A COMPLETE GUIDE TO

KETO
SUPPLEMENTS

1
J E R E M Y H E N D O N & C H R I S K E L LY
Introduction

Supplements often get a bad reputation. Some of that is deserved, because many
supplements are not high quality, but also because randomly taking supplements
usually does very little for a person.

In this Guide, we’ll show exactly what supplements you should be thinking
about - especially on a Keto diet. We’ll also show you how to determine if you
potentially need each supplement.

We’ll also cover exogenous ketones, which are a new but very popular category of
keto supplements.

Commonly Needed Supplements on a Keto Diet

The following 6 nutrients are ones that you definitely want to think about
supplementing with:

1. Sodium
If you’re not getting enough sodium, then being Keto is going to feel a lot harder.
You’ll feel low in energy, and you’ll have more cravings. On a Keto diet, you’re
likely to excrete more sodium than you otherwise would.

How to Know if You Need It:

If you’re feeling abnormally fatigued on a keto diet, then you likely need more
sodium. Measure how much you get on average for 3-5 days, and if it’s under 5
grams per day, then you definitely need to supplement.

Common Dosage:
5-7 grams total per day. This typically means ~2 grams from food and 3-5 grams
from added salt. (Salt is about 40% sodium.)

Source:
You won’t usually need to supplement other than by adding extra salt to food and
water, but if you’re eating only unprocessed food, you will definitely need to add
more salt to your food and potentially even your water.

2
2. Potassium
Like sodium, potassium is an electrolyte, and if you aren’t getting enough, you
will often feel very fatigued. Also, just like sodium, your body will excrete more
potassium while on a Keto diet.

How to Know if You Need It:

Measure how much potassium you’re getting per day. If it’s not at least 2 grams,
you need to supplement.

Common Dosage:
2-3 grams total per day. You can often get 2-3 grams from food, but you might
need to supplement, especially if you’re more active.

Sources:
Good food sources are avocados, spinach, and beef. Most potassium supplements
from a reputable brand are fine, including this one from Thorne.

3. Magnesium
Because of soil depletion, almost everybody is deficient in magnesium.

How to Know if You Need It:

There isn’t a good test for magnesium deficiency, but almost everybody is
deficient, so supplementing is likely a good idea for almost everybody.

Common Dosage:
300-500 milligrams total per day.

Sources:
Although you get magnesium from foods, it pays to add in supplements. The
following 2 are excellent quality and very bioavailable:

Magtech

Douglas Labs

3
4. Carnitine
Carnitine comes from meat primarily, so you’re likely getting some. But on a
Keto diet, your body needs more carnitine than usual to transport fats from outside
a cell to inside a cell.

How to Know if You Need It:

If you’re on a Keto diet, it’s very likely that you need to supplement with
carnitine. If you want to know for sure, then run a Urine Organic Acids Test (from
Great Plains Lab). If your Adipate & Subarate are elevated, then you definitely
need more carnitine.

Common Dosage:
3 grams per day.

Sources:

Designs For Health

5. Vitamin D
Vitamin D is another micronutrient that the majority of people are deficient in, and
the research is continuing to show that long-term deficiency is linked to a variety
of health problems, including heart disease and metabolic disease.

How to Know if You Need It:

Start by running a blood test for 25 hydroxyvitamin d (not for 1-25
hydroxyvitamin d). If you’re below 40 ng/mL, then you’re likely deficient. Also,
test your parathyroid hormone (PTH), which you want to be lower than 30 pg/mL.
If it’s higher, then that’s confirmation that you’re deficient.

Common Dosage:
Dosage varies depending on how deficient you are. You will need to supplement
with anywhere between 1,000-10,000 IU of Vitamin D per day until you’re no
longer deficient.

Sources:

Thorne Research Vitamin D/K2 Liquid

4
6. Omega-3s
These fats create part of your cell membrane, and they allow your cell to more
easily get energy into and out of the cell.

How to Know if You Need It:

While it’s possible to test Omega-3 levels in your blood, because you’ll likely get
most Omega-3s from food, it’s easiest just to make sure that you’re eating some
Omega-3 rich foods every day (see below).

Common Dosage:
There is no defined dosage for Omega-3s.

Sources:
You can supplement, but it’s easiest and best just to eat a can or so per day of
small, fatty fish like these:

Wild Planet Sardines

Exogenous Ketones

General Thoughts:
Exogenous Ketone supplements are a burgeoning market, and there is good reason
to believe that these supplements will have many beneficial effects. However, you
must first ask what your personal goals are.

If you’re trying to lose weight, then these supplements may or may not make sense
for you. On one hand, they’re a form of energy, so they’re adding calories to
your diet. In general, that’s not what you want when you’re trying to lose weight.
On the other hand, some people find that exogenous ketones cause them to be
generally less hungry. If that’s the case for you, then that might aid in weight loss.

If you’re an athlete or someone looking for more mental or physical performance,

then these supplements might be able to provide you with an advantage. So far,
the advantage doesn’t look huge, but it definitely exists, and it’s something you’ll
need to test for yourself.

Also, these supplements are showing a lot of promise in research for treating

5
cancer, Alzheimer’s, and other illnesses. There is no conclusive result yet, but this
is something to keep an eye out for.

In general, ketone supplements tend to be most useful for mental clarity and
improved athletic performance.

Types of Exogenous Ketones:

There are - as of now - 2 types of exogenous ketones, although only one is
commercially available.

Ketone Salts are what you will see sold in stores and online. This is a ketone
attached to a salt like sodium, potassium, or magnesium.

Ketone Esthers will likely soon be available, and this is a ketone attached to an
alcohol.

There is a lot of debate over whether one form is better than the other, but it’s not
clear yet.

Quality:
We trust Patrick Arnold much more than most. His brands include KetoForce,
KetoCaNa, and KetoForce 2.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, WATCH THE VIDEO

This guide is a very condensed introduction to keto supplements - we go into a lot
more depth in the video, so please go and watch that.

We’ve also interviewed Patrick Arnold on keto supplements, and if you’re

interested in trying exogenous ketones, then you should definitely make sure
you watch our interview with Patrick Arnold during the Keto Summit (www.
KetoSummit.com)!