How to Hydrate Your Brain, Boost Energy & End Brain Fog

Summary

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Episode Overview

Podcast: The Dr. Josh Axe Show
Episode Title: How to Hydrate Your Brain, Boost Energy & End Brain Fog
Release Date: August 18, 2025
Host: Dr. Josh Axe

In this information-packed episode, Dr. Josh Axe dives deep into the often misunderstood topic of hydration and why it’s about so much more than just drinking water. Dr. Axe explains the crucial role that electrolytes play in true hydration, how dehydration impacts the brain and body, and offers practical, actionable advice on optimizing your hydration to boost energy, improve cognition, and eliminate brain fog. He shares personal anecdotes, biblical and historical perspectives, the science behind hydration, and his top foods and tips for staying optimally hydrated.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Hydration: Beyond Water ([00:14])

• Hydration means more than water intake; it’s about water plus ELECTROLYTES.
• When dehydrated, the blood becomes more concentrated, cells shrink, and the body struggles to regulate temperature and detoxify.
• Stat: 75% of people today are dehydrated, impacting memory, focus, and overall health.
• The brain is approximately 75% water; mild dehydration can even shrink brain volume, impairing focus and memory ([01:36]).

2. Warning Signs & Symptoms of Dehydration ([02:36])

• Common signs: Headaches, muscle cramps (often potassium or magnesium deficiency), constipation, brain fog, low energy, weakness, irritability, low blood pressure, dizziness.
• Overhydration Risk: Excessive salt and water can also cause high blood pressure—balance is key.

3. Personal Story: The Daniel Fast ([[04:26] – [06:40]])

• Dr. Axe shares his experience of a 21-day Daniel fast (only fruits, vegetables, and nuts, with zero salt).
  • Resulted in significant weight loss, no enjoyment in food, weakness, lightheadedness, and moodiness.
  • “One of the things I noticed was nothing tasted good. ... When I was doing this fast, I will tell you, I felt weak, I felt lightheaded, I felt a little bit moody.” ([05:04])
• On reintroducing salt (specifically Celtic sea salt): “My energy and hydration improved drastically. I really noticed a difference and it made me realize one, it wasn't just food, ... the salt was one of the things that I was craving the most.” ([06:41])

4. The Sodium-Potassium Pump ([07:30])

• Sodium brings water and nutrients into cells; potassium helps flush them out.
• Imbalanced intake (e.g., too much sodium/not enough potassium) leads to water retention, inflammation, and poor hydration.

5. Top 10 Causes of Chronic Dehydration ([10:13] – [18:35])

Dr. Axe lists and explains the most common reasons people are chronically dehydrated:

1. Drinking water without adequate electrolytes.
2. High caffeine and alcohol use—both are dehydrating ([11:10]).
3. Low salt intake, especially when cutting out processed foods but not adding quality salt back in.
4. Sweat loss from activity or heat.
   • “You can lose up to 1.5 liters of fluid per hour of exercise in the heat.” ([12:25])
   • Potentially deadly: Hyponatremia from only drinking water during endurance activities ([13:34]).
5. Modern indoor lifestyles—dry air from heating or AC increases water loss through skin/breath.
6. Not eating enough hydrating foods—processed diets lack water and electrolytes.
7. High stress levels—raises cortisol and fluid loss, alters kidney function.
8. Illness—fever/vomiting/diarrhea cause rapid fluid/electrolyte loss.
   • “Dehydration from diarrhea is actually a leading cause of death of children worldwide.” ([16:32])
9. Not drinking enough water.
10. Older age—thirst mechanism declines, dehydration is the leading cause of hospitalization for those over 65.

6. Electrolytes Explained ([19:55])

• Electrolytes = minerals with electrical charge: sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, chloride, phosphate.
• “Water needs these minerals to get inside your cells. Without these electrolytes, water cannot get inside your cells.” ([20:14])
• Potassium: Second most abundant electrolyte, yet 98% of Americans are deficient due to low fruit/vegetable intake and high sodium consumption.

7. Dr. Axe’s Top Electrolyte Sources ([21:40])

Sodium

• Sea salt (Celtic, red, pink), olives, miso, fermented foods (pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi), celery, and bone broth.

Potassium

• Watermelon (“my favorite hydrating food”), coconut water, potatoes (particularly sweet), bananas, avocados.

Magnesium

• Leafy greens (especially spinach), pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate.

Calcium

• Sardines, sesame/tahini, yogurt, kale, spinach.

8. The Hydration Power of Foods ([23:00])

• Up to 20% of daily water intake is from foods (fruits/vegetables).

• Top Hydrating Foods:

  • Watermelon (92% water, plus potassium, lycopene, Vitamin C)
  • Cucumbers, lettuce, celery (95%-96% water)
  • Strawberries, oranges (91%)
  • Zucchini, tomatoes (94%)
  • Coconut water (very high potassium, magnesium)
  • Sweet potatoes, avocados, bone broth

• DIY Electrolyte Drink Recipe ([36:40]):

  • 8 oz water, juice of 1 lemon, 2 tsp local honey, 1/4 tsp gray Celtic sea salt.

