Muscle cramps on Carnivore Diet can be a painful experience. You’re eating clean, sticking to meat, and maybe even feeling leaner, but suddenly, your calves may start twitching at night, or you may cramp up mid-workout. What’s going on?
If you’re following a Carnivore or low-carb diet and dealing with muscle cramps, you’re not alone. These uncomfortable spasms are one of the most common Carnivore Diet side effects, especially in the early stages of the diet. So, let’s find out why they happen and how to avoid them.
A muscle cramp is a sudden, involuntary contraction of one or more muscles, which is painful and can sometimes last for several seconds to minutes [1].
Cramps usually happen in the legs, feet, and hands and can strike during the day or night (known as nocturnal cramps) [2].
While cramps can happen for many reasons, diet changes, especially reducing carbohydrates, can trigger them. But why do we experience muscle cramps on Carnivore Diet?
Cutting carbohydrates and increasing fat and protein on a Carnivore Diet can cause shifts in your body’s fluid and mineral balance.
These shifts can lead to electrolyte imbalances, which are the number one cause of cramps, especially in the first month of the diet. Electrolyte imbalances can happen for the following reasons.
Electrolytes are minerals including sodium, magnesium, chloride, potassium, calcium, phosphate, and bicarbonates [3].
Salt (sodium), which is the most important electrolyte, keeps your nerves and muscles working smoothly. Losing sodium can cause different problems.
When you cut carbohydrates on a low-carb diet like Keto or Carnivore, insulin drops, which makes your kidneys excrete more sodium and water through urination [4].
Less sodium in your blood means the tiny electrical signals that tell a muscle to relax can fail, so the muscle locks up instead, and you may experience muscle cramps on Carnivore Diet.
Also, lower sodium levels can increase the sensitivity and pressure on nerves, which can cause muscle spasms [5].
Electrolyte imbalances are most common during the early adaptation phase, so you may experience more muscle cramps in the early days of the Carnivore Diet [6].
Learn More: Carnivore Electrolytes: Why They Matter & How to Source Them
Weight loss in the early weeks is not really fat loss, but water loss. As your body flushes water, you may become mildly dehydrated, even if you’re drinking water. Without enough electrolytes, water alone can dilute essential minerals [7].
This happens because your stored carbohydrates (glycogen) hold lots of water. When glycogen empties during the first week of Carnivore, that water leaves your body, too [8].
If you replace the lost water but not the lost minerals, you dilute the little sodium you have left. Muscles get twitchy, especially at night.
Potassium and magnesium are essential for muscle function. On the Carnivore Diet, if you’re not eating organ meats, seafood, or taking supplements, you may not get enough potassium and magnesium [9].
This is because ordinary cuts of meat are only so‑so for potassium and magnesium. So, you shouldn’t skip organ meats, fish, and shellfish [10].
Potassium sets the muscle’s “resting” balance, and magnesium calms the nerves that tell muscles to contract. Low levels make it easy for a muscle to spasm.
During the first few weeks, your body is shifting from burning glucose to burning fat and ketones. This can cause metabolic stress that may temporarily increase cramping [11].
In the first 1–2 weeks, your muscles haven’t fully switched from burning glucose to burning fat and ketones, so they run a little low on quick fuel.
Tired muscles send more help signals to the nerves, which can trigger contractions. This overlaps with salt and water loss, making cramping worse.
Since we increase protein intake on a Carnivore Diet, our nitrogenous waste (urea) and a slight acid load increase, so our kidneys work harder to eliminate this waste [12].
It means we lose water and electrolytes. But if we don’t drink water and minerals to replenish the lost amount, we may experience Carnivore Diet muscle cramps [13].
In addition to losing fluid and minerals, a small dip in blood pH can cause calcium to stay inside muscle cells longer, so the muscle can’t relax easily.
So, how can we find out if we are experiencing muscle cramps on Carnivore Diet? Well, there are symptoms.
If you have the following symptoms, you are probably experiencing muscle cramps. The most common symptoms of muscle cramps on Carnivore Diet include [14] [15]:
However, the good news is that these symptoms are usually temporary and can be resolved with simple dietary tweaks.
Avoiding and fixing leg cramps on Carnivore Diet is easy. You just need to:
Add high-quality salt (like Redmond Real Salt or Celtic Sea Salt) to your food and even your water. You can start with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt per day, split across meals and drinks.
Magnesium helps muscles relax. Choose bioavailable forms like:
Although it is no secret that you must take supplements after consulting a healthcare professional, generally, a daily dose of 200–400 mg can be enough.
Learn More: 7 Carnivore Diet Supplements for Filling Nutritional Gaps
The healthiest way to source potassium is by eating animal-based foods rich in potassium, including:
But please remember that potassium supplements can be dangerous in high doses. Focus on food-based sources unless your doctor advises otherwise.
Homemade or high-quality store-bought bone broth is one of the most nutritious animal-based foods you can use on a Carnivore Diet because it is rich in sodium, potassium, and collagen.
You can drink 1 cup of bone broth a day with your food or use it in cooking to balance electrolytes and improve skin and gut health.
Learn More: 15 Sugar Free Drinks on Carnivore Diet + 20 Drinks to Avoid
You should drink enough water and fluids to stay hydrated, but remember that too much plain water can flush out electrolytes.
So, it is better to drink when you are thirsty, and consider adding a pinch of salt to your water to stay hydrated and keep electrolytes balanced.
If you're active or still experiencing cramps, a good electrolyte supplement can help. When choosing electrolyte supplements, look for ones with:
The most popular electrolyte supplements are:
You know it is time for you to see a healthcare provider if your cramps are:
Rarely, cramps can be a sign of a deeper issue, like kidney problems or medication side effects. So, if you spot these signs, it is wise to consult a doctor.
It is common to experience muscle cramps on Carnivore Diet. But luckily, they are temporary and treatable. They usually come from electrolyte loss as your body adapts to a zero-carb, high-protein diet.
By reloading sodium, magnesium, potassium, and fluids, you can stop cramps and feel better faster. Whether you’re new to the Carnivore Diet or an experienced meat-lover, keeping your minerals balanced helps you reduce Carnivore Diet side effects and achieve the best results.
