.

Once people's bodies begin to adapt and normalize to the low carbohydrates, things in the body tend to re-establish a baseline. 

But I don't want you just to feel normal; I want you to feel optimal. 

Now that you know what the keto flu is let's go over how you can relieve your symptoms and how you can prevent it in the future. 

Keto Sore Throat Relief

Since you want immediate relief, let's start there. After that, we'll tackle the real issue at play here.

Keto Friendly Cough Drops

Yes, use some keto friendly cough drops to help with that sore throat for now. Here are some sugar-free ones that shouldn't kick you out of ketosis.

Now, let's tackle the real issue here, your dehydration and lack of electrolytes.

Drink Some Ginger

Another remedy you may want to consider is drinking some ginger tea or steep ginger in hot water.

How To Avoid Keto Flu

It may be too late, especially if you came here looking to resolve an issue associated with keto flu, but keep this in mind for the future or if you're helping someone else transitioning to a ketogenic diet.

Replace Your Electrolytes

The primary electrolytes we want to replenish to help with fluid retention are sodium and potassium, that's because sodium and potassium help regulate fluid balance in your body.

Sodium

When following a ketogenic diet, many people often switch to different foods, usually with less sodium than what they were eating previously.

Due to the change in diet and lack of carbohydrates, you need to be mindful of your salt and potassium intake. 

One way to do this is by salting your food liberally and to taste. Those following a low-carb or ketogenic diet have an increased need for sodium. 

You may even find something like Lite Salt at the grocery store, which is a mix of both sodium and potassium to salt your foods. 

I like to use the following salts that carry a bit more minerals, and they taste much better.

Potassium

To balance sodium levels, you need to make sure you're getting in potassium as well. Keto-friendly sources of potassium include foods like avocados and leafy greens. 

It may also help to include an electrolyte replacement or drink with a sufficient amount of sodium and potassium, although most commercial electrolyte drinks are often very low in potassium. 

Here are some electrolyte drinks I would recommend with a sufficient amount of potassium and formulated with a keto dieter in mind.

Drink Water!

Yes, it has to be said, but get PLENTY of fluids. 

I listed this after electrolytes because if you're drinking too much water without adding in sodium and potassium, then you may be dehydration yourself even more. 

You want your pee not crystal clear, nor super yellow. You want your urine to be a very, very light yellow-ish color.

Use this chart as a good reference or read how much water you should drink on keto.

Keto flu hydration chart sore throat keto

Exogenous Ketones

I very rarely recommend exogenous ketones, but an excellent use for them is as a “bridge” between a carbohydrate diet and transitioning to a ketogenic diet. 

Exogenous ketones can also help if you have an unplanned (or planned) cheat day, and keep you from feeling crummy the next day.

 Bear in mind; not all exogenous ketone supplements are created equal. Some keto supplements are scams that don't have enough of any ingredient to make them useful whatsoever. 

Take, for example, this shark tank keto diet pill scam.

Chances are you won't be able to get a sufficient amount in a pill, so powder is best.

Here are a couple of exogenous ketone salts I would recommend with a sufficient amount, based on the current scientific literature:2

The Take-Away

A sore throat on a ketogenic diet is often due to dehydration and lack of electrolytes, especially sodium and potassium.

It may be just one of the other symptoms you may be experiencing, as it's one of the common symptoms of what's known as the “keto flu.”

For immediate symptom relief, try using a sugar-free cough drop, and then address the underlying cause by making sure you get in an adequate amount of electrolytes and by drinking enough fluids.

[The 7 Best Foods] What To Eat On Keto When Sick

It's that time of the year, depending on when you're reading this, that is. If you're not already sick, then someone you know is coughing up a storm, or maybe your kids are feeling under the weather.

What do you do when you're sick because chicken noodle soup just won't cut it on a ketogenic diet.

What to eat on keto when sick? The best foods you can eat on keto when sick are keto-friendly foods that provide adequate nutrition, comfort, hydrate and replenish your electrolytes. 

