LMNT vs Ultima Electrolytes for Fasting (2026)

LMNT vs Ultima: Why This Comparison Matters for Fasters

If you’ve spent any time in fasting communities, you already know the debate: LMNT or Ultima? Both are zero-sugar electrolyte powders designed to keep you hydrated, but they take fundamentally different approaches. LMNT packs a massive sodium punch for extended fasters. Ultima goes light on sodium and broad-spectrum with trace minerals. So which one actually keeps you from feeling like garