For potassium, checkout your grocery store spice/baking good section, look for "nusalt" or other salt substitutes. They are invariably potassium chloride.

Good questions. I don't understand why some people are using potassium chloride when the goal is to get more sodium. Is it because we formerly ate too much processed food and were told to avoid sodium? I've been adding sea salt, sodium chloride (with assorted minerals) per Phinney and Volek's recommendation.

I just drink water after exercise, but make sure to get some salt at my next meal. If I really felt depleted, I guess I might drink broth.

You need both, and lose both in any athletic activity. (lose other stuff too, btw). They don't work against each other, they work as a pair.

So I include both... Basically, things I salt (like eggs) I use KCl; and then favor salty foods like salted nuts, bacon. Seems to work ok. I kinda use my BP as a salt meter; if its around 120sys I'm good, when it goes high I might have overdone the salt, if it goes low when standing up I undershot.

increasing Potassium sodium, magnesium and zinc has made my week long almost migraines go completely away..

V8 and the like help, but have a lot of, albeit natural, sugar.

Sea salt and zinc tablets work best :)

Potassium substitutes for salt are sought after because the sodium/potassium balance in our bodies are the basis for neuro transmission (which amongst other things activates muscle cells). If the balance between the two ions are thrown off, it can make neuro activity, especially muscular activity, either too easy to stimulate or too difficult. Think about people with electrolyte deficiencies- they get muscle cramps, or heart palpitations. The muscle cells are too easily stimulated because there is an excess of sodium compared to potassium. That is why people with muscle cramps will often eat a banana, to increase their potassium. On the other hand, if there is too much potassium, neuromuscular activity is more difficult to stimulate. Its a bit of a gruesome example, but lethal injections are oftentimes an injection of potassium. This excess potassium makes the heart muscle unable to be stimulated, it doesn't contract, and you can figure out the rest.

Now don't get too panicked. Sodium and potassium (along with magnesium and to a degree calcium) are regulated by your kidneys very carefully. That is why if you eat a few potatoes and get a bunch of potassium, you don't go into cardiac arrest. However, the people that do have to really be concerned are those with kidney failure. They have to watch what they eat so closely, because literally, too much of either electrolyte could be fatal.

Now, with that being said, electrolytes are still nothing to mess around with. Taking supplements, especially in high doses, should be done with your physician's direction, and no advice can be one-size-fits-all. A 20 year old in reasonable health probably won't have very many kidney issues. A 55 year old type 2 diabetic will be a different story. The moral of the story? Be careful, and ask your doctor before playing around with your electrolytes too much, ESPECIALLY if you have medical conditions.

A high carb diet seems to make you retain more sodium. A low carb diet and you'll excrete a lot of sodium. If you don't have enough sodium your kidney's can't hang onto other minerals and you'll actually tear down muscle tissue to get the other minerals.

At least that is what P/V say in their book.

I do drink salty water. I do not like broth..... and a banana does not have enough potassium in it to do any good for cramps. You would have to eat a bushel full......

Like Nancy, I have the impression from P&V's Low Carb Performance that sodium (and perhaps magnesium) might have to be supplemented but that potassium will stay in balance if the other two are. Here are the bullet points from Chapter 9 Fluid and Mineral Balance, page 79.

• Low carbohydrate diets increase the loss of sodium and water from the kidneys.
  
  Failure to adequately replace sodium adversely affects potassium balance and has several negative effects (e.g. fatigue, fainting, headache, loss of lean mass).
  
  The easiest solution is to consume an extra 1-2 grams of sodium per day in the form of 2 bouillon cubes or home made broth.
  
  Most muscle cramps are due to magnesium depletion in cells.
  
  Adequate magnesium intake helps prevent cramps.
  
  A 20 day course of slow-release magnesium supplementation effectively treats most muscle cramps.
  
  Dietary potassium and magnesium (as well as other micronutrients) can be increased by appropriate preparation of meats and vegetables.
  

They never mention potassium supplementation but they go on to point out that meats are an excellent source of potassium, noting that 4 oz of meat has as much potassium as a medium banana.

What I took away from P&V is that the attention to potassium supplementation may be mis-directed. For the most part if we take care of sodium, and make sure we get some potassium and magnesium in our food, we will keep electrolytes in balance.

Such great info. everyone! Thanks!
I really like the pink Himalayan & totally enjoy the lime & lime salts on veggies! (Not even a beer drinker - but love the Twang)

Aradasky - thanks for the info. on the magnesium! Do you use a straight magnesium supplement or blend?

Trying again. Lime & lemon salts! Also great on avocado!

Hi all
i was pointed to this thread and i am really excited about this.
i have been going thru induction and having fatigue, i also have had a lot of muscle twitching and some cramps so i do know its electrolyte related.

immediately i looked for my bullion cubes and found the chocolate salt in my cupboard which was a gift i havnt used. just dipping my finger in it was good ha!
i started thinking about salted caramels or salted chocolates , then i thought i want to make my own. well i couldnt find the recipe i wanted so i ended up on lemon truffles that was used in HCG plan.

i didnt have everything on hand so i made my own version and eyeballed the flavorings and stevia

1-2 tspns coconut butter
2 tspns coconut oil
vanilla
stevia
orange extract
chocolate salt

this is the perfect combination to satisfy a sweet/salty fatty craving.
ill make more of these and refrigerate to truffles perhaps.
when its melted and a little soupy, dip your bacon in it :D

its a sweet n salty heavenly treat!

a great site where the chocolate finishing salt came from

http://www.atthemeadow.com/shop/Gourmet-Sea-Salt

OH MY GOSH!! Have to try this. Chocolate salt????

Which just might explain why some preach thirty per day? ;)

What a life-saving thread. Thanks.