In this video, Nick Howarth explains why the balance between dietary sodium and potassium is crucial for cellular function and cardiovascular health. He outlines the recommended daily intakes (≈4,700 mg potassium, ≈2,300 mg sodium) and notes that the ideal dietary ratio is roughly 2–4 parts potassium to 1 part sodium, whereas typical Western diets are flipped, delivering excess sodium and insufficient potassium. Howarth describes the physiological basis of the sodium‑potassium pump, how excess of one mineral drives the loss of the other, and the symptoms of deficiency (lethargy, muscle weakness for low potassium; headaches, cramps for low sodium). He lists common high‑sodium foods (bread, pizza, energy drinks, canned soups) and points out that processed carbohydrates and MSG further deplete potassium. Practical recommendations include using potassium citrate powder (≈500 mg per ¼ tsp), aiming for a 3:1 or 4:1 potassium‑to‑sodium ratio when correcting blood pressure issues, and monitoring personal symptoms to adjust intake. He also emphasizes the broader role of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, trace minerals) as essential for metabolic “spark plugs” that enable the body to burn fuel.
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Hi, in this video I'd like to talk to you about the sodium and potassium ratios and how important they are to healthy cellular function. So this is something that— this is a subject that not many people are aware of. We're aware of salt being either necessary or salt containing sodium being dangerous for various reasons. Typically, people think sodium can be dangerous to the heart, blood pressure, it can cause strokes and the rest of it, and on its own that may be true. So the question is, is it the higher amount of sodium Or the deficiency of potassium that causes this particular problem of high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes, and other body problems. So let's have a look and see. So basically you're supposed to have 4,700 mg of potassium every single day. That's what you're supposed to put into your body. And you're supposed to have 2,300 mg of sodium per day, which you would get in sea salt or Himalayan salt, pink Himalayan salt or something like that, not table salt. Okay, so the ratios are basically 2:1 for the average person, so 2 potassiums for every 1 sodium. The average person has that flipped, so most people get a ton of sodium in and very, very little potassium, because a lot of people don't eat vegetables, and you get your potassium from your vegetables. So, and obviously you get it from a potassium supplement, but who takes a potassium supplement? So That's kind of what the problem is in Western society with the Western diet, and specifically in the United States. The food in the United States is laden with salt. So if you're like the average person living on planet Earth, you've probably got it flipped and you've got too much salt and too little potassium, and it'll cause all sorts of body problems. So you would probably need to correct it and make it 3 potassiums to every 1 sodium, or 4 potassiums to every 1 sodium, so that those ratios can then flip back into the way they're supposed to be. So the problem is that if you're eating too much salt, that salt will actually remove The remaining little bit of potassium that you have left, it'll remove it from your system, and vice versa. If you have too much potassium, it'll remove the salt as well. So this is not good. You have to get these ratios right. And the reason why we say probably a good idea to do a 3:1 or 4:1 when you first start off taking potassium to try and rectify blood pressure or heart problems or whatever it might be, Is because it the in the bloodstream potassium is not really worth much. It has to actually get inside the cell because potassium does its work inside the cells. Sodium does its work outside the cells, and it has this thing called a little potassium sodium pump, and they like to put things in and out of the cell. Okay, so yeah, so they work in opposite. So if you've got basically have got too much potassium. then you're going to get rid of all the sodium in your body, and if you've got too much sodium, you're going to get rid of all the potassium in your body. So you don't want to do that. You've got to really keep a close eye on how much salt and how much potassium you're getting in. Now, people often ask me on the program, how do I know? How do I know what the different foods have? And it's very difficult because you get different qualities of foods in different parts of the world, different farmers, what's in the soil, and these These are all factors in how much potassium you're getting from your food. So you really need to have a look at, like, you know, what are the manifestations of a potassium depletion? The major one is you start to feel lethargic. You don't feel like doing anything. You feel like sitting on the couch and doing nothing. So that's kind of what it does to you when you don't have enough potassium. When you don't have enough salt, you start getting headaches, you start getting Muscle cramps, muscle pains, and so on. Potassium will cause muscle weakness, salt will cause sore muscles. Okay, so let's have a look at what we get in the Western diet and how much sodium you're putting in your system as compared to potassium. So like 1 ounce or 28 grams of bread, okay, will give you 500 mg of sodium. Already 500 mg, that's already almost a quarter of what you're supposed to have in a day. 6 ounces or 170 grams, one slice of pizza, almost 1,000 mg of sodium. 