Vitamins & Minerals to take on the Keto Diet

August 18, 2020

Supplementing vitamins and minerals into a diet isn’t the best route to take, but when you’re missing absolute essentials in your daily life, you must do what you have to do. 

In a perfect world, everyone would be able to pair the perfect foods and get everything they need - while staying in ketosis.

But perfect worlds don’t exist. We’re too busy to strategically plan every breakfast, lunch, and dinner to include every vitamin and mineral we need to have in our bodies.

That’s where supplementation comes into play.

But, the question is, what vitamins and minerals do you need while on a keto diet?

Vitamins

Vitamin D

Vitamin D takes care of inflammation, immunity, hormones, and so much more. That means that our bodies have to have an adequate supply at all times, to regulate certain processes in the body properly.

Head down to your doctor’s office and request a blood test to see your vitamin D levels. If they’re shy of your body needs, start supplementing with either 1000 IU or 1500 IU.

Vitamin A

If you’re already supplementing with Vitamin D, you might add vitamin A to the mix. Vitamin D sometimes sucks out the vitamin A already in our bodies, meaning we need more.

Talk to your health care professional about the best sources of vitamin A that are highly recommended.

Omega 3’s

Our bodies can’t produce omega 3’s, but they are essential nutrients that we need to complete necessary body functions. So, what do we do?

We supplement. We consume them from outside sources. They help with heart and brain health, and reduce inflammation, why wouldn’t we find a way to supplement them?

Omega 3’s can generally be found in an assortment of vegetables and some of the most popular fish (e.g., salmon and sardines). If you don’t typically consume a lot of veggies and fish, you’ll likely need to add some type of supplement to retain adequate doses of omega 3.

Sodium

Others who aren’t on a diet are encouraged to limit their sodium intake; the opposite goes for us when we’re on the keto diet.

When carbohydrates aren’t a part of a regular diet, the body needs extra sodium to avoid constipation, headaches, and fatigue.

However, if you have a medical condition that forces you to limit your salt intake, it’s best to listen to the medical condition over the keto diet.

If you don’t have an underlying health condition, sprinkle some extra salt over your meals, start consuming organic bone broth, or look up other ways to make sodium a regular part of your diet.

Potassium

Not enough potassium can lead to serious conditions, like hypertension, coronary heart disease, and bone deterioration. 

The keto diet doesn’t provide as much potassium as a regular diet may, meaning you’ll be at a higher risk for developing these serious conditions.

That’s why many medical professionals suggest taking anywhere from 2,000 milligrams per day to 3,000 milligrams per day of potassium. It’s not always best to take that high dose in supplement form, so talk to your doctor about what you can do to add more potassium to your daily life.

Magnesium

Magnesium is the glue that holds the primary energy system together - without it, our bodies lack the energy they need to perform simple and complex procedures.
Magnesium is also great at promoting sleep and reducing muscle cramps. All beneficial when adhering to the keto diet.
If you want to eat foods high in magnesium, focus on nuts and leafy green veggies.

Calcium

Calcium easily gets flushed out of the body when it goes through ketosis. If you’re consuming enough dairy throughout your keto diet, you might be in the clear. It’s always best to check out your calcium levels and see if you need to supplement it.

If you’re looking to consume calcium the natural way, add dairy products, fish, broccoli, and kale to your diet.

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