One of the easiest ways to tell that you’re low on electrolytes is when you’ve already drank plenty of water, but you still feel symptoms of dehydration, like nausea, constipation, dry mouth, dry throat, dry eyes, difficulty urinating, dizziness, lightheartedness, headache, or muscle cramps.
If you’ve already drank the recommended amount of water for your body and you’re still feeling dehydration symptoms, you’re likely not getting enough electrolytes. If you’re drinking too much water, you might also be over hydrating and washing out your electrolytes. Either way, you’ll need to replenish them.
One of the best ways to do that is with foods and drinks that are rich in the essential electrolytes: sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, and phosphate.
Foods that increase electrolytes while recovering from anemia.
Unfortunately, tap water and bottled waters aren’t often good sources of the minerals that humans need for proper hydration. This means you’ll have to add something extra to your water in order to replenish your electrolytes.
Drinks to help replenish electrolytes:
- Lemon and ginger infused water with a pinch of raw sea salt (for minerals).
- Enriched milk or plant based milks (often contain sodium, calcium, and potassium)
- Coconut water (often contains calcium and potassium)
- Electrolyte drinks that hopefully don’t contain added sugars (try organic honey instead)
Foods to help replenish electrolytes:
- Sodium: pickles, olives, popcorn
- Potassium: bananas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, fish, chicken
- Chloride: beef liver, eggs, pickles, seaweed
- Calcium: cheese, cottage cheese, milk, enriched plant based milks, yogurt
- Magnesium: hemp seeds, bananas, spinach, pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- Phosphate: milk, nuts, beans, rye bread