8 ounces or 236 milliliters of V8 energy drink, and this is kind of energy drinks in general, almost 2,000 milligrams of sodium. Sheesh, that's crazy. These things are not good for you, don't have them. Um, 8 ounces or 236 milliliters of tomato soup. Ah, harmless tomato soup. 1,260 milligrams of sodium. So basically, in one little can, you've got half of your daily allowance of sodium. All right, carbohydrates also deplete potassium. So here we have carbohydrates. So they are laden with salt, but the carbohydrate itself removes potassium from the body. Now the word carbohydrate is hydrate, which means it holds water. which has to do with salt, you see. So because salt makes you retain water, potassium makes you lose water. Okay, all right. And sodium used in carbs in the form of sodium chloride is table salt. It's got like 2 minerals, sodium and chloride, whereas sea salt has like about 86 different minerals. Okay, sea salt, there we go, 84 different minerals. Table salt, 2 minerals. But also included in these carbohydrates that you're eating, these processed carbohydrates, you have monosodium glutamate, which is an additional sodium not factored into the sodium mentioned in this here. So that's crazy stuff, this monosodium glutamate. It's really, really not good for you, and that's probably one of the major causes of blood pressure and heart disease and strokes and everything, is this stuff. All right, so on our program we have lots of green cruciferous vegetables, and we try to correct the lack of potassium. That's what we're trying to do here. So you're not getting any extra sodium in because you're not eating commercially manufactured food, packaged food on the shelf. Those things are laden with sodium. So it is a little bit difficult to get this ratio right because you are eating a lot of vegetables and we don't know how much exactly you're getting from those vegetables, because like I said earlier, things in different parts of the world, these vegetables in different parts of the world, they have different amounts of minerals in them. And like I said, it depends on what's in the soil and so on. So, but we do up the potassium and we do keep an eye on you. This is why it's good for you to report to us any manifestations that you're experiencing with regards to the body when you're on our program, because then we can have a look at it and go, Hey, you need some more potassium or you need some more sodium. So basically, if you're like getting a headache, for instance, you need some more sodium. So you just take like half a teaspoon or quarter of a teaspoon of salt. And just so that you know, if you're taking teaspoons, a quarter of a teaspoon of potassium or salt, if you're taking potassium powder, that is, is about 500 milligrams. So a quarter of a teaspoon, so a whole teaspoon would be like 2,000 milligrams. So the other thing to keep in mind is when you are buying your potassium supplement, try and go for the powder, the potassium citrate powder, because citrate, the citric acid in it, also helps keep the body clean of any calcium buildup, and it's also very well absorbed by the body. So get the powder because the capsules that you get are usually only 99 milligrams. And if you have a look at what you need per day, 4,700 milligrams, that means you'd have to have 47 of your 99 milligram capsules. I think you only get like 90, so that's 2 days in a bottle, gone. So, you know, have a look at the powder. It's actually a lot cheaper and it's a lot easier to take. So you can even throw it in your water with your salt. salt if you want to, because potassium has a similar taste. It's also kind of a salty type of taste. So I hope that was informative. Make sure you take your electrolytes, which are these. These are part of your electrolyte makeup. You need salt, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and there's a whole lot of trace minerals that you need as well. Make sure you're taking them because if they Spark the energy off in the body. So you can be eating protein, you can be eating your fat as fuel, but if you're not having your electrolytes, these fuels have nothing to burn on. So it's like a spark plug, it goes and it sparks and it burns that energy. That's what your electrolytes are. So you have to have them. You could live without eating for quite some time, but you cannot live without your electrolytes. your body will shut down. So make sure you're getting your electrolytes in. Okay, I hope you learned something in this video.
