We must keep our electrolytes balanced, whether on a Carnivore Diet or not, because electrolytes affect our energy, mood, and digestion. Lack of Carnivore electrolytes, sodium, potassium, and magnesium can cause headaches, fatigue, dizziness, constipation, etc., especially during adaptation and workouts. We can easily fix these symptoms and make the most of our low-carb diet if we know how these electrolytes work and how we can source them from animal-based foods.
Electrolytes are essential minerals for human health, especially on a low-carb diet like Carnivore. They carry an electric charge and help your body maintain balance in hydration, muscle contraction, and brain function [1] [2].
The most important Carnivore electrolytes are:
Sodium is the most important electrolyte you need on the Carnivore Diet. It helps regulate fluid balance, nerve function, and muscle contraction [3].
When we minimize carbohydrates, the hormone insulin drops, which signals the kidneys to get rid of water and sodium [4].
This means losing a lot of sodium through urine, which is why people on low-carb diets like Carnivore often experience rapid water loss and feel dizzy, lightheaded, or fatigued [5].
Sodium is crucial for maintaining blood pressure and transporting nutrients across cells. It also works with potassium to help generate the electrical impulses for nerve communication and muscle movement [6].
If there isn’t enough sodium in our body, we may feel headaches, brain fog, drowsiness, and even heart palpitations. Many of the Keto or Carnivore Flu symptoms are, in fact, due to sodium depletion, not carbohydrate withdrawal [7].
So, since we exclude processed sources of salt on the Carnivore Diet, we may unintentionally become hyponatremic (too low in sodium).
This can disrupt hormonal balance, impair stress resilience, and reduce exercise performance. Salt is not just a seasoning; it’s a requirement for proper function on a Carnivore Diet [8].
So, low sodium levels can be more dangerous than moderate excess, especially for those not eating processed foods.
That’s why supplementing sodium through salting your food and drinking salted water or bone broth is usually enough.
Learn More: Female Carnivore Diet: 30-Day Meal Plan, Results, & Recipes
Potassium is the second most important electrolyte after sodium and is necessary for heart rhythm, muscle function, and fluid balance in our cells [9].
Potassium is an intracellular mineral, meaning most of it resides inside our cells to help proper cell pressure, energy production, and nerve transmission. Together with sodium, potassium helps our muscles contract smoothly [10].
Potassium is usually found in plant sources like bananas, avocados, and leafy greens. But in Carnivore, we can find potassium in muscle meats, organ meats, shellfish, and bone broth.
If we don’t consume enough potassium, we may experience muscle cramps, fatigue, constipation, irregular heartbeat, depression or irritability, electrolyte imbalance, and water loss [11].
When sodium is lost due to low insulin, potassium follows. This doubles dehydration and reduces our ability to keep fluids in the body [12].
This dehydration is especially dangerous for athletes, people under stress, and those in hot climates, where potassium is lost more quickly through sweat.
On a Carnivore Diet, we can source potassium from animal foods like heart, liver, sardines, and eggs. There are also supplements as potassium chloride (NoSalt).
However, be careful with eating too much potassium at once because it can affect heart function. It’s best to use supplements after consulting a healthcare professional.
One of the most underrated Carnivore electrolytes is Magnesium, which is essential, especially for carnivores. It is involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions, including energy production (ATP), DNA synthesis, and nervous system regulation [13].
Magnesium helps relax muscles, calm the nervous system, and streamline deep sleep, making it a simple solution for those struggling with insomnia or restlessness [14].
Magnesium can also help blood sugar regulation, which is important during the low-carb adaptation phase.
A lack of enough magnesium is shown by muscle twitches, irritability, insomnia, headaches, anxiety, hormonal imbalance, fatigue, constipation, or even arrhythmias [15].
Since magnesium levels are low in modern meat and even soil, you should eat enough seafood, bone-in cuts, or organ meats to provide enough magnesium.
The thing about magnesium is that, unlike sodium or potassium, it is not stored in large amounts in the body and is easily depleted by stress, caffeine, alcohol, and even physical activity.
If you are a menstruating woman or under a lot of stress, you need more magnesium than average.
So, magnesium supplementation is sometimes necessary. Magnesium glycinate, malate, or taurate are absorbed quickly, but magnesium citrate and oxide are poorly absorbed and can cause diarrhea.
