Keto and muscle cramps

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4bugsmama
4bugsmama Posts: 3,200 Member
in Food and Nutrition

Hello and good morning! Not new to MFP, however, it's been far too long since I've been to the posts and now I need some direction…if anyone has any. I'm about 3 weeks into Keto and have started getting calf and feet cramps. I have read that it could be an electrolyte issue, so I have been doing sugar free electrolytes to try and get ahead of it. But, not sure if this is the answer to my issue. Do you do Keto, and if so, have the cramping issue, and moreover, have any tips for getting rid of the problem? I'd hate to quit Keto, as I've had some pretty good success so far and don't want to give up on something I am finding quite easy to fit into my cravings and satiates me. Thanks for any help!

Replies

  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,497 Member

    Could be overall dehydration

  • 4bugsmama
    4bugsmama Posts: 3,200 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48596650#Comment_48596650

    Thanks! I'll keep an eye on my fluid intake and see if that helps :)

  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,497 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48596662#Comment_48596662

    good luck. Thats usually the culprit with muscle cramping.

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,736 Member
    edited May 7
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10938211/keto-and-muscle-cramps

    Me again.

    Yeah this happen frequently when starting out on keto and it mostly has to do with insulin and when starting keto, insulin drops quite bit which signals the kidneys to excrete sodium which leads to electrolyte imbalance which sometimes leads to low blood pressure also causing some fatigue and dizziness which is part of "keto flu"

    Generally leg and feet cramps are the result of that and the foods that most people consume are generally whole natural foods and mostly animal proteins and non starchy veg which also don't have much sodium in them so other than keeping well hydrated because we also lose a lot of water you want to replace the sodium that is lost so use some decent salt on your food and because the negative connotations regarding salt have people avoiding it as much as possible but on a keto diet we actually need to get some, so salt your food.

    The other side of the coin are potassium, magnesium, calcium and to a lesser degree zinc. These we can get these in the foods we consume. Here's some examples of foods that work well on keto.

    Calcium: Cheese, yogurt, milk, bone-in fish like sardines, leafy greens like kale and bok choy, sesame seeds and tahini and bone broth.

    Potassium: Avocado's, spinach and swiss chard, salmon and tuna, pumpkin, squash and bone broth.

    Magnesium: Pumpkin seeds, almonds, cashews and brazil nuts in limited quantities, spinach and kale, salmon and mackerel and avocado's and bone broth.

    Anyway, after a while the body does adjust to this new metabolic demand and one is it increases a hormone called "aldosterone" which actually helps the kidneys retain more sodium, which reduces the need for electrolyte supplementation.

    Protein does have insulinogenic effects and getting enough quality protein from animal products will raise insulin which also puts less stress on the kidneys for extracting sodium so again reduces the need for electrolyte supplementation.

    Don't know you or your basic though process on animal protein considering it's been mostly shunned for decades now but they are extremely import in the ketogenic diet and for overall health contrary to what we've been told, so don't shy away but embrace them and it's make your keto existence a whole lot easier which also don't add to the carb total too much if at all and of course all the fat that comes with animal protein, maybe not so much when someone is looking to lose weight but certainly long term when we're maintaining.

    I generally use bone broth and I'll makes 2 or 3 gallons (8-12 liters) which also takes at least 48 hours to finish, so that might not be convenient but a really good bone broth generally covers everything we need as far as electrolyte balance is concerned but you can buy it in bottles or cartons but i can't say which ones are any good, I haven't done that research, but it is an option. If I'm going to supplement I'm now using a product called euLyte, which I've switched from LMNT recently for reasons of quality.

    This will pass, just hang in there. 😊

  • 4bugsmama
    4bugsmama Posts: 3,200 Member
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/48598739#Comment_48598739

    So much wonderful information, thank you! Seriously, this will set me up well going forward. It's awesome to get these tips, and information on food to incorporate.

    I definitely will keep at this. 😊

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 37,084 Member

    I'm probably being overcautious, but: Brazil nuts in very limited quantities or frequencies, ideally. They're extremely high in selenium, which is an important nutrient in small doses . . . but the tolerable upper intake level is fairly easy to reach with routine consumption.

    The US upper limit for average adults is 400 mcg, European is 255 mcg. Though selenium content varies, one nut can have 68-90 mcg. It's not likely to be a problem eating small amounts occasionally, but over time a regular ounce daily - quite small handful, 6-8 nuts - would be 500 mcg. The RDA for average adults is 55 mcg, less than one typical brazil nut, and other foods contain meaningful amounts of selenium, too, including quite a few that I think would commonly be part of a keto diet.

    We could get in a wrangle about how much is absorbed, but I think the general idea to be cautious is still useful, since I think most people don't realize this is one case where a normal whole food, or combinations of them, can potentially create risk.

    https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Selenium-HealthProfessional/

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