9. Balancing Sodium: Not Too Much, Not Too Little ([27:35])

• Cites a 2023 study: sodium restrictions below 2.5 grams/day may increase risk for heart failure in older adults.
• “Balance is key. … For people with heart failure, restricting dietary sodium intake to levels below the standard recommended maximum dose of 2.3 grams per day does not bring additional benefits and may increase the risk of death.” ([28:12])
• Historical fun fact: “Salary” comes from "salarium," or salt money—salt was once so valuable Roman soldiers were paid with it. ([29:22])

10. How Much Salt Do You Need? ([31:52])

• Sedentary: 1,500–2,300 mg/day (about two-thirds to one teaspoon)
• Light activity: 1–1.5 tsp/day
• Active & sweating: 1.5–2 tsp/day
• High heat & heavy sweating: 2–4 tsp/day (4,000–6,000 mg)
• Fast food easily exceeds these—best to use a high-quality sea salt, not table salt

11. Electrolyte Pack Warning & Recommendations ([33:14])

• Most commercial electrolyte powders (especially those with a 5:1 sodium:potassium ratio) are too high in synthetic sodium, not whole-food based.
  • “Most of the electrolyte powders you're taking today have artificial sweeteners, they have dyes, they have fillers, they have this high synthetic amounts of sodium. That's not what you want.” ([34:47])
• If you’re not an endurance athlete, use a 2:1 or 1:1 sodium:potassium ratio (he prefers 1:1).
• Look for powders with natural sources: celery juice, watermelon juice, coconut water, pomegranate, natural sea salts.

12. Homemade Electrolyte Drinks ([36:40])

• Water + lemon + honey + Celtic sea salt
• Coconut water + a pinch of sea salt
• Watermelon juice + a pinch of sea salt
• Avoid refined table salt (bleached, stripped of minerals)—use sea salt or Himalayan salt instead.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Insights

• “75% of people today are dehydrated. ... Even a 1 to 2% dehydration can impair your memory and focus.” ([01:36])
• “When I was doing this fast, I will tell you, I felt weak, I felt lightheaded, I felt a little bit moody.” — Dr. Josh Axe ([05:04])
• “Sodium brings water and fluid and nutrients … into the cell and potassium flushes things out of your cell. It's kind of like this sodium-potassium pump. One pumps it in, one pumps it out.” ([07:30])
• “Drinking too much water during endurance activities ... can also dilute the sodium content in your blood. … There are cases of people … who died. This condition is called hyponatremia … it can actually kill you.” ([13:34])
• “Potassium is the one we're most deficient in. ... When you consume these electrolytes, they really should be consumed together because they work together to support the functioning of your body.” ([20:47])
• “It’s all about balance. You want sodium, you want potassium, you want water, you want them in the right doses.” ([26:52])
• “Salary literally means salt money … because it's that valuable.” ([29:23])
• On hydration basics: “Hydration isn’t just about drinking water all day long, especially if you’re not thirsty or not very active. It’s about H2O plus electrolytes. You need both.” ([38:07])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-------------|----------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:14 | Why hydration is misunderstood; importance of electrolytes | | 01:36 | Dehydration’s impact on brain health and function | | 02:36 | Warning signs and symptoms of dehydration | | 04:26–06:40 | Dr. Axe’s personal story about salt deficiency during fasting | | 07:30 | Sodium-potassium pump explanation | | 10:13–18:35 | Top 10 causes of chronic dehydration | | 19:55 | What are electrolytes and why they matter | | 21:40 | Dr. Axe’s top food sources for key electrolytes | | 23:00 | Top 10 hydrating foods | | 27:35 | The importance of sodium balance and recent sodium research | | 29:22 | The historical value of salt and origin of “salary” | | 31:52 | Recommended daily salt needs by activity level | | 33:14 | Electrolyte powder ratios & key advice | | 36:40 | Homemade electrolyte drink recipes & tips | | 38:07 | Hydration recap: importance of water plus electrolytes |

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Tone & Style

Dr. Axe combines practical health science with biblical and historical references, delivering advice with a conversational, motivational, and holistic tone. He emphasizes a nuanced, natural, and individualized approach rather than one-size-fits-all recommendations.

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Takeaway Summary

• Hydration is more than water—it’s H₂O plus a balance of electrolytes, especially sodium and potassium.
• Dehydration is widespread, and its impact reaches from headaches and constipation to impaired cognition and chronic diseases.
• Natural, whole-food sources of electrolytes—fruits, vegetables, bone broth, sea salt—are far superior to processed sports drinks or table salt.
• Strike a balance; both over- and underconsumption of salt can be harmful.
• Make your own electrolyte drinks, focus on variety, and adjust your intake to your level of activity and environment.
• Listen to your body, and remember: staying hydrated supports not just physical health but mental sharpness, mood, and overall vitality.

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For More…

Check out Dr. Axe’s book The Biblio Diet for further insights on hydration, salt, and biblical principles of health, or visit his website for natural health resources.

Transcript

[A]

You say you'll never join the Navy, never climb Mount Fuji on a port visit, or break the sound barrier. Joining the Navy sounds crazy. Saying never actually is. Learn [e-mail] America's Navy forged by the.

