Electrolytes on the Carnivore Diet: Your Complete Guide

Electrolyte management is the single most impactful thing you can do to improve your carnivore diet experience, especially during the first month. The majority of symptoms people attribute to “the diet not working” — headaches, fatigue, cramps, dizziness, heart palpitations, brain fog — are actually electrolyte deficiencies caused by the metabolic shift away from carbohydrates. Understanding why this happens and how to fix it makes the difference between a miserable adaptation and a smooth transition.

Why Do Electrolytes Matter More on Carnivore?

The mechanism is straightforward and well-understood:

When you eat carbohydrates, your body produces insulin to manage blood sugar. Insulin has a secondary effect: it signals your kidneys to retain sodium. This is why high-carb diets are associated with water retention and bloating — insulin keeps sodium in, and sodium holds water.

When you eliminate carbohydrates on the carnivore diet, insulin drops to low baseline levels. Without insulin’s signal, your kidneys begin excreting sodium freely. In the first week, you can lose several grams of sodium per day through urine.

This sodium loss triggers a cascade:

1. Sodium drops — causing headaches, fatigue, nausea, and dizziness
2. Potassium follows — the kidneys excrete potassium alongside sodium, causing muscle cramps, weakness, and irregular heartbeat
3. Water follows sodium — causing dehydration despite adequate water intake
4. Magnesium depletes — stress and increased urination deplete magnesium stores, causing cramps, poor sleep, and anxiety

This is why the “carnivore flu” or “keto flu” is largely an electrolyte problem, not a fundamental problem with the diet. Address electrolytes proactively and most adaptation side effects are dramatically reduced.

How Much Sodium Do You Need?

Sodium is the most critical electrolyte on carnivore and the one most people under-consume. Here are the numbers:

Daily sodium targets:

• Adaptation period (weeks 1-4): 5 to 7 grams of salt per day (2,000-2,800mg sodium), some people need up to 10g
• Maintenance (after adaptation): 4 to 6 grams of salt per day
• Heavy exercise days: Add 1 to 2 additional grams of salt
• Hot weather or sweating: Add 1 to 2 additional grams of salt

For context, one teaspoon of salt contains approximately 2,300mg of sodium (about 6 grams of salt). So you are looking at roughly one to one and a half teaspoons of salt per day as a baseline.

Signs of sodium deficiency:

• Headaches (the most common early sign)
• Lightheadedness when standing up quickly
• Fatigue that salt intake immediately improves
• Nausea, especially in the morning
• Brain fog and difficulty concentrating

How to get enough sodium:

• Salt every meal generously — do not be shy
• Keep salt at your table and desk for easy access
• Drink salted water or sole water (water with dissolved mineral salt) in the morning
• Include bone broth as a sodium-rich snack or meal addition
• Use high-quality salt: Redmond Real Salt, Celtic sea salt, or pink Himalayan salt provide trace minerals alongside sodium

For a deeper dive on salt specifically, read our guide on salt on the carnivore diet.

How Much Potassium Do You Need?

Potassium works in balance with sodium. Your body needs both in adequate amounts for proper nerve signaling, muscle contraction, and heart rhythm.

Daily potassium targets:

• General recommendation: 3,500 to 4,700mg per day
• Most carnivore dieters get: 2,000 to 4,000mg from meat alone
• Supplemental need: Usually 500 to 1,500mg if eating adequate meat

Potassium content of common carnivore foods:

• Beef (1 pound): approximately 1,200 to 1,500mg
• Salmon (8 ounces): approximately 800 to 1,000mg
• Pork (1 pound): approximately 1,400mg
• Chicken thigh (1 pound): approximately 1,000mg
• Bone broth (1 cup): approximately 400 to 500mg

Signs of potassium deficiency:

• Muscle cramps, especially in legs and feet
• Irregular heartbeat or palpitations
• Muscle weakness
• Constipation
• Fatigue

How to get enough potassium:

• Eat adequate amounts of meat (at least 1.5 to 2 pounds per day)
• Include bone broth daily during adaptation
• If supplementing, use potassium chloride (sold as “lite salt” or “half salt” which is 50% sodium chloride and 50% potassium chloride) — sprinkle on food
• Avoid potassium supplements in pill form above 99mg without medical supervision, as excessive potassium can be dangerous

How Much Magnesium Do You Need?

