Do you add salt, magnesium, potassium to your diet?

I add salt to food for flavour. Sometimes I crave it, and go with the craving. Sometimes I forget to use it.

My potassium intake is anywhere from 0-10 potassium tablets a day (depends on my memory, the heat, and whether I got cramps last night) as well as the potassium I get in food. I've been taking potassium on and off for around 25 years, ever since I discovered that it 'magically' eliminated the cramps I was getting at night.

Magnesium... I use 24 sprays of magnesium oil (actual number varies depending on brand, but the last few bottles have been Ancient Minerals) on my arms and legs probably 5 times a week. If I don't, then a few days later the insomnia kicks in.

 

I add salt to coffee and tea and food.
Use half a teaspoon of magnesium citrate in a glass of water (with some salt added) before bed.
Keeps me regular and I sleep well.

 

I add a teaspoon of salt lite (sodium and potassium) to my water jug. I take a magnesium and zinc supplement at dinner.

 

Since I've not been diagnosed with any mineral deficiencies, I don't really feel the need for supplements, and I believe that if I eat a healthy and varied low carb diet I shouldn't have any need to do so. But it's a matter of personal choice.

However, I do use and have always used salt to flavour my food, but generally potassium and magnesium come from foods rich in these minerals, some of which have always been part of my diet low carb or otherwise, though I do currently use a water filter that contains magnesium.

Leg cramps that I suffered from years ago pre T2 diagnosis and which were caused by fluid loss from prescribed diuretics but rarely happen now, were also fixed by regular "doses" of potassium rich bananas; now if necessary I up my consumption of potassium rich veggies, some of which contain more than my old high carb banana stand by.

 

I'm unable to add too much salt and LoSalt (for potassium) into my cooking because my husband's medication for a heart problem he has to watch potassium levels, so I take 2 tablets containing Calcium (500mg), Magnesium (500mg) and Potassium (99mg) per tablet. (Without these two tablets I'd be in agony every night with cramp).

A blood test showed up low folic acid, so I take 5mg (that's been prescribed) - think I could have been low because of the daily aspirin I used to take every day. Vit C (200mg + thinking I should have more?), Vit D3 (3000iu), Zinc (15mg) completes my daily arsenal.

 

I am a great believer in obtaining all the minerals and vitamins from what I put in my mouth, and rely on my 6 monthly blood tests and lack of deficiency symptoms to tell me I need supplements. I have always added salt to food for flavour - in cooking and on the plate, and believe I am not salt sensitive as far as blood pressure is concerned as high blood pressure has never been an issue for me.

However, I have been using a magnesium spray on my arms and legs for a while, although I am not sure why, and I only do it 3 or 4 times a week. I have never had a problem sleeping but I read it can help with erratic heart beats (ventricular ectopics) but haven't noticed much difference. (cutting right down on sweeteners helped a lot more with that).

 

I have never added salt to food, either on the plate or in cooking, so particularly in warm weather I add a tiny pinch or ordinary salt to my morning coffee, along with a larger pinch or ground cinnamon. If I don't then I get cramps - only in the leg muscle which was most affected by the use of statins, but they are so painful.

 

I eat very little processed food, cooked meats being the main ones. I find that if I don’t add salt to my meals I get cramp at night. Other than that, no supplements. Although maybe I should investigate magnesium supplements if they help sleep, as I only get about six hours a night.

 

I try to get most of it through food but every so often if doing a longer fast or if I get shaky or palpitations, then I take some of everything and repeat once or twice a day until I feel better

 

I use a fair bit of salt in my cooking anyway, and I take a magnesium supplement now. I'm a little concerned about potassium and I'm trying to bulk up my K through my diet for now at least. I eat avocados as much as possible for that (and other) reasons. The only other supplement I take is K2/D3 combo.

 

I'm experimenting with supplements for magnesium and potassium, something isn't right but I have no idea if this is diet related or something else. I try to have a balanced diet and I think I'm fairly successful. I've always suffered from cramp, muscle ache and swelling following exercise (since my 20s). Since going low carb I'm also getting tingling, spasms and poor coordination. I don't know if this is just becoming visible because I no longer feel so ghastly all the time or if it's low carb related!

I'd now say to anyone changing diet take a basic all purpose vitamin pill and if going keto take potassium and magnesium until you've sorted yourself out.

 

Couple more bits of info.

your 1000mg of potassium is only a fraction of your recommended daily amount. Maybe download the free app Cronometer and assess your total intake for a few days? When I did that it was an eye opener on several nutrients.

and secondly, magnesium deficiencies don’t show up properly in blood tests. Magnesium is used by every body cell for 300+ functions. So it should mainly be stored in the cells, where it gets used, not the blood. For deficiency to show in the blood you have to be terribly deficient. You would need a biopsy to get the correct info. Most doctors don’t have a clue about this. There is also a huge grey area between not enough and enough for me. I personally don’t think doctor’s standard blood tests are anything more than using a bakelite telephone to try to read the cricket scores.

 

I am doing keto to lose weight and belly fat in hope of reversing steroid induced diabetes. Recent Hb1AC showed I had got into pre-diabetic range and scales show 14kg weight decline. Only serious problem was that defecation had become a disaster. Keto constipation proved resistant to any amount of green vegetables, psyllium (yuck), oat bran (double yuck), MTC oil, senokot max etc. Knowing I had been low on potassium during a recent hospital admission I read up on it and added some and then, in fear and trembling, added magnesium citrate. Hurrah! Yippee! Within 2 days normal service was delivered. Like Mafeking much relieved...I note that minor wibbly wobbly attacks walking have also disappeared. I think the extra urination symptomatic of diabetes depletes the 3 electrolytes you mention. As for salt - who can eat a salad or an egg without salt? Stock cubes contain it as does soy sauce and bacon etc. So that one needs no supplement.

 

Dear Brunneria,

Could you elaborate a bit on the magnesium oil & insomnia? Struggling with interrupted/late/chronically inadequate sleep for years.

Lucy

 

Having read that a side effect of LCHF/keto is loss of salts, I make a point of adding sea salt to meals.
I also have salted butter in my morning coffee.

I gave up salt on meals decades ago when there was a health push to get down sodium levels to reduce heart problems.
I've no idea if this is still true, but my tastes changed (as they do) and I no longer needed salt to get the flavour from food.

I have no idea how much good/harm it is doing.

 

Having CKD, in addition to diabetes, I am trying to remove sodium, potassium and phosphorus from my diet as much as possible. The difficulty is that for most foods, there is no labeling for potassium and phosphorus.

 

I salt my food. I do take a magnesium supplement. If I don’t take magnesium I get leg cramps.