Electrolytes are often associated with sports drinks for athletes, but did you know electrolytes play an important role in your pregnancy journey? Every cell in your body requires electrolytes to function. Getting enough electrolytes can give you energy and can even help with common pregnancy symptoms like leg cramps, swelling and morning sickness, or even complications like preeclampsia. Here’s what you need to know about them, and how you can get more of them.

What Are Electrolytes?

Electrolytes are essential minerals that carry an electric charge once dissolved in fluid. They are found in your blood, sweat and urine, and are required for your body to function optimally. The electrolytes in your body are sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and bicarbonate. Electrolytes have many functions. They keep your heart beating, maintain muscle contraction and nerve function, support your stress (adrenal) response, keep your cells hydrated, maintain fluid and pH balance, regulate blood pressure and are required for energy production and metabolism. Electrolytes are your body’s “spark plugs,” and a deficiency is associated with headaches, brain fog, low energy and cramps.

Why Are Electrolytes Especially Important During Pregnancy?

Electrolytes are especially important during pregnancy due to the increased demands and physiological changes that occur. Fluid volume (blood and amniotic fluid) increases by 50 percent to support the baby and placenta. Electrolytes are essential to ensure fluid absorption in cells, and support the increased blood volume and amniotic fluid. Electrolytes can help with swelling by supporting fluid balance and hydration of cells. Electrolytes are also important to regulate blood pressure, which can help lower your risk for complications like preeclampsia. Magnesium is known to help with nerve and muscle function, which can help prevent muscle and leg cramps. Magnesium also helps reduce stress, relieve constipation, improve sleep quality, balance blood sugars and may alleviate morning sickness. Electrolytes are key for energy production, which can help alleviate pregnancy fatigue and give you a boost of energy.

Electrolytes also help ensure that you are nourished in postpartum, where fluid needs increase to support breastfeeding and where healing and tissue repair is needed after delivery.

Which Foods Contain Electrolytes?

Electrolytes are minerals, which are inorganic compounds found in soil or water. Plants absorb minerals from the soil, which is how you get minerals through food. However, recent farming practices have depleted a lot of the minerals in soil, so food consumed today is not as mineral-rich. Nonetheless, many electrolytes are found in food. These include:

• Sodium: Found in dill pickles, table salt, sauerkraut, olives, milk, sea vegetables, cured meats
• Chloride: Found in table salt, sea vegetables, tomatoes, lettuce
• Potassium: Found in bananas, sweet potatoes, avocados, oranges, coconut milk, coconut water, dairy, cream of tartar, dried fruit
• Magnesium: Found in spinach, pumpkin seeds, nuts, almonds, cacao, whole grains, legumes (black beans)
• Phosphorous: Found in milk, yogurt, meat, poultry, fish, pumpkin seeds, tofu
• Calcium: Found in dairy products (milk, cheese), green leafy vegetables (kale, spinach), bone broth, tahini, fish with bones

What Exactly Are Electrolyte Drinks?

Electrolyte drinks are simply drinks that contain electrolytes. There are many ready-made powders that you can mix into water to make one. Some powders contain added sugar while others use sugar-free sweeteners like stevia, so it’s important to be aware of the ingredients. We have a list of trainer-approved electrolyte drinks here.

Alternatively, you can make your own electrolyte drink or “mineral mocktail” by mixing eight ounces of coconut water and 1/4-teaspoon of sea salt. You can add a squeeze of lemon or orange juice, which provides vitamin C and is referred to as an “adrenal cocktail.” Top it off with some sparkling water for a refreshing fizzy drink.

Many people can benefit from an added electrolyte drink to supplement their diet. If you drink a lot of water and notice that you pee out all the water that you drink, it likely means you need to add electrolytes. If you experience headaches, low energy or leg cramps, you may notice a difference if you add a daily electrolyte drink. Discuss specific recommendations with your dietitian or healthcare provider.

*This article was written and/or reviewed by an independent registered dietitian nutritionist.

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