To Your Health: Electrolytes help body function properly

Electrolytes aren’t just a great way to hydrate and recover when we’ve been strenuously working or drinking alcohol — although they’re not a bad remedy to keep close if you plan to imbibe during upcoming holiday celebrations.

Electrolytes are essential nutrients that help us balance muscle and nerve function, maintain pH balance, repair damaged muscle, regulate heart rate, move waste products from cells and transmit messages between cells.

They’re typically found in bodily fluids like blood and sweat, and they’re composed of minerals with different functions that form electrically charged ions when dissolved in water. These include sodium, chloride, magnesium, potassium, calcium, phosphates and bicarbonates.

Sodium helps our bodies maintain their fluid and blood balance. It also transports nutrients into and out of cells and helps transmit nerve impulses throughout our bodies.

Chloride is crucial to our wellness. It promotes digestion, helps us maintain our pH balance and aids in moving oxygen and carbon dioxide throughout our bodies.

Magnesium also plays a critical role in our health. It helps regulate blood pressure, controls blood sugar levels and supports healthy immune and cardiac systems.

Potassium is a major player in important bodily processes, like maintaining bone and nervous system health and regulating kidney and heart function.

Your recommended daily intake of electrolytes should include 500 to 2,400 milligrams (mg) of sodium, 750 mg of chloride, 270 to 300 mg of magnesium and 2,000 to 2,500 mg of potassium. You can get most of the electrolytes you need through a healthy, balanced diet and you can consider electrolyte-rich foods if you need to enhance your intake to meet recommendations.

Plain, non-fat Greek yogurt contains about 173 mg of calcium, 220 mg of potassium, 212 mg of phosphorus and 56 mg of sodium in a 5.5-ounce container.

A flounder filet contains about 500 mg of sodium. If you pair your fish with green beans or broccoli for dinner, you’ll get an even bigger electrolyte boost.

One 3-ounce serving of turkey has 349 mg of potassium. It also gives you 1,200 mg of sodium, which is half the recommended daily intake, so you’ll want to balance that with lower-sodium foods throughout your day.

One avocado contains more than 700 mg of potassium and 43 mg of magnesium.

And let’s remember our liquids, which usually come to mind first when we think of electrolytes. Coconut water, milk and broth are rich in electrolytes. Electrolyte drinks can be helpful, but watch out for the high sugar content in many of those.

Any time our bodies lose a large amount of fluid from things like sweating, dehydration, vomiting and diarrhea or frequent urination, it can cause an electrolyte imbalance. Low electrolyte levels can lead to serious complications like irregular heartbeat or cardiac arrest. This is why replenishing losses from vomiting and diarrhea should include not just water but electrolytes.

Kids are particularly sensitive to these losses and solutions that taste good to them and have the right balance of electrolytes should be handy in all homes with young kids. Dehydration and electrolyte imbalances can happen with frightening speed in little ones.

Common symptoms of electrolyte imbalance include muscle cramps, dizziness, numbness and tingling and anxiety.

Don’t forget that electrolyte loss can happen gradually, throughout your day, so try to replenish them thorough your diet and beverages to avoid imbalance.If you’re not sure if you’re getting enough electrolytes, start a conversation with your doctor. They can measure the electrolyte levels in your bloodstream and recommend supplements if you need them.

Dr. Alfred Casale, a cardiothoracic surgeon, is chief medical officer for surgical services for Geisinger and chair of the Geisinger Heart and Vascular Institute. Readers may write to him via ae@timesleader.com.