Learn how to make an easy keto electrolyte drink to keep you refreshed and hydrated. Understanding the importance of hydration and electrolyte balance is key to thriving on a low-carb or ketogenic diet.
What are Electrolytes?
Electrolytes are vital minerals that include sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and chloride. While natural sources like avocados, green leafy greens, and mushrooms can provide some electrolytes, it can be challenging to obtain adequate amounts solely through diet, especially when carbohydrate intake is significantly reduced.
Electrolytes play a crucial role in maintaining the body’s balance and overall well-being, especially when following a low-carb or ketogenic diet.
Unfortunately, the significance of electrolytes is often overlooked in discussions about the ketogenic lifestyle.
In this article, we will delve into the symptoms of electrolyte deficiency, why it commonly occurs on a strict low-carb diet, the benefits of an electrolyte drink, and most importantly, how you can easily create a homemade sugar-free electrolyte drink to alleviate these symptoms.
Staying hydrated is essential, especially when following a low-carb or ketogenic diet. Depletion of electrolytes, particularly magnesium, is common when consuming less than 20-30 grams of net carbs per day.
This keto electrolyte drink not only helps rehydrate during physical activity but also acts as an effective natural remedy for keto flu.
The symptoms of keto flu, such as headaches, muscle weakness, cramps, and fatigue, can be alleviated with the right electrolyte balance.
Join me as I share my journey of creating a delicious electrolyte drink suitable for a keto lifestyle.
What is a Keto Electrolyte Drink?
A keto electrolyte drink is a specially formulated beverage that provides a concentrated source of essential electrolytes necessary for maintaining proper bodily functions while following a low-carb or ketogenic diet. It is designed to replenish the electrolytes that may be lost due to increased urination and the diuretic effect of ketosis.
Benefits of an Electrolyte Drink
- Replenishes Electrolytes: The primary benefit of an electrolyte drink is that it helps replenish the vital minerals, such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and chloride, that are often depleted during a low-carb or ketogenic diet. By restoring these electrolytes, the drink helps support optimal muscle function, nerve transmission, hydration, and overall health.
- Alleviates “Keto Flu” Symptoms: The “keto flu” is a collection of symptoms that some individuals experience during the initial stages of transitioning to a ketogenic diet. These symptoms, such as fatigue, dizziness, muscle cramps, and headaches, are often caused by electrolyte imbalances. Consuming an electrolyte drink can help alleviate these symptoms and make the transition into ketosis more comfortable.
- Supports Hydration: Electrolytes are crucial for maintaining proper hydration levels in the body. By including an electrolyte drink in your routine, you can enhance hydration and prevent dehydration, which is especially important when following a low-carb diet.
Keto Electrolyte Drink Ingredients
By combining these ingredients, you create a homemade keto electrolyte drink that provides essential minerals and electrolytes to support hydration, muscle function, and overall well-being.
- Water is the base of the electrolyte drink and serves as the medium to dissolve the other ingredients.
- Lemon Juice: The juice of a medium lemon adds a refreshing citrus flavor to the drink.
- Potassium Chloride: Potassium chloride is a concentrated source of potassium, an essential electrolyte that plays a crucial role in maintaining proper muscle function, nerve transmission, and overall electrolyte balance in the body.
- Pink Himalayan Salt: Pink Himalayan salt is a natural salt that contains a wide range of minerals, including sodium, magnesium, and trace elements. It helps replenish sodium, an important electrolyte for fluid balance, nerve function, and muscle contractions.
- Magnesium Supplement: Natural Calm is a magnesium supplement that provides a bioavailable form of magnesium, an essential mineral involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions in the body.
- Sweetener: The sweetener, such as erythritol or stevia, is used to add a touch of sweetness to the electrolyte drink without adding any additional sugar or carbohydrates. It enhances the taste and makes the drink more enjoyable.
- Water Enhancer: It is naturally sweetened with stevia, a zero-calorie plant-based sweetener. Use your favorite flavor.
How to Make a DIY Keto Electrolyte Drink
- Start by grabbing a pitcher that is large enough to hold the entire batch of the natural electrolyte drink. This will ensure you have enough to serve multiple glasses or to keep refrigerated for later use.
- Gather all the ingredients and carefully add them to the pitcher.
- Vigorously stir the mixture using a spoon or a whisk until the sweetener is completely dissolved.
- After stirring, take a moment to taste the drink. This is your opportunity to assess the sweetness level and adjust it according to your liking. If you desire a sweeter taste, add a small amount of additional sweetener and stir again until it dissolves. Repeat this process until the sweetness is just right for you.