[B]

Sea if you think hydration is just about drinking water, then think again. In this episode, I'll break down everything you need to know. And it's misunderstood in the world of hydration, including why electrolytes matter just as much as water. Also, those electrolyte packs that many of using, many of them are toxic and unhealthy for your body. I'll also be going through how salt is treasured for healing and for its healing properties. And that perfect ratio you need of sodium and potassium, magnesium and calcium in order to heal, in order to be hydrated, have energy and experience a health breakthrough. Also, you'll learn how to assess your own hydration needs and hear my personal story about what happened when I tried to go without Salt during a 21 day fast. Welcome to the Dr. Josh Axe Show. This episode is brought to you by Celtic Sea Salt. Their salts are one of the highest in the world in terms of mineral content and contains over 80 trace minerals and elements needed by the body for hydration, recovery and cognition. And they have a really unique type of salt that has gray clay where it's mined from. It actually gives it a gray coloring. And we know clay has numerous minerals that can also support detoxification, which is so important you can hit the link in the description and use the promo code AXE10 at checkout to save 10% on any of their incredible products. Now, here's what you need to know about hydration. Hydration means water is available in, inside and outside of your cells. And it's not just about your water intake. It's about H2O plus electrolytes. And when you're dehydrated, your blood becomes more concentrated and your cells shrink. So imagine kind of like when you're in the water too long and you start to get those, you know, kind of prunes on youryour fingers start to look like prunes. Basically your cells also become dehydrated and they shrink and your body can't regulate your temperature or deliver N or detoxify properly when you're dehydrated. And listen to this stat. 75% of people today are dehydrated. 75. So three out of every four of you is walking around dehydrated. So you're not bringing nutrients into your cell as well. You're not detoxifying as well. You can't regulate your body temperature as well. Maybe you're too hot all the time or too cold all the time. These are some of the side effects of dehydration. And even a 1 to 2% dehydration can impair your memory and focus. Now here's another thing to note. 75% of your body is made up of water. Your brain is around 75% water as well, along with cholesterol and fats and some other things there. But generally your body is predominantly water. And dehydration actually shrinks your brain on MRI scans. Even mild dehydration reduces brain volume, which then impacts your focus and your short term memory. Now here are some of the biggest warning signs that you are chronically dehydrated. Number one are headaches. If you get headaches, if you're one have a headache at all or two on a regular basis, it can mean you're dehydrated. Think about it. If you've ever had a hangover, you drank too much alcohol or drank too much sugar, in the evening, you start to get that headache. Almost all of those symptoms are due to dehydration of headaches. Number two, muscle cramps that can be potassium most commonly. After that, magnesium is common. But muscle cramping constipation is a warning sign. Your body is chronically dehydrated. Brain fog, fatigue and low energy, weakness, irritability, also low blood pressure or dizziness. By the way, I also want to mention even high blood pressure is a form of over hydration. So that's the thing where if your body gets too much salt and holds too much water, that actually will have some side effects as well. So you don't actually want to be over hydrated either. You want to find that perfect balance. This is a few years ago I did a 21 day fast. In fact a few years ago, this is about 12, 13 years ago, I did a 21 day Daniel fast. And the only thing I ate was vegetables, fruits and nuts, okay for 21 days and I had zero salt.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

Now looking back, I don't think it was the right way to do the Daniel fast. I would have done it differently but. And again the reason I did it is I wanted to honor God with my body. I wanted to live and model the prophet Daniel in the Bible. And again I just wanted to honor God with my body and I wanted to see what it was like to and I was feeling led to do it spiritually and I ended up or some sort of fast and so I ended up doing a really long fast. By the way, I lost £20. £20 I really didn't need to lose. And I put it back on over the course of the next month. It didn't take me too long, but overall lost a lot of weight. But I want to say this, I had no salt. And one of the things I noticed was nothing tasted good. I mean, have you ever tried to eat just a almond or vegetables with no salt? It's not very good versus if you add salt to it. I mean it really enhances all flavors. Flavors. And when I was doing this fast, I will tell you, I felt weak, I felt lightheaded, I felt a little bit moody. I also felt though during the fast, you know, I experienced spiritual breakthrough, a deeper. Really the thing I feel like I noticed the most was a dependency on God. Like because I didn't have this sustenance of the food, I felt like I had to have a greater dependency on God. By the way, this Daniel fast, I also did intermittent fasting with it. So I only ate during about a four to eight hour window. Didn't eat breakfast. And so this was a really serious 21 day fast. And I think there were some benefits. But going back, I wouldn't do it with no salt.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

