Should I be taking supplements?

The use of supplements can assist with meeting your electrolyte and nutrition needs, particularly when starting out.

You can do a triathlon on a mountain bike, but it's not very efficient or fast! The same is true when considering supplement use. It is not required to use any supplements on a Keto approach but if you want to adapt quickly and perform at your best during activity supplementing will make all the difference.

Supplements should be just that, supplements, and should not make up your whole or majority of food for the day. When used in conjunction with a keto aligned eating plan you will adapt quicker without any or less adaption ‘symptoms’ commonly known as Keto Flu.

At the very least you should increase your salt intake to 10g per day. This is very important for active people or for most people the lack of sodium will have a significant negative effect on performance. If you have muscle cramps consider an additional Magnesium supplement.

Making broths is ideal to get a wide range of minerals and nutrients but if you are not this way inclined or don’t know how to. Look for a supplement that includes electrolytes, amino acids, and minerals to meet these needs.

The first month to six weeks can be the most difficult time for a lot of people as their body adjusts to burning fat rather than converting the carbs that are consumed. In most cases, this will also mean cutting out familiar favorites like bread, snacks, and flavored drinks. Using an alternative/supplement in these cases that are sugar-free will allow you to make the change physically while still satisfying your brain with the familiar. Too many people never see the benefits of keto as the difficulty in cutting out too many favorites is too much to handle. Making these substitutions will go a long way to achieving adaptation, and with that, the cravings will reduce and new favorites that are healthier will emerge.

Using supplements when active is ideal. While we can run a marathon on just water but this many not produce your best time or reward for the training and effort in preparation! Metabolic flexibility is key to athletic success and this means allowing our bodies to both function and be supplied with a range of fuel types, electrolytes and hydration while asking for maxim athletic performance.

Use a carb-free electrolyte supplement for activities under 90 mins and when racing or training for a long duration or at high intensity include additional carbs to this. Around 15g p/h or a bit more for very high-intensity efforts to support the inevitable glucose use, to achieve your best result.

Be smart, choose your supplements well, and when to use them and along with your daily keto based diet and activity you will get the most out of your body every day.