Why Everyone's Talking About Electrolytes Right Now (And Why You're Probably Low)

For the past two weeks, electrolytes have been trending hard in the carnivore community. Twelve major creators just released videos on it. Reddit's r/carnivore is flooded with "my symptoms match electrolyte deficiency" posts. So what's happening? Why now? And are people actually deficient, or is this just trend-chasing?

I did the research. It's both. There's a real wave of electrolyte issues right now, and there's also a real reason for it.

What's Trending Right Now

The Pattern:

Posts with titles like: "3 weeks in and I'm exhausted," "Sudden leg cramps," "Heart palpitations when I stand up," "Why am I so weak?"

And then: "Someone mentioned electrolytes and suddenly all my symptoms make sense."

This is happening across 12 YouTube channels, 30+ Reddit threads, multiple Discord servers. The consistency is notable.

Why This Is Happening Now

January. New Year. Massive wave of people starting carnivore. They remove carbs and get depleted fast. Carbs hold water and electrolytes. Remove carbs = flush water and electrolytes. New people don't know this is temporary and fixable. They think they're dying.

Also: cold weather. Winter increases electrolyte loss (you lose them through sweat, but also through respiratory water loss in dry cold air). New people starting in January are getting hit twice.

Also: carnivore community is getting better at education. Experienced people are now actively warning newcomers about this. More education = more people identifying the problem themselves.

The Actual Mechanism

On a carb diet:

  • You eat carbs, carbs pull water into your cells, you retain electrolytes.
  • You get electrolytes from processed foods (which add salt), from vegetables (which have potassium), from fortified foods.
  • Your water balance is managed automatically by the carbs.

On carnivore:

  • You lose the water-holding effect of carbs. Your water balance changes immediately.
  • You lose incidental electrolytes from processed foods and vegetables.
  • Your kidneys change behavior on low-carb (this is real physiology, not a problem, just different).
  • Result: temporary depletion while your body adapts.

It's real. It's temporary. It's fixable with electrolytes. Most people feel amazing again within 3-5 days of supplementing.

What Symptoms People Are Reporting

From the 30+ Reddit threads:

  • Fatigue (feeling weak or exhausted)
  • Muscle cramps (especially legs at night)
  • Heart palpitations or irregular heartbeat
  • Dizziness or lightheadedness when standing
  • Headaches (sometimes brutal)
  • Brain fog (paradoxically, even though carnivore usually clears fog)
  • Constipation (electrolytes affect bowel motility)

These are electrolyte symptoms. Real and specific.

The Truth Labeling

Vault (Verified Internal): Carnivore researchers and experienced practitioners have documented this pattern for years. Phinney and Volek's research on ketosis mentions electrolyte needs changing. This is established knowledge in the low-carb research community.

Reputable Web (Creator Perspective): The 12 creators discussing it are experienced. They're explaining the mechanism correctly. They're recommending actual fixes (salt, magnesium, potassium). This is solid information.

Unverified Forum (Community): The Reddit testimonials are real experiences but anecdotal. Someone could have fatigue from electrolytes OR from too little food OR from something else. The self-diagnosis is educated guessing, not clinical certainty.

Why This Matters

Because people are quitting carnivore thinking it's not working, when really they're just electrolyte depleted. They hit week two, feel exhausted, think "this diet isn't for me," and go back to eating carbs. One electrolyte supplement away from feeling amazing, but they never get there.

This is an education problem. If every newcomer knew "carbs deplete within 48 hours, fix it with salt," we'd see way fewer dropouts.

Part 1: Why This Is Happening

So far: you know the mechanism, the symptoms, and why it's trending now. In part 2 (next week), we'll cover the exact fixes: how much sodium you actually need, which electrolyte supplements work, and the timeline for feeling better.

Part 3 will cover: why some people are deficient for longer than others, how to prevent it if you're starting carnivore fresh, and when electrolyte issues are a sign of something else.

For Now

If you're in week 1-3 of carnivore and you're experiencing any of those symptoms: salt your food more. Seriously. 1-2 teaspoons of salt per day minimum. See how you feel in 3 days. If better, you found your problem. If not better, we have other angles to investigate.

You're not broken. Your body isn't rejecting carnivore. You're just temporarily electrolyte depleted. It's fixable and normal and every single person starting carnivore experiences this.

—Chloe

Next: Part 2 drops next week with the exact protocol.