I do think that salt has or I would have been more conscious of the foods I ate. Probably doing more celery and some things that have some natural salt and potassium to make sure I was hydrated. But again, I had major, these major symptoms just sort of going on because I was dehydrated. Now once I reintroduced a quality salt specifically, actually at the time I was using two types of salt, mostly Celtic sea salt. I did a little bit of this pink cave salt as well. But when I started doing this salt again, my energy and hydration improved drastically. I mean, I really noticed a difference and it made me realize one, it wasn't just food, because I was eating food. The salt was one of the things that I was craving the most when I was doing this Daniel fast. And so if you are having any of the symptoms we talked about, you really need to make sure that you're getting plenty of sodium. It could be salt, but even more so that you're getting the right electrolytes because too much sodium without not enough potassium leads to high blood pressure, it leads to swelling, it leads to inflammation. And here's how this works. Sodium brings water and fluid and nutrients. It brings things into the cell and potassium flushes things out of your cell. It's Kind of like this sodium potassium pump. One pumps it in, one pumps it out. If you're just doing lots of sodium all the time with no potassium, you end up having again, you'll just hold water weight, okay? And you'll feel lethargic, not well, you'll feel somewhat inflamed. If you only do too much potassium, it actually does lead to some dehydration, okay? Because your body's flushing water out all the time. You have to have both of those, the two most important, along with the other electrolytes, to support cellular function for you to be truly hydrated. According to studies, as I mentioned earlier, 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. And that's according to actually a study out of the Institute of Medicine. And most people don't even realize that they're dehydrated, okay? And dehyd is common, not because people don't drink water.

[C]

Okay?

[B]

Now one, people don't drink enough water, okay? And people think that when they're drinking coffee and soda, they count. That. I mean, there are some people. I've had patients when I'm like, what did you drink today? That's like, well, I woke up and had a coffee, and then I had another coffee, and then I might have had a soda, and then I had another coffee and maybe I had a glass of water, maybe even two, okay? Coffee and soda, those are dehydrating. Caffeine causes you to excrete more water. Sugar causes you to get rid of more water. So those are actually dehydrating. So so many people are not getting enough water. But just as much as that, people are not getting enough electrolytes. And you predominantly get electrolytes from fruits, vegetables, bone broth. That's where you're getting those. And then the very, very high quality salt, like pink salt or Celtic sea salt, okay? Those sort of salts from the salt and from the earth are really hydrating, and we need those. So I'm going to walk you through the 10 main reasons why people are chronically dehydrated, okay? And then I'm going to dive into the top sources of electrolytes in the top 10 most hydrating foods list. And I'm wondering if you can guess what those top 10 or at least the top couple in ranking order. I'll dive into those, though.

[C]

Okay?

[B]

Number one reason why people are chronically dehydrated is they're drinking water without getting enough electrolytes in their diet. Okay? Listen, there are a lot of benefits of drinking water and we need to do that. But again, if you're not eating fruits, if you're not eating vegetables, if you're not eating bonedrinking bone broth and some of these other sources, or using salt, not iodized, but actual, like sea salt on your food, you're going to be dehydrated. That's the number one reason why most people are chronically dehydrated is drinking water without getting enough electrolytes in their diet. And I'll share more on that in just a minute. Number two, high caffeine and alcohol intake. Now, alcohol is the most dehydrating of any drink you could drink. Okay, Alcohol is number one, followed by coffee and energy drinks in certain types of tea, like a dandelion tea, that's also very dehydrating. Certain herbs cause you to excrete fluids, which can be good, but not if you're not hydrating along with it. And people who drink several caffeinated or alcoholic beverages a day can lose more water than they're taking it very, very easily. Okay, number three. Number three reason why people are chronically dehydrated is just low salt eating a diet where you're not getting quality salt. Ironically, people eating CLE often cut out processed foods, but they're not replacing the salt in their diet. And so sodium helps the body retain water, helps your body regulate blood pressure, support nerve function, and a low salt diet plus sweating equals fat hydration. Listen, you can go pretty low salt if you're not sweating at all and if you're in just a completely comfortable environment. But if you're sweating at all, or you're in the heat or in the cold, your body actually uses up more electrolytes. So you need more of them. Number four reason why people are chronically dehydrated is sweat loss from activity or heat sweating, such as from exercise, infrared saunas, hot weather, or manual labor, increases fluid and electrolyte loss through sweat. Listen, you can lose up to 1.5 liters of fluid per hour of exercise in the heat. Think about that. 1.5 fluid, 1.5 liters. I mean, that's how much water. Think about like the big. Remember the 2 liter sort of things of like, of soda. That's about how much you can lose in an hour and a half. Okay, so we're talking about a lot there. And so, and you need to make sure you replace at least that amount. Here's another thing I want to mention that might surprise you. Sweat isn't just water. You lose roughly 400 to 1200 milligrams of sodium per liter of sweat, depending on how salty your sweat is and how hard you're exercising. According to the Mayo Clinic. Because you lose sodium through sweat, drinking too much water during endurance activities such as marathons and triathlons can also dilute the sodium content in your blood. Do you know there are cases of people who went out and did marathons or triathlons and they only drank water and they died. And this condition is actually called hyponatremia. Natremia is for sodium where you don't have enough and it can actually kill you. So you really want to make sure you're properly hydrated and think about that. Losing 1,000 milligrams of sodium per liter of sweat.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

