Electrolytes: Why You Need Them
Your Body’s Balance Keepers
Electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium) are like your body’s control panel, keeping muscles, nerves, and hydration in check. They are minerals that carry an electrical charge in body fluids and are essential for fluid balance, nerve signaling, and muscle contraction. They’re extra important for breastfeeding or sweaty workouts.
How Much You Need
Not Exercising, Breastfeeding:
Sodium: 1.7–2.0 g/day (~¾–1 tsp salt).
Potassium: 5.0–5.5 g/day (~2 bananas + 1 potato).
Magnesium: 310–360 mg/day (~½ cup almonds + spinach).
Calcium: 1000–1300 mg/day (~3 cups milk or yogurt).
Not Exercising, Not Breastfeeding:
Sodium: 1.5–1.8 g/day (~½–¾ tsp salt).
Potassium: 4.7–5.0 g/day (~2 bananas).
Magnesium: 310–350 mg/day (~½ cup almonds).
Calcium: 1000 mg/day (~2 cups milk or yogurt).
Exercising, Breastfeeding:
Sodium: 2.0–2.5 g/day (~¾–1 tsp salt).
Potassium: 5.2–5.8 g/day (~2 bananas + potato + spinach).
Magnesium: 350–400 mg/day (~½ cup almonds + spinach + beans).
Calcium: 1000–1300 mg/day (~3 cups milk or yogurt).
Exercising, Not Breastfeeding:
Sodium: 1.8–2.3 g/day (~¾ tsp salt).
Potassium: 4.8–5.3 g/day (~2 bananas + potato).
Magnesium: 330–380 mg/day (~½ cup almonds + spinach).
Calcium: 1000 mg/day (~2 cups milk or yogurt).
Easy Electrolyte Picks: Salt (sodium), bananas or potatoes (potassium), nuts or spinach (magnesium), milk or yogurt (calcium). Add these to meals—yogurt for breakfast, spinach salad for lunch, banana snack.
Pro Tip: Sweating a lot? Try this home DIY hydration drink: add salt, honey, coconut water and lime or lemon to water!
Disclaimer: The information on Mone does not replace professional medical assessment, diagnosis, treatment, or advice. Please seek medical advice from your physician or other qualified health care providers.
Mone Wellness Team
Brooke Orloff, Katherine Hom, and Savannah Miller make up the Mone team. Together, they have harnessed their diverse expertise in women’s health to create an all-encompassing wellness app that serves as the ultimate resource for postpartum mothers. Brooke Orloff, a certified Prenatal/Postpartum Doula and Lactation Counselor with a Bachelor’s in Sociology and Psychology, draws on her personal experience as a mother of three and her professional background to provide informed and practical support, guiding new parents through the challenges of pregnancy and postpartum transitions. Katherine Hom, MD, a board-certified OB/GYN with a medical degree certification in Women’s Functional and Integrative Medicine, bridges holistic and evidence-based care across a broad spectrum of modalities, offering integrative solutions like lifestyle, nutritional, and mind-body interventions to empower women during the postpartum period. Savannah Miller, a Registered Dietitian and Nurse with dual Bachelor’s degrees in Nutrition and Nursing, leverages her expertise as a former Division I athlete, nutrition coach, and women’s health specialist to deliver sustainable nutrition and lifestyle strategies tailored for mothers. Together, the Mone Team’s complementary strengths—Orloff’s first-hand experience in the perinatal realm, Hom’s obstetrics and integrative medicine expertise, and Miller’s nutrition and lifestyle coaching—form a comprehensive, evidence-informed, platform that addresses the variety of needs of postpartum women and their families.
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