Although you can take supplements after consulting nutritionists, you can naturally increase magnesium levels by eating bone marrow, sardines (with bones), and liver.
Learn More: Carnivore Diet Before and After Results + Photos
Calcium and phosphorus are important minerals that work together in building and maintaining strong bones and teeth [16] [17].
But their importance goes far beyond skeletal health. Calcium helps muscle function, nerve transmission, blood clotting, and hormone secretion, while phosphorus is essential for energy production (ATP) and cellular repair [18].
Most carnivores don’t need to worry about calcium deficiency if they’re eating a nose-to-tail diet that includes bones (bone-in sardines or bone broth), dairy, or eggshell powder.
However, calcium absorption depends on several cofactors: vitamin D, magnesium, and vitamin K2, all of which are found in animal products like liver, fatty fish, and egg yolks [19].
Without these, our body cannot use calcium properly, or it misdirects it into the arteries instead of the bones.
There is a lot of phosphorus in meat, so you will get enough by eating meaty animal products. It can balance calcium naturally when eating whole animal products.
You should also maintain a good ratio of these two because too much phosphorus and too little calcium (as happens with high muscle meat but no bone consumption) can lead to long-term bone mineral loss.
Signs like muscle spasms, brittle nails, poor recovery from injury, tooth sensitivity, or osteoporosis show calcium or phosphorus imbalance.
If you’re not eating dairy and bones in your Carnivore Diet, you can add bone meal powder, eggshell calcium, or sardines with bones to your food after consulting a nutritionist or healthcare professional.
When calcium and phosphorus are in the right balance, they make your bones strong, calm nerves, and support smooth muscle function and energy.
So, to have all of these Carnivore electrolytes naturally, we need to find out why they may go out of balance and if we are doing something wrong in our diet.
When you cut carbohydrates, several changes happen in your body that can lead to temporary or chronic electrolyte imbalance.
Learn More: High Fat Carnivore Diet: Everything You Should Know
When you eat fewer carbohydrates, your insulin levels reduce. Insulin helps the kidneys keep sodium. So, lower insulin levels mean more sodium lis ost through urine, causing initial weight loss and dehydration [20].
Since Carnivore doesn’t allow plant-based foods, you won’t have access to plant sources of potassium and magnesium like fruits, leafy greens, and nuts. So, you should eat smart and choose animal-based sources that provide electrolytes [21].
Drinking more water without replacing lost salt decreases the remaining electrolytes, worsening symptoms. This is common among dieters trying to flush toxins by just drinking water [22].
So, how do we know if our electrolytes are imbalanced? Well, there are symptoms that tell you so!
Learn More: Carnivore Diet Side Effects and How to Avoid Them
If you have all or most of these symptoms, it’s most likely that you have an electrolyte imbalance:
These symptoms are sometimes mistaken with Keto/ Carnivore Flu or adaptation, but in many cases, they’re due to electrolyte loss, not the diet itself.
However, you don’t need to worry much because it is easy to balance Carnivore electrolytes.
You can easily balance the best electrolytes for Carnivore Diet. You don’t need powders or pills right away. Many electrolytes can come from animal-based foods if you know what to eat.
Learn More: 10 Most Important Carnivore Diet Supplements
Although you can simply balance Carnivore electrolytes by consuming these animal-based foods, you can also take electrolyte supplements, but you should consider their pros and cons.
Take Carnivore electrolyte supplements only if your dietitian or healthcare professional approves. They can help during the adaptation phase, intense training, or periods of stress, but they aren’t always necessary long-term.
You can use electrolyte supplements, but look for supplements with no sugar, maltodextrin, or artificial sweeteners, and those with proper ratios:
Brands like LMNT, Keto Chow, and Redmond Re-Lyte are popular. LMNT has no sugar and a good balance. Keto Chow Drops are liquid and highly absorbable. Redmond Re-Lyte jas clean ingredients and good magnesium.
You can even make the best electrolyte drink for Carnivore Diet at home.
Learn More: 7 Carnivore Diet Supplements for Filling Nutritional Gaps
To make the best electrolyte drink for Carnivore Diet at home, you need to mix 1 liter of water with:
Electrolyte imbalance is one of the most common yet most easily fixed issues on the Carnivore Diet. Headaches, fatigue, and cramps don’t mean you’re doing it wrong. They often mean your body needs more salt, potassium, or magnesium.