In this article, I'll list some keto-friendly foods to eat when you're sick, but also some common pitfalls to avoid or look out for that may be mistaken as an illness and what to do.

What to eat when sick on keto pinterest cover

Top 7 Foods To Eat When Sick On Keto

Food not only can provide us comfort when we're not feeling our best, but some foods may even help give relief to many of your symptoms. First, you want to make sure you're feeding yourself with foods that help nourish and support your body while helping fight off any illness.

What you should eat on keto when sick should follow a few fundamental principles:

  • Provide nourishment and support
  • Help comfort and relieve symptoms
  • Hydrate
  • Replenish electrolytes
  • Keto-friendly

Avocados

What keto food list wouldn't be complete without the avocado? Avocados are an excellent source of fiber in addition to being rich in vitamins and minerals, especially potassium. 

Avocados are also high in healthy monounsaturated fat, similar to that of olive oil. In particular, avocado is a rich source of oleic acid, which has been shown to help decrease inflammation and improve immune response. 3 

Fatty fish

Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines are full of high-quality protein and rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega 3's are shown to have potent anti-inflammatory effects. 2 

Salmon, mackerel, and sardines are also a good source of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin D. As much as 42% of the population is deficient in Vitamin D, which helps fight inflammation and boost immune function. 3 

Sick on keto eat salmon and roe

Eggs

Eggs are another great keto-friendly food that's relatively easy to whip up and consume, which is especially essential while sick. Eggs are another great source of vitamin D and also zinc, commonly found in many over the counter medications.

Chicken soup

Chicken soup has been a remedy for the common cold since the dawn of time, at least my time on this earth, and for a good reason. Chicken soup is easy to consume and chock full of vitamins, minerals, and protein. 

Additionally, chicken soup is excellent at providing additional hydration and electrolytes. Making sure you're well-hydrated is vital while following a ketogenic diet, even more-so when sick.

What's more, chicken soup may act as a natural decongestant due to the hot steam and being rich in the amino acid cysteine. N-acetyl-cysteine's shown to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-viral effects. 4  5 

You can quickly turn this into chicken noodle soup, like pho, by using a low-carb noodle alternative such as shirataki noodles. 

Bone broth

Another option similar to chicken soup or chicken broth is bone broth. Bone broth's full of vitamins and minerals in addition to having other possible healing properties, though only anecdotal. 

You can make your bone broth from store-bought bones, or if you're less inclined like me, there are great ready-to-eat alternatives. Kettle and Fire produce an excellent bone broth ready to drink, or Lono Life makes a powder you can mix in hot water.

Liver

Beef liver is probably as close to a “superfood” as you can get. People usually associate fruits and vegetables as being the king of vitamins and minerals, but the liver far surpasses them in terms of quantity and bioavailability. 

Beef liver is also a great source of high-quality protein, relatively low in calories, and very cost-effective.

A small 100-gram serving of beef liver is chock full of key vitamins and minerals. Here are the nutrients found in one 100-gram serving of beef liver:

  • Vitamin A: 500% DV | 26091 IU
  • Vitamin B12: 1300% DV | 83.1 mcg
  • Riboflavin (B2): 200% DV | 3.4 mg
  • Folate (B9): 65% DV | 260 mcg
  • Iron: 35% DV | 6.2 mg
  • Copper: 730% DV | 14.6 mg
  • Choline: 418 mg

Fish eggs

When you think about eating a chicken egg, it's as if you're consuming the complete nutrition of a whole chicken in a bite-sized package, or what you can call “nose to tail.” Fish eggs, referred to as roe, are similar in that they're a nutrition powerhouse. 

All the different varieties of roe are nutritious in their own right, but fish such as salmon and carp are much more affordable and sustainable than other fancy caviars. A 1 oz serving of salmon roe averages nearly 900 mg of anti-inflammatory omega-3's in its most bioavailable form, meaning better absorption than taking a fish oil supplement. 

When Does Keto Flu Hit And Why

Sometimes people mistake getting sick for the keto flu. The keto flu typically affects people during the beginning stages of a ketogenic diet, as I'll explain further.

Sick on keto maybe keto flu

Feeling like you have a common cold while on keto or other illness can sometimes be mistaken for the keto flu, especially if you've just started your ketogenic lifestyle. The keto flu generally occurs during the first couple of weeks while transitioning to a ketogenic diet due to a variety of factors. 

When transitioning to a ketogenic diet, your body is undergoing many changes. A significant cause of why you may be experiencing flu-like symptoms when switching to a ketogenic diet is due to a rapid loss of fluids and electrolytes. Additionally, your body is becoming accustomed to using fat and ketones as its primary fuel source after living off carbohydrates your entire life. 

Low carbohydrate and ketogenic diets cause a rapid loss of water and electrolytes during the first couple of weeks because carbohydrates stored in the body help to retain water. Our bodies store carbohydrates in the body as glycogen located within our liver and muscles. The role of glycogen in our body is mainly to provide quick, usable energy to our muscles and brain when needed.

For every gram of glycogen in your body, it will store an additional three grams of water. As you begin to deplete glycogen by following a ketogenic diet, the body also releases the water stored with it. Imagine every gram of glycogen In your body as a sponge holding water and every time your body needs a sponge, it squeezes out the water inside. 

The rapid water loss is the reason you may have noticed a substantial drop in the scale the first week or two of starting a ketogenic diet. While some of the weight was fat, a good majority of the weight loss at the beginning of the diet was water weight. 

You may have noticed that you had to pee a lot more when first starting keto, which is your body rapidly getting rid of fluid retained by your glycogen stores. This sudden shift in fluid levels, and the electrolytes lost, as a result, is a major reason why you may be experiencing the keto flu. 

To help off-set or avoid many of the keto-flu symptoms, make sure you are staying well hydrated and replacing any lost electrolytes. You can best accomplish staying hydrated and replenishing electrolytes by making sure you are drinking enough water to thirst and salting your food liberally and to taste. 

Secondly, your body is still getting used to using fat and ketones as its primary fuel source. While you may generally start to enter a state of ketosis within 24 to 72 hours, it can take upwards of three weeks or longer for your body to become “keto-adapted.” Being keto-adapted means your body's accustomed to running on fat and ketones for fuel, which generally gets better and better as time progresses. 

Symptoms Of The Keto Flu

The keto flu cleverly gets its name due to many of the symptoms sharing similarities with the common influenza flu:

Again, one of the best methods anecdotally to help prevent or relieve symptoms of the keto flu is to drink plenty of water and replenish your electrolytes, most importantly, sodium.

An easy and tasty keto flu drink remedy is to sip on some salty chicken or bone broth.

Alternatively, you can supplement with an electrolyte supplement such as Keto Vitals Electrolytes, specially formulated for people following a ketogenic diet. 

For temporary relief from a cough or sore throat, you'll be glad to know that there is a plethora of keto friendly cough drops that you may utilize.

The keto flu may also explain why you lack energy or feel exhausted on a ketogenic diet, among other reasons I've written about. 

What to drink on keto when sick plenty of water

Feeling Nauseous While On Keto

While feeling nauseous on keto can be a symptom of the keto flu, there's another big reason people following a ketogenic diet may feel sick. 

The body requires the enzyme lipase to help break down fats. If the body doesn't produce enough lipase, this can lead to fat malabsorption, which can result in nausea and indigestion, among other symptoms. Many people that start keto, even months into the diet, report feelings of nausea, especially after a high-fat meal.

Not producing enough lipase is similar to someone who's lactose intolerant, their body doesn't produce enough of the enzyme lactase. Not producing enough lactase leads to poor digestion of sugars found in dairy.

Also, your liver manufactures bile and bile salts, which help to emulsify fat. If your liver is not producing enough bile and/or bile salts, you may have trouble absorbing and digesting the fats and fat-soluble vitamins from your diet.

Other tell-tale signs you may not be absorbing fat well is by examining your stool. If you find your stools are white, pale yellow, clay-colored, oily, and/or smelly, you may be suffering from fat malabsorption.

What can you do? 

Assuming you do not have a pre-existing medical condition that may hinder your ability to digest fats, there are a few things you can do to help your body along:

  • Reducing total fat intake
  • Smaller more frequent meals
  • Supplement with ox bile and/or lipase (ox bile supplement | lipase supplement)
  • Make sure you chew your food well
  • Allowing your body to adjust over time

Specific individuals, such as those without a gallbladder and following a ketogenic diet, may find these tips useful as well. The liver and gallbladder especially helps to produce, store, and secrete the bile necessary to help absorb and digest fat. If you have any medical-related problem with your gallbladder, liver, or pancreas, this can lead to poor fat digestion. 

If you've given it enough time, followed the tips, and the problem persists, you should consult your doctor as you may have another underlying problem. 

Sick After Eating Carbs While On Keto

We can't all be perfect ALL the time. Sometimes we want to indulge in a treat rich in carbohydrates or enjoy food with friends and family.

Dessert sick on keto slice of cake

While it's perfectly ok to indulge from time to time, eating a large amount of carbs after being on a ketogenic diet for a while may cause some people to feel unwell. If this happened to you, you're not alone, and here's why.

For the same reason, it takes weeks, and possibly months for your body to get used to burning fat as its primary fuel source, the same happens in reverse. You may feel sick after introducing carbohydrates because your body has been ramping up the enzymes and transporters necessary to use fat and ketones. 

Meanwhile, the enzymes to break down and process carbohydrates have ramped down, commonly referred to as physiological insulin resistance. Physiological insulin resistance isn't a bad thing. Physiological insulin resistance means your body is healthy and functioning properly, doing what it's supposed to do. 

Physiological insulin resistance is completely normal and reversible. There's no cause for alarm if you plan to switch to a diet higher in carbohydrates in the future or indulge from time to time. Physiological insulin resistance is just that “physiological,” and not “pathological,” which means it's not a disease state.

Take Away Message

Sometimes people confuse the keto-flu or re-introducing carbohydrates after a prolonged period with actually coming down with a cold or illness. To help off-set or avoid the keto-flu, you should do your best to stay well hydrated and replace any lost electrolytes.

If you find yourself with an actual sickness or illness, make sure to incorporate the foods listed above in addition to getting plenty of rest and drinking plenty of fluids. 

No foods can inherently cure sickness, but eating the right foods to support your body may help relieve symptoms and boost your immune system. 

Why You Pee So Much When Starting Keto And What You Can Do

Aside from the appetite-suppressing effects of keto, one of the very first things I noticed when I started a ketogenic diet was the multitude of bathroom trips I had to make. If you've stumbled on this article, you too are probably wondering why you're experiencing frequent urination, which can be quite annoying. 

When first starting a ketogenic diet, you may find yourself urinating more often due to the depletion of glycogen (the body's stored carbohydrates) and the natural diuretic effect of ketones themselves. Glycogen stores body water, which is released through urine when carbohydrates are restricted.

In this article, I'll outline exactly why you may find yourself making frequent trips to the bathroom on a keto diet, how long it will last, and what you can do to help offset some of the adverse effects that may come as a result.

Why you pee so much on keto pinterest

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Three Reasons Why You Pee So Much On Keto

There are usually three main culprits when it comes to why you may be peeing so much on keto. In no particular order, the three specific reasons are:

  • DECREASED CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE
  • CHANGE IN FOOD TYPE RESULTING IN A LOWER SODIUM INTAKE
  • KETONES EXHIBIT A NATURAL DIURETIC EFFECT

Additionally, the dehydrating nature of ketosis causes the excretion of the body's primary electrolytes: sodium, potassium, and magnesium. If you're not mindful of keeping up with your fluid and electrolyte intake, this can often lead to some unwanted side effects, such as the keto flu.

Decreased carbohydrate intake

When you begin a low carb or ketogenic diet, you're likely drastically reducing the number of carbohydrates compared to your previous diet.

On average, the body stores 500 grams of carbohydrates as glycogen within the muscle and liver cells. When carbohydrates from the diet are restricted, the body turns to these stored carbohydrates to provide fuel for your body and brain. You can think of glycogen as a reserve tank where your body stores carbohydrates for energy. 

For every gram of stored carbohydrate in your body, approximately three grams of water is stored. As your body begins to convert stored glycogen into usable energy, such as the absence of carbohydrates from the diet, water's expelled as a result. 

Every gram of carbohydrate your body stores is like a mini sponge that soaks up three grams of water. When a carbohydrate is burned for energy, it's like squeezing water out from a sponge. The water is eventually expelled through the urine and sweat. 

Decreased sodium intake

When the body excretes fluids, electrolytes are also lost as a result. In particular, when it comes to maintaining fluid balance, sodium is expelled rapidly, which causes even more fluid to be excreted. 

Additionally, what I've found to be true with most people starting a ketogenic diet, they end up switching many of their food sources from pre-packaged foods to whole natural foods. 

While eating a diet filled with whole, unprocessed food is a good thing, many of the foods you may have been used to consuming, especially pre-packaged foods and meals when eating out, are typically filled with a lot of sodium already. On top of excreting more sodium than usual, you may be consuming less sodium if you're not replacing it in your diet. 

Pee on keto salt intake

The diuretic effect of ketones

Lastly, while the exact mechanism is yet unknown, it seems ketones themselves exhibit a diuretic effect, which causes the excretion of both water and electrolytes. It may be that ketones are osmotically active, which may be inducing a diuretic-like response. 

To help with getting in enough electrolytes, I would even recommend an electrolyte supplement that has a sufficient amount of both sodium and potassium. The following products were formulated with ketogenic dieters in mind:

How Long The Frequent Urination Lasts

Many will find that the frequent urination they experience on a ketogenic diet subsides significantly after the first week. You may find that the frequent urination on a ketogenic diet subsides considerably after the first three to four days when glycogen stores are used up, and you start entering a state of ketosis. 

Commonly referred to as the keto-adaptation phase, it may take upwards of three weeks to a few months before your body becomes fully adjusted. After all, your body has been used to using carbohydrates as its primary fuel source for its entire life. From personal experience and the experience of many, it should only get better with time. 

Also, this frequency in urination is why you may notice a large amount of weight loss on the scale the first week or two on a ketogenic diet. The significant drop on the scale is mainly due to the depletion of glycogen stores and the resulting loss of fluids you may be experiencing. 

You may even be experiencing foamy pee on keto during this time, which many may mistake for a kidney issue.

Once your body begins to shift your metabolic state from burning carbohydrates as its primary fuel source to burning fat and ketones, the frequency of urination should subside even more-so and return to normal once keto-adapted.

You'll often find that weight loss will also tend to slow down after the first and second week if weight loss is your primary goal. It's not unheard of for people to drop between five to ten pounds in just the first week of starting a ketogenic diet. 

While weight loss may slow down in subsequent weeks, there's nothing to fret or be sad about. The significant drop on the scale you experienced during the first week was mainly water weight. In the following weeks, your body's fluid balance is still adjusting, but if you're still in a caloric deficit, you will undoubtedly still be losing fat even if the scale remains the same.

You may even find your weight climbing back up a little bit as your body begins to normalize. This weight regain is likely some of the lost water weight being regained. I often don't pay attention to any feedback from the scale for the first three weeks with any new diet with myself or new clients. 

Waist measurement pee on keto

Friendly tip: Taking progress photos, waist circumference, or assessing how clothes fit may be a better indicator of fat loss.

