Dr. Stephen Phinney: How much sodium should you consume on a ketogenic diet?

Stephen Phinney, MD, Ph.D and Amy McKenzie, Ph.D, are scientists and researchers as well as collaborators on a recent clinical trial examining a technology-supported and medically-supervised ketogenic intervention. 

Stephen Phinney, MD, Ph.D is the Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder of Virta Health, the first clinically-proven treatment to safely and sustainably reverse type 2 diabetes without medications or surgery. Amy McKenzie, Ph.D is a senior research scientist at Virta Health.

[howardhill]

A blanket recommendation to increase salt would be extreme negligence. It's very good you clearly state that this is not a blanket recommendation to increase salt on keto. I started keto and my blood pressure went up by 30 points in my 1st month. I was having too much salt with my meals. I was in a sense looking for a flavor replacement of salt in meat & vegetables instead of potato chips. I have since started to limit my sodium intake to 1500 mg/day. I never realized how quickly sodium adds up & can raise one's blood pressure a lot.

[Snikkelbek]

That would translate to about 6 to 7 leveled teaspoons of celtic seasalt.

[JeremyIan]

Question: If our ancestors of 20-30, 000 years ago were closer to a ketogenic diet than a SAD one, where'd they get the salt?

[rrthomas]

Can you provide a link to the paper you referenced?

[seank]

What is 4 - 5 grams of sodium? I think table salt is 39% sodium. How many grams of table salt do I need to take to reach that 4 - 5 grams of sodium? I'm starting keto (4 weeks in) and I feel light headed and weak.

[aletheiaquest]

I assume if you workout and sweat a good amount, your sodium needs to be higher than the 4-5 grams??

[abhinavshrivastava]

Keto works but honestly I felt so bad from the beginning. Then I tried the Agoge diet plan and it also worked, but I did not feel bad at all, so I'm sticking with the Agoge diet.

[chankun]

The only diet that works for me is the Agoge diet ? All others were difficult to adhere to and I felt horrible

[jean_carlos_shells]

Keto is the best way to loose weight and control blood pressure

[sabrinabibichndoo]

The Agoge diet works great and you feel great, in contrast to keto. Keto isn't supposed to be adhered to by healthy people and without medical supervision.