- If you prefer your homemade sugar-free electrolyte drink recipe to be chill, it’s time to add some ice. You have two options: Either add ice cubes directly to the pitcher or pour the drink over ice in individual glasses. Adding ice will provide a refreshing and cooling effect to the drink.
Now, you’re ready to serve the homemade keto electrolyte drink. Pour it into glasses, making sure to include some ice in each serving. You can also garnish the glasses with lemon slices or mint leaves for an added touch of freshness.
Sip and enjoy your refreshing and hydrating homemade keto electrolyte drink, knowing that you’re nourishing your body and supporting electrolyte balance throughout the day!
How To Store?
- Cover the pitcher with a tight-fitting lid or wrap it tightly with plastic wrap.
- Place the container in the refrigerator to keep the drink chilled and maintain its freshness.
- The homemade natural electrolyte drink can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. However, it’s always best to consume it as soon as possible for optimal taste and quality.
- Before serving, give the drink a quick stir to ensure that the ingredients are well mixed.
Can You Freeze This Keto Electrolyte Drink?
Yes, you can freeze the homemade keto electrolyte drink.
Pour the homemade keto electrolyte drink into airtight, freezer-safe containers, leaving some space at the top to allow for expansion as the liquid freezes. The electrolyte drink can be frozen for up to 2-3 months without significant loss of flavor or quality.
When you’re ready to enjoy the frozen electrolyte drink, remove the container from the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
More Keto Drink Recipes You Can Try
- Bulletproof Vanilla Keto Iced Coffee
- Keto Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie
- Keto Dalgona Coffee – Sugar-Free Whipped Coffee
- Bulletproof Coffee Recipe
Homemade Keto Electrolyte Drink
Description
Ingredients
- 6 cups water ~ 1.5 l
- 1 medium lemon juiced
- ½ tsp Potassium chloride
- ¼ tsp pink Himalayan Salt
- 2 tbsp Natural Calm
- 3 tbsp Sweetener
- Optional: 2 squeezes of Water Enhancer Fruit Flavored, Naturally sweetened with Stevia
- ice optional
Instructions
- Grab a pitcher and gather all the ingredients.
- Add all the ingredients into the pitcher.
- Stir the mixture well using a spoon or a whisk until the sweetener completely dissolves.
- Take a taste and adjust the sweetener according to your liking, if desired.
- If you prefer your electrolyte drink chilled, add ice cubes to the pitcher or pour the drink over ice in individual glasses.
- Stir once again to combine the ice with the electrolyte drink.
- Serve the refreshing homemade keto electrolyte drink and enjoy staying hydrated throughout the day!
Notes
How do we calculate the nutrition info?
These nutrition facts listed are determined using nutrition information from the USDA Food Database. Our nutrition facts are accurate, but if you are using different products, please make your calculations. Net carb count is calculated by subtracting both fiber and sugar alcohols because they don’t raise blood sugar.
Is sweetener necessary for this to be effective? Can stevia or erythritol be used?
You can use any keto approved sweetener. Using sweetener it's only a matter of taste and you can leave it out if you can drink it unsweetened.
Hi there~ been doing keto about 3 months and drinking the above drink 2x a day and I'm still dizzy, nauseous and have pounding heart all day. Should I be drinking more? I don't want to over do it! thx!
I'm not a doctor, and I am not authorized to give any advice on your problem. You should consult a doctor to see if everything is alright first. You can include foods that are high in magnesium, potassium, and electrolytes such as spinach, avocado while adding more salt to your meals.
Have you been using artificial sweeteners? Any kind of artificial sweetener makes my heart palpitate and I am unable to sleep at night.
Try to avoid artificial sweeteners as much as possible.
Try bone broth and add a bouillon cube. That got rid of my nausea and headache faster and better than electrolytes. I still use electrolyte drinks on occasion but the bone broth is a regular.
Just wondering what the lemon juice is for?
I use lemon juice in my electrolyte drink, both for flavor and health benefits.
Can you use a lime in the place of lemon?
Yes, you can replace one for the other.
I started Keto about 4 weeks ago. I've only lost 10 lbs, which is ok, but I have leg cramps at night and feel my heart racing if I climb 15 stairs, or just sitting around I feel weak and a little short of breath. Sounds like I need some electrolytes! Thank you for this.
10 lbs lost is a great achievement. You should make sure you get enough electrolytes from your foods, take a magnesium pill every day and salt your food. Your symptoms sound like you may be low in electrolytes due to fast water elimination from the body. It would be better to consult with a doctor to make sure everything is alright.
you shouldn’t be shortness of breath
maybe you don’t eat enough fats to fuel energy
Can I use epsom salt (equivalent quantity by mass of Magnesium) instead of natural calm magnesium supplement? Since people do take epsom salt orally and it is 20 times cheaper.