Magnesium is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions in your body. It is critical for sleep, muscle relaxation, stress management, and proper heart rhythm. Deficiency is extremely common in the general population and can be exacerbated during the transition to carnivore.

Daily magnesium targets:

• Men: 400 to 420mg per day
• Women: 310 to 320mg per day
• During adaptation: Consider the higher end of these ranges

Magnesium content of common carnivore foods:

• Beef (1 pound): approximately 80 to 100mg
• Salmon (8 ounces): approximately 60 to 80mg
• Bone broth (1 cup): approximately 10 to 15mg

As you can see, meat provides some magnesium but generally not enough to meet full daily requirements without large quantities. This makes magnesium the one electrolyte that most carnivore dieters benefit from supplementing.

Signs of magnesium deficiency:

• Muscle cramps, particularly at night (calf cramps, foot cramps)
• Poor sleep quality or difficulty falling asleep
• Anxiety or restlessness
• Constipation
• Eye twitching
• Heart palpitations

How to get enough magnesium:

• Eat magnesium-rich animal foods (dark meat poultry, fish, bone broth)
• Supplement 200 to 400mg of magnesium glycinate or magnesium citrate before bed
• Magnesium glycinate is preferred for sleep and relaxation; citrate is preferred if constipation is an issue
• Avoid magnesium oxide, which has poor bioavailability
• Epsom salt baths (magnesium sulfate) provide topical magnesium absorption

Should You Use Supplements or Food Sources?

The ideal approach combines both:

Get from food:

• Sodium: salt added to all meals plus bone broth
• Potassium: adequate meat intake (1.5 to 2+ pounds daily) plus bone broth
• Phosphorus: abundant in all meats (rarely deficient on carnivore)

Supplement when needed:

• Sodium: salted water or sole water if food salting is not enough
• Potassium: lite salt (potassium chloride blend) added to food or water
• Magnesium: magnesium glycinate or citrate, 200 to 400mg daily

Avoid:

• Commercial “electrolyte” drinks that contain sugar, artificial sweeteners, or plant-derived ingredients
• High-dose potassium supplements without medical supervision
• Magnesium oxide (poorly absorbed)
• “Carnivore electrolyte” products with unnecessary fillers

The simplest electrolyte strategy is: salt your food heavily, drink bone broth once or twice daily, and take a magnesium supplement before bed. This covers 90 percent of carnivore dieters’ needs.

What About Bone Broth for Electrolytes?

Bone broth deserves special attention because it is the most complete carnivore-friendly electrolyte source. A single cup of well-made bone broth provides:

• Sodium (from added salt during preparation)
• Potassium (extracted from bones and connective tissue)
• Magnesium (small amounts from bones)
• Phosphorus (from bones)
• Calcium (from bones)
• Collagen and glycine (bonus for gut healing and sleep)

During the first month of carnivore, drinking one to two cups of bone broth daily is one of the most effective strategies for managing electrolytes and easing adaptation. Many experienced carnivore dieters continue drinking bone broth long-term for its additional benefits.

How Do Electrolyte Needs Change Over Time?

Your electrolyte requirements are not static — they shift as your body adapts:

Weeks 1-2 (highest need): Your kidneys are aggressively excreting sodium as insulin drops. You need maximum electrolyte intake during this window. Salt heavily, drink bone broth twice daily, and supplement magnesium.

Weeks 3-4 (moderate need): Your kidneys begin adjusting to lower insulin levels and sodium excretion stabilizes somewhat. Electrolyte needs remain higher than pre-carnivore but less acute than the first two weeks.

Months 2-3 (normalizing): Your body reaches a new equilibrium. Sodium needs remain higher than on a carb-heavy diet (because insulin is still low) but you may be able to reduce deliberate supplementation and rely more on food-based salt and natural intake.

Long-term (steady state): Most long-term carnivore dieters salt their food generously as a permanent habit and continue magnesium supplementation. The need for active electrolyte management decreases but never fully disappears because the underlying mechanism (low insulin = higher sodium excretion) is permanent on a zero-carb diet.

Electrolyte Quick Reference

Start supplementing from day one. Do not wait for symptoms to appear — by the time you feel the headache or cramp, you are already significantly depleted. Proactive electrolyte management is one of the key differences between people who have a smooth carnivore transition and those who struggle through one of the most common mistakes.

For more educational content on the carnivore lifestyle, visit our complete carnivore diet guide.