I used to be on a triathlon team back in college, and then all throughout my 20s, really 19 through through 29 for 10 years, I competed in a lot of triathlons. I did a couple half ironman triathlons and trained a lot. And looking back, the thing I didn't know at the time that actually hurt me the most was I didn't consume enough sodium. I was a really profuse sweater. And in working out in Kentucky and Tennessee and Florida, where I was living at the time, it was a very hot environment, very humid environment, and I was sweating a lot. And I would always get cramping in my quads and my calves. And I didn't realize it at the time, but I was not getting enough sodium, not even close. And so I would cramp at the end of races. And if I knew what I knew now, I probably would have raced a lot better. Not cramped at the end, but again, you lose a lot more than you think if you're sweating profusely. All right, number five, modern indoor lifestyles. Did you know that dry indoor air from air conditionings or heating systems increases water loss through your skin and breath, especially in colder or overly air conditioned environments. This is why you might wake up thirsty or with a dry mouth in the middle of the night, or dry skin. Even without sweating, you can lose moisture just by breathing and being in a dry environment. This happens in the winter, so some people get chronically dehydrated in the winter because of the air conditioning. And the dry air together or the heat as well can cause it. Number six, reason why people are chronically dehydrated. Not eating enough hydrating foods. The average American diet is made up of ultra processed foods with very little water content and electrolytes, but whole foods, especially fruits and vegetables and Bone broth can contain up to 90 to 95% water, helping meet daily hydration needs. So again, if you want to stay hydrated, lots of fruits, lots of vegetables, lots of things like bone broth that are high in these electrolyte minerals. Number seven, high stress levels. Stress activates your sympathetic nerve system, putting you in a fight or fight response, which raises stress hormones like cortisol, increasing your heart rate, your respiration and your perspiration, leading to fluid loss. Stress hormones also affect your kidney function, altering how your body retains and secretes fluids and electrolytes. So stress causes you to lose more water and electrolytes. Number eight reason people are chronically dehydrated is illness. Fever, vomiting, diarrhea, any type of flu, all cause rapid fluid loss and electrolyte depletion. A fever alone can cause an additional 200 to 500 milliliters of water loss per day due to high body temperatures and increased fluid demands. And a single episode of diarrhea can result in a loss of 3 plus grams of sodium, which is more than a full teaspoon of Salt. That's around 2,300 milligrams of sodium from diarrhea and then vomiting as well. So dehydration from diarrhea is actually a leading cause of death of children worldwide, mostly in third world countries. But dehydration in children is a, is a major risk factor for kids. You know, I remember my wife Chelsea, she was, she got the flu while pregnant. This was, oh, a few years ago. And I had somebody come to the house and get her an iv because of course we were concerned for her, concerned for the baby. Baby's fine and healthy and well. But this is our daughter Aylin, which has actually happened with Arwen as well. And so I took it seriously. I did everything I could to make sure she was very, very hydrated when she got the flu. And that's something we try and do. You know, there's all of these great IV places you can go and get an IV if you're losing fluids, or again, if somebody's really sick, have them come to your home, they have these mobile IVs and it's a great idea if somebody is sick and they're throwing up or have diarrhea, making sure that they stay very, very hydrated. But again, that's the fastest way to become dehydrated outside of exercising in major heat for hours without drinking properly is via diarrhea and vomiting with typically different types of illnesses. Number nine reason why people are chronically dehydrated is not drinking enough water. I mean, again, electrolytes are important, but you do need to drink enough water, as I mentioned earlier, coffee and more coffee and energy drinks and alcohol, those don't count.

[C]

Okay?

[B]

Those make you. Those require you to drink more water. So drinking more clean water and making sure it's clean water, reverse osmosis, spring water, high quality filtered water is important as well. And a lot of people ignore early signs of thirst. Okay, if you're feeling lethargic, if you are sometimes even having hunger and cravings is due to dehydration. And then you just go and eat more food and sometimes don't eat the right food. And that's not helping either. So again, if you're tired, if you're thirsty, if you feel lethargic, if you're feeling dry at all, you need to be drinking more water. Plus, electrolytes number 10, older age. This is the reason why people are chronically dehydrated. In older adults, the thirst mechanism declines. This makes dehydration a leading cause of hospitalization for people over 65. Did you hear that? The leading cause, the number one cause of people being hospitalized over 65 years of age is dehydration. Adults 60 and older are at greater risk for dehydration for reasons including natural drops in thirst levels and higher intake of diarrhe diuretics, especially medications that can cause fluid loss. Now, when it comes to electrolytes, I've talked about a couple of them that are very important, but I want to cover all of them. When it comes to being hydrated, you need electrolytes, which, by the way, are minerals that carry an electrical charge. That's why they're called electro, electro lights. They carry an electrical charge, they carry a type of energy, and they include sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium chloride and phosphate. And water needs these minerals to get inside your cells. And without these electrolytes, water cannot get inside your cells. So you'll just pee it out and your cells won't have what it needs to function properly. Now, here are a few other reasons why your body really needs electrolytes. Okay, we talked about cellular health. Also regulating nerve impulses. So messages from your brain to your organs, muscle function. This is why you can get cramping if you're low PH levels and cellular hydration.

[C]

Okay?

