I have struggled with leg cramps for as long as I can remember. I routinely found myself jumping out of bed at 3:00 am and hopping around my room hoping the cramp would end. It wasn’t until a few months into my keto journey that I noticed my night time cramps had gotten significantly worse. It took me a while to realize there was a link between keto and leg cramps.
There can be many causes of leg cramps, but I found that my three biggest culprits were a lack of salt, low electrolytes (magnesium, sodium, potassium and calcium are the most critical to increase) and dehydration. After some trial and error I found the following simple steps solved my muscle cramp problems and I was back to sleeping through the night.
- Salt all your food
- Drink homemade ketorade first thing in the morning and before going to bed to increase your electrolytes
- Drink plenty of water
- Eat foods that are high in magnesium, sodium, potassium and calcium
These four simple steps are easy and extremely low cost. They’re likely advice you’ve heard plenty of times. Knowing what to do to solve the problem wasn’t very difficult but following through with each of the steps in my already busy life was a bit of a challenge. As any mom will tell you, I’m excellent at ensuring that my kids and family stick to their routine, but when it comes to taking care of myself it takes a bit more work. Here’s a few tips on how I incorporated these steps into my busy everyday routine so I could continue to sleep through the night cramp free.
Salt Your Food
This is by far the easiest, cheapest and yet the most effective step. We all have salt in our kitchens and there’s always salt available if you go out to eat. We use pink Himalayan salt because it’s supposed to have more minerals than regular table salt. Ours comes from our local dollar store, nothing fancy. No matter what salt you have, just use it! It’s really as simple as that. By just making a point to salt everything you eat you are already on the road to kicking your leg cramps.
Homemade Ketorade
Homemade ketorade will help keep you hydrated and increase electrolytes. Everyone has a different recipe with varying ingredients and costs. Some people choose to purchase electrolyte drops , which can range anywhere from $4.00 to $50.00. I have come up with the following ketorade recipe that is quick and costs pennies per glass:
Homemade Ketorade Recipe
- One large glass of water
- A couple squirts of electrolyte drops (I like to use the Mio Electrolyte drops because they’re cheap and carb free)
- A pinch of salt
- A few shakes of salt substitute for added potassium (I use NoSalt as that’s what’s available in my area) – if all you can find is half salt just substitute that and omit the salt
- A splash of apple cider vinegar (I like to use Bragg’s, but any brand that contains the “Mother” will work)
You will notice that there are no exact measurements in this recipe. This is for three reasons:
- Measuring takes extra time, which I don’t have in the morning.
- You’re doing this twice a day, it can get boring. By adding slightly different quantities each time it slightly changes the taste. Which makes it more like a science experiment creating various concoctions, which is fun. When something is fun it’s easier to stick to each day!
- Everyone’s tastes are different. I may like up to a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to make it taste more sour like lemonade, but most people are probably happy with only a half tablespoon.
Take this recipe and mold it to suit your tastes and what is readily available in your area. There’s no right or wrong way to make a ketorade drink, the most important thing is to make this a part of your daily morning and bedtime routine to boost your electrolytes each day.
Water, Water, Water
I’m sure we’re all bored of hearing about how beneficial water is for your body. Unfortunately getting plenty of water is a pivotal method to maintain good health, leg cramps or not. Everyone has their own tips and tricks to staying hydrated and I’m sure you can look up a million ways to get more water into your body. My biggest trick is coffee! Yes, I know coffee is supposed to dehydrate you right? Well, I’m no doctor so I’m not even going to pretend to know if that’s correct or not. But as a busy working parent I know that what keeps me running is coffee throughout my day. So I make a point of drinking an equal amount of water for every cup of coffee I consume. Doing this combined with my morning and evening ketorade keeps me feeling hydrated all day.
Maybe you don’t drink coffee, but most people have some non-water drink they enjoy such as tea or diet soda . You can use the same concept to get more water into your system. It’s more about finding some way of making it a fun self challenge that fits into your lifestyle. This will make it a sustainable and enjoyable addition to your day. There are numerous ideas depending on what gets you motivated. You may try keeping track of your water intake on an app, having a water challenge with a friend, or try having a glass of water every time your children eat or drink anything. This is another trial and error type situation. The important take away here is to keep trying new ideas until you find something that sticks.
Eat Your Electrolytes
At this point, you may be able to guess exactly how I incorporate electrolytes into my diet…..turn it into a game! I like to pick three foods that I know are high in essential electrolytes, add them to my weekly grocery list, then make it a self challenge to ensure I eat those three items at least once a week. My three favourite go-to items are sardines (full of calcium), spinach (rich in magnesium) and avocado (lots of potassium). All three of these items are low cost and require little time to prepare as a quick work lunch. All three items can be eaten together as a super electrolyte-rich meal. They are also, individually, extremely versatile to sneak into other weekly planned meals.
This game is a bit different than the others because it’s full of options. There are so many foods to choose from that contain substantial amounts of electrolytes. I’m already salting my food to get added sodium, so I try to pick three items that are high in magnesium, potassium and/or calcium. Here’s a short list of a few other cleanish keto items I like to rotate into the mix:
- Foods High in Potassium:
- Swiss Chard
- Clams
- Salmon
- Foods High in Calcium:
- Cheese
- Kale
- Almonds
- Foods High in Magnesium:
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Dark Chocolate
- Yogurt
Get Started
All of these steps have been incredibly important in playing a role to get rid of my leg cramps. However, it took time to figure out how my body reacted to each change I made and it took time for them to become a part of my everyday routine. If you suffer from keto leg cramps the unfortunate reality is that everyone is different. What has worked for me may or may not work for you. But through some persistent trial and error I hope these four steps will give you a good starting point on your journey to becoming leg cramp free!