Other Ketosis Symptoms To Look Out For

A large drop on the scale may be pleasing to see, but such a significant fluctuation in water and electrolytes can lead to some unwanted side effects. It may even leave you wondering if being in ketosis is a bad thing and if you should throw in the towel, but if you're educated on what to do and what to expect, it can make all the difference. 

The following symptoms can be related to due to the very nature of this article, that is, the loss of fluids and electrolytes from expelling water so rapidly. 

Keto flu

A common side-effect many people experience when starting a ketogenic diet is the keto flu. Many of the symptoms of keto flu are similar to that of the influenza flu: dizzy and lightheadedness, nausea, headache, tiredness, runny nose, etc.

Increased heart rate

Electrolytes, especially sodium, play a critical role in maintaining fluid balance and controlling muscle function. A decrease in fluid and sodium may lead specific individuals to experience heart palpitations, most notably an increase in resting heart rate and/or heart rate during exercise. 

Learn why you may be experiencing an increased heart rate when first starting a ketogenic diet.

Increased sweat production

In addition to losing water and electrolytes from peeing a lot while on keto, you may also notice your body sweating more than usual.

Why you pee more when starting a ketogenic diet shares many similarities to why you may be sweating more on keto as well.

How Long Does It Take To Get Into Ketosis?

Many find that when you're fully into ketosis, the frequency of urinations returns to normal. How long it takes to get into ketosis may vary from individual to individual, but it's not uncommon to start seeing a large number of ketones produced within 24 to 72 hours. After 24 to 72 hours of greatly restricting carbohydrates, glycogen stores become low enough to cause the body to ramp up ketone production.

I conducted and wrote about my self-experiment in which I documented how long it took me to start measuring ketones in my blood. You can read more about my experiment if you're interested.

How You Can Offset Any Negative Effects

As the body begins to expel large amounts of water, it will also expel three of the body's primary electrolytes: sodium, potassium, and magnesium. These primary electrolytes are involved in many processes of the body.

While water loss is inevitable, especially on a low carb or keto diet, the lost fluid and the electrolytes must be replaced to prevent any unwanted side effects that come as a result.

Most notably, many people will end up reporting “flu-like” symptoms, aka the keto flu, dry mouth, dry eyes, and general feelings of lousiness, which are generally side effects of an electrolyte imbalance and possible dehydration.

To help offset any side effects that may occur due to the loss of water and electrolytes, you must make sure to drink plenty of fluids and replace any lost electrolytes caused by frequent urination and/or excessive sweating, especially that of night sweats. You can easily accomplish this by making sure you are drinking plenty of water to thirst and salting your food liberally and to taste.

Drink water if you pee a lot on keto

Don't be shy when it comes to salting your food on a low-carb or ketogenic diet as sodium is the primary keto electrolyte when it comes to helping maintain the body's balance of fluids. 

You can also learn more about the importance of salt from Dr. DiNicolantonio in his book The Salt Fix.

To help with getting in enough electrolytes, I would even recommend an electrolyte supplement that has a sufficient amount of both sodium and potassium. The following products were formulated with ketogenic dieters in mind:

In Summary

The total weight and water loss will generally be higher for a ketogenic diet when compared to any other non-ketogenic or low carbohydrate diet. The rapid weight loss, in the beginning, is due to three leading causes: the diuretic nature of a ketogenic diet by way of carbohydrate restriction, less sodium, and ketones themselves.

Many of these side-effects are a regular occurrence experienced by many when starting any low carb or keto diet. 

While a significant amount of fluid loss is expected, it's essential that fluids and electrolytes lost while transitioning to a ketogenic diet be replaced.

Replacing lost electrolytes and staying hydrated will, for the most part, offset any unwanted side effects. It may take a few weeks for the body to normalize, and the increased urination to subside.

You should help offset any adverse effects by making sure you're drinking enough glasses of water to thirst and salting your foods liberally to taste.