[B]

Potassium is the second most abundant electrolyte in your body. And about 98% of Americans don't get enough. Think about that. 98% of Americans don't get enough potassium, mostly due to Low fruit and vegetable intake, plus they consume too much sodium, which causes them to. Which imbalances that potassium ratio. So it's important to know that of all the electrolytes you're deficient in, potassium is the one we're most efficient in. But when you consume these electrolytes, they really should be consumed together because they work together to support the functioning of your body. And it's important to note that when you're taking sodium or salt, that it's not just sodium, that that sodium is balanced out with potassium and the other minerals. Now I want to walk you through my top sources of electrolytes in each of these categories.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

If you need more sodium, but a sodium that's balanced with many other minerals, here are some good options. Number one is sea salt. Again, like Celtic sea salt and other forms of sea salt and red salt, but you want to do sea salt in addition to that. Olives, miso, fermented and pickled foods like pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, these are great sources of sodium for you.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

And even certain vegetables. Actually celery has a good amount of sodium. Okay. So celery is also great. Number two, potassium. The best potassium rich foods are going to be. Number one, watermelon. Watermelon is like my favorite hydrating food. It's absolutely incredible. After that, coconut water, potatoes, specifically sweet potatoes, bananas and avocados are great options. Number three, magnesium green leafy vegetables, especially spinach, that's steamed pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate. And then from calcium, sardines, sesame, tahini, yogurt, leafy greens as well, like spinach and kale are good options. These are some very, very electrolyte supporting foods. And I would also mention under sodium, I would add bone broth in there. Doing a good quality bone broth is a great option. But overall, again, I think for most people, you want to focus on getting all of these different types of foods to your body's hydration. It's interesting how God created the earth and how he put certain foods in certain areas of the world that allow people to stay more hydrated. Think about this. If you go to the Caribbean islands, which my wife and I lived in Puerto Rico for a short time. I've spent a lot of time in Florida. My wife and I did our honeymoon in St. Lucia. We've been to Grand Cayman Islands. We've been to a lot of places in Caribbean. You know, the fruits that grow there the most are tropical fruits. It's pineapple, it's coconut, it's watermelon. It's mango, bananas, right? These grow in these tropical climates. What do all of those fruits have in common? They're all very, very high in potassium. You know what else, too? All of those islands are by the sea. You have natural sea salt washing up on the shores. It's in things like seaweed, it's on the fish they eat. So they've got the, you know, now in those environments, there's more sun, there's more sweating, there's more humidity, there's more time outside. And God put very specific foods that are high in potassium. And you have this great source of the ocean, of all of this salt that they're even breathing in on a regular basis. That creates a more hydrating environment. If they're living in tune with nature, what grows from the earth being around the ocean. And so it's pretty incredible when you think about that, that those fruits tend to be the highest in potassium that are right there in areas like the Caribbean, and they grow in those warmer, more tropical environments. I just wanted to mention that I just think it's pretty incredible how these different environments really are tailored towards supporting our own unique genetics and epigenetics. Now, I want to walk you through my top 10 most hydrating foods list. And it's important to note that up to 20% of your daily water intake comes from food, including fruits and vegetables. And fruits and vegetables have a high water content, plus many minerals such as potassium and magnesium. And here are the top hydrating foods. Number one, my favorite, watermelon. It contains 92% water plus lycopene, vitamin C and loads of potassium. Cucumbers are 95% water. Water lettuce is 96% water. Celery is 95% water plus sodium and potassium. Strawberries and oranges are 91% water. Zucchini is 94% water. Tomatoes are 94% water. And again, all these also have electrolytes. Coconut water is even higher than that. It's very, very high. This contains electrolytes like potassium and magnesium. Now, it doesn't have a lot of sodium them as a lot of these don't. And so if you need to be create your own natural sports drink, you could take coconut water or watermelon water and add just a quarter teaspoon of a salt in there, like a Celtic sea salt or a thin fine salt of some sort. Here's another one. Sweet potatoes loaded with potassium and electrolytes. Avocados are one of the richest sources of potassium and magnesium. And then bone broth. Bone broth Also is excellent, has some naturally occurring potassium and some sodium there as well. It's like a mineral, you know, like a mineral fluid there. When we're talking about bone broth. So Those are the 10 most hydrating foods you can be eating on a regular basis. And again, it's all fruits, vegetables, and bone broth. So you want to eat as many of these hydrating foods as possible to support hydration. Now, I want to mention in addition, that some of those foods on that list, like watermelon and coconut, bananas, a lot of those fruits, they're also very cooling. So think about this as well. Potassium tends to. To electrolyte, tends to be a little bit more cooling to your body or can be. And so in the middle of winter, you don't want to eat a lot of these foods or you want to eat them warm. For instance, you don't want to do a lot of coconut water and watermelon in the winter. Or if you have IBSD or your body is cold, has a cold body temperature hypothyroidism, because they'll bring your body temperature down or you need to eat them with other things. For instance, celery is great. And if you warm it up and eat it as part of a soup, like a chicken vegetable soup, and there's celery in there, then it's absolutely fine doing that way. Or add ginger to it. You know, ginger can be warming to kind of combat some of that cooling for some people there. In terms of also balancing out that body temperature, I want to talk about keeping sodium levels balanced. I mean, there's a lot of. Here's the whole thing. It all comes down to balance. You want sodium, you want potassium, you want water, you want them in the right doses. And I've seen this happen, by the way. There's a study published on this. It was a 2023 review that found that too little sodium can increase the risk of heart failure in older adults and those with high activity levels. So again, balance is key. Here's what the study said. This is from the American College of Cardiology says for people with heart failure, restricting dietary sodium intake to levels below the standard recommended maximum dose of 2.3 grams per day does not bring additional benefits and may increase the risk of death.

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Death.

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Researchers have found that patients following a diet with sodium intake target below 2.5 grams per day were 80% more likely to die than those with a diet that was on target with about 2.5 grams or more per day. So as that study states, and you know The Bible talks about this with something like, honey, eat it, just not too much, right? Use some sea salt, just not too much, right? So you want to use. And by the way, I've seen on social media influencers saying, you know, use, use table teaspoon after teaspoon after teaspoon. That's going to be too much, likely. Okay, you want to find the balance there. Now again, if you're a crossfitter and you're working out outside, or you're a marathon runner, or you're an endurance athlete like a triathlete, and you're sweating a lot outside, you're going to need a lot of sodium, okay? But that's not most of us. So you want to find that balance. Now, I want to say this. Salt is so important for your health that on a historical note, salt was once so valuable that Roman soldiers were PA in it. That's where the word salary comes from. Did you know that salary comes from the Latin word salarium, which means salt money?

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Okay?

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So salt was so valuable that actually it was used financially. Like imagine you have a big bag of gold, right? Or a big bag of coins. Well, what was just as valuable in those days is a big bag of salt, okay? And so salary literally means salt money, okay? Because it's that valuable. You know, one of my best friends and my co author of the Biblio Diet, the book that's all about the healing secrets of the Bible. You know, Jordan Rubin and I discuss in a book we wrote called the Biblio Diet. You can see it right there. This is a new book we wrote and we talk about salt in there. I mean, the Bible is constantly using references like we are the salt of the earth and if the salt loses its saltiness, right? Salt was used in those times for preservation. It was used for money, it was used for bringing out flavor, it was used for health, and it had great value. Salt was even used as medicine for wounds and other things. And so salt is very, very important in the Bible. It's referenced many times. And one of the things we get into in our book, the Biblio Diet, we talk about how to use salt. We talk about salt in the Bible along with honey, we talk about red meat, we talk about bread, we talk about how to eat a biblical diet in order to heal essential oils, herbals and all those things. And so it's been incredibly popular. And so if you want to check it out, the book's called the Biblio Diet. You can go to Amazon.com and order the book today. But again, we really dive into in that book the healing benefits of salt and water. Jesus and a lot of the prophets in the Bible and what God says about salt as well. And I'll put a link here in the description where if you want to pre order now or if you're watching this later, you can order today. The book, we're just getting rave reviews from people. I gave it to Kirk Cameron here recently. He just texted me. He loved it. Craig Groeschel, I'm going on Joyce Meyers tomorrow and going to share some of this with her as well. So they all love the book. I hope you will, too. So here's the thing to note. As I talked about, when you're using sodium, use a little bit. Again, just think about this. You sprinkle it on, okay? You're just using a few dashes here and there. And if you're doing that with lunch and dinner, for the most part, you're.

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Going to be good.

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Now, if you're exercising strenuously and you're sweating or you're in a hot environment, you do need some extra. And I want to walk you through sort of the amount of salt you lose per day or you need per day based on activity level and also the ratio if you're using those electrolyte packs.

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Okay?

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So sodium needs based on activity level. If you're sedentary and you're not moving a lot, you need around 1500-2300 milligrams of sodium per day, which is about two thirds to one teaspoon of salt. Now, a lot of that you might already have in the food you're eating.

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Okay.

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If you're eating fast food, you're getting all that in one serving.

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Okay.

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And more so. But again, if you're sedentary and you're not exercising, you only need about a teaspoon a day total of salt for most people.

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Okay.

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If you're lightly active, let's say you go to the gym for 30 minutes and you're not sweating much. Maybe you're just walking on the treadmill, doing some light weights, something like that, you need about one to one and a half teaspoons of salt a day. If you're active and sweating, okay, your workouts, you're sweating, you're jogging, you're working out pretty good. You need to do about one and a half to two teaspoons a day.

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Okay.

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Sometimes a little bit more, but probably one and a half to two teaspoons. And if you're in a high heat environment and you're sweating a lot and you're exercising, you're doing an infrared sauna and sweating a lot. You are again working out outside. You need typically two to four teaspoons of salt a day. Around 4,000 to 600 milligrams of salt per day. In high heat environments with active sweating.

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Okay?

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That's typically what you need. Now if you ever buy those electrolyte packs, by the way, I want to mention those as well. Some of them are not ideal. The most popular brand, it has like four letters in it. It's a 5 to 1 ratio. The sodium is synthetic by the way. It's not a whole food based natural sodium from a natural source. And it's not something I recommend. Now if you have no other option and you're taking the lm, you know, you're taking thatthat electrolyte powder. You should only take take a ratio of a 5 to 1. If you are sweating profusely buckets, okay? But I don't recommend that electrolyte drink. It's probably the most popular brand or many of the most popular brands. They're very high ratios of like 5 sodium to 1 potassium. Remember what I said earlier, 98% of people are potassium deficient. And if you're consuming too much sodium, then that's gonna cause an imbalance as well. You're gonna hold water and not feel as well. So here's what I would say. You could do a 5 to 1 ratio, one of those really high dose packs if you are training for marathons or triathlons or doing two hour, three hour crossfits a day, or you're outside and you're just sweating a lot.