I'd love to know your response about using epsom salt instead of the natural calm magnesium supplement. Also, which natural calm supplement do you use, there are a few to chose from. Thanks!
Is there anywhere to make this carb free?
You can make it close to zero by removing the lemon juice.
What is the equivalent regular table salt if i dont have himalayan please?
I wouldn't use table salt because it's really unhealthy. It's like the processed form of the salt, and the manufactures cook it at 1200° Fahrenheit. Once you heat up the salt up to that temperature, it loses the majority of the eighty essential elements that are naturally occurring. Table salt causes the blood pressure to go up faster because it tries to keep the toxic ingredients away from the heart.
I am looking for a l keto supplement that will correct any electrolyte ..mag/potassium imbalance..( leg cramps at night.)
There is only so much broccoli and asparagus a man can eat …lol
there are a few but they are powders / bodybuilding …but they sweeten with sucralose …seems like a waste of time …as the body sees this stuff like sugar any way and you get bounced out of ketosis
No offense david your wrong. Sweetners wobt kick you out of ketosis. Especiallt ones like sucralise, stevia monk fruit extract. Sucralose has a glycemic load of 0 which means it does nothing to the system. Ive been keto almost two years use items with sucralose all the time and dont get " bounced" outta of ketosis.
I thought the Monk fruit sweetener was OK
Monk fruit sweetener is allowed on a ketogenic diet.
Don’t we also need calcium as an electrolyte?
To make sure that your calcium levels are optimal you can include foods like canned fish with bones, cheddar cheese, broccoli, sour cream, etc.
Hi
I'd like to make this but I accidentally purchased magnesium and calcium citrate in a pill form. It says I need to take 6 pills, but theyre HUGE and I hate taking pills.
Do you think it would work if I try dissolve the tablets in water and then blend it up?
Thanks
Maybe you can make a green smoothie with those. I'm sure they don't taste fantastic. Maybe try to crack the pills into smaller pieces and swallow them?
Hi, I got all the ingredients and made some of this to sip throughout the day but I really don't like it, (sensitive tastebuds). Is it just as effective if I down a big glass of it at the beginning of the day, and say also at lunch and maybe in the evening. And then during the day sip on water? Or is the point for it to be a consistent supply throughout the day?
Thanks
I usually sip to this electrolyte drink during the day.
I'm a bit confused is 1/4 tsp of salt mixed in with 6 cups of water? That doesn't sound like much salt at alI; what will that do for me? Am I reading it correctly?
This should be used only as a supplement supposing you are using salt in cooking. Feel free to adjust the recipe to your needs.
Hi want to start keto diet. What is the first step and do I take any shakes or supplements
To start the keto diet, you need no shakes. There’s a complete keto beginner guide on this website that will help you understand the basics. Go there and if you still have any questions don’t hesitate to contact us.
This is amazing I’ve been on this keto diet for four days now I’m completely off of all four of my type2 diabetes medicines already been having the dizziness so I’ll try this drink Thanku
I Tried doing the math afew times and i am noT getting thE Same numbrrs as your micronutrient details. I totaled: sodium – 960mG, Potassium-700mg, magnesium – 350mg.
You got sodium 420mg, potassium-1348mg, and magnesium-325mg..
Am i doing something wrong ?
I double checked the macros for the keto electrolyte drink and everything looks fine (with the products I used) .1 tsp pink Himalayan salt has 1680-1700 mg sodium.
Hi I’m trying to lose a few pounds if at all possible.but at the moment everything I’m doing is near impossible.and my weight seems to be going up and down all the time.
Keep your meals simple. Eat protein, good fats, and lots of veggies. Drink water. Repeat and be consistent! The results will come in no time!
Thanks for the recipe. Have been making a version of this at home, but taking oral magesium tablets instead. Be aware, Stevia can cause some significant arrhythmias in the setting of borderline magnesium. I’m living testament. I had horrible palpitations and dizziness at work, and measured my potassium and magnesium levels (normal). My EKG showed a significant rhythm abnormality (runs of PVC’s, nonsustained VTach) . Through process of elimination, I stopped using stevia, and symptoms went away in 12 hrs. Not after a huge cardiac workup, of course, which was normal other than the crazy heart rhythms I had with Stevia. I promptly gave away all products that I had with Stevia. Although monkfruit is chemically similar, I have not noticed the same reaction.
PS, I’m an MD. If you notice paliptations after using Stevia, stop using it. Obviously, check with your doc to make sure that your electrolyte levels aren’t low as well; this is a simple blood test.
Thank you for this helpful advice.
Ty I will try this recipe and drink it see if it helps me
I made the 6 cup recipe, how much should I drink a day, getting terrible foot and leg crams while sleeping.
You can sip it all throughout the day.