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Okay?

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If that's not you, you're probably better off with a 2 to 1 or a 1 to 1 ratio of sodium.

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Okay?

[B]

What I personally take most of the time is a one to one ratio. Now in my hard days, I might just add some more CS salt onto my food.

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Okay?

[B]

But I do a one to one packet because when I work out, I sweat some. But I'm not typically sweating profusely except for maybe one day a week.

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Okay.

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And with that I just take my one electrolyte pack which is a one to one ratio. And by the way, the electrolyte that I take, it has celery juice in it, it has watermelon juice, it has coconut water, it has pomegranate, it has all of these naturally occurring electrolytes and even Celtic, it has like these natural sea salts in it and it's all natural, it's all food based. Most of the electrolyte powders you're taking today have artificial sweeteners, they have dyes, they have fillers, they have this high synthetic amounts of sodium. That's not what you want. So look for a food based electrolyte powder if you're going to take one. Now, if you are sedentary and you are not exercising really at all, or you're just doing some walking, okay, but you're not sweating at all during the day. You might even want to do less than a one to one. You might want to do something closer to a more potassium actually in an electrolyte powder. So there are many different brands out there. I'm not promoting any one brand at all, just going through the ones with different ratios. I personally do a one to one the most. It's what I recommend the most to people. But there are some brands that are higher sodium intake that again I just don't recommend. And they're not as natural either. So you want to look for one that has a lot, lot of potassium, a lot of magnesium as well. And it's around that 1 to 1 or 2:1 ratio or in either direction for most people. And then just add a little bit like, you know, add a little bit, sprinkle a little bit of sea salt onto your food on a regular basis. Now one other thing I like to do if you don't use those electrolyte packs is to make your own electrolyte drink at home. Here's a couple recipe options. Take one glass of water, about 8 ounces of water, squeeze one lemon, put in about 2 teaspoons of local honey and then add in about a fourth of a teaspoon of gray Celtic sea salt.

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Okay?

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That is a natural electrolyte drink I love. Now you can do this in a very similar way as well with just coconut water and adding in a little bit of sea salt. Or one of my favorites, I love doing, doing watermelon or watermelon juice. You can actually buy that in a bottle and adding about an eighth of a teaspoon of Celtic sea salt in there as well and drinking it like that. But watermelon, coconut water, just water with honey, adding some Celtic sea salt in there, something like that. That's a great way to make an electrolyte drink at home. And it's important to note, as I mentioned, you want to stay away from table salt. Table salt is refined, it's bleached, it's stripped of minerals, they add an anti Caking agent, sometimes even sugar. They add an I. You don't want those in your table salt.

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Okay?

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You want to buy either a pink salt, like a Himalayan or a cave salt, or my favorite salt, a sea salt. And the brand that I've used the most is a Celtic sea salt. But generally you need a high quality sea salt that's harvested from seawater, from seaweed, that's. And did you know that most of these types of salt, especially those high quality sea salts, some of them have upward of 80 different minerals in them. So they don't just have sodium or potassium. They also have magnesium and calcium and some of them have silver in them. I mean, loads and loads of these beneficial compounds in them. So over 80 trace minerals.

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Okay?

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And again, the ones I just personally that I've used the most over the years is a Celtic sea salt and a red salt. Those are the ones I've personally used the most over the years for the past. And I can say I've been using those salts since I was 23. Said I'm 43, so 20 years now, I've been using these salts and all the research I've done, they're some of the absolute best. And remember, if you do want to buy some high quality salt, you can buy the brand that I personally use, it's Celtic sea salt. And you can check out their products at the link in the description and use the code AXE10 for a special discount only for my listeners. So remember this hydration isn't just about drinking water all day long, especially if you're not thirsty or not very active. It's about H2O. It's about water plus electrolytes. You need both. And you also need that right sodium to potassium ratio. You're going to get a lot of this from both drinking good water, getting a lot of vegetables, getting some fruit, drinking some bone broth, okay? Doing those things and sprinkling a little bit of sea salt on your food. And if you do that, you're going to stay hydrated. Also just being aware of if it's a lot hotter out, if you're doing an infrared sauna, if you're doing a really intense workout session where you're sweating a lot, well, then you need to increase your electrolyte intake a little bit more with doing that as well. I want to say thanks so much for tuning in here to the Dr. Josh Axe show, where each and every week we explore the science and principles of how you can heal physically, mentally, spiritually and take your health and your life to the next level. Hey, make sure to subscribe, like and share. By the way, the number one thing you can do to support the show is subscribe and share the episode. This is how I bring on high profile guests. Everyone from Carrie Underwood we've had in the past to people upcoming like Dr. Mark Hyman, Vani Hari, you know, got Jordan Rubin on here. Just some amazing, amazing people. So make sure to subscribe and share and I'll see you on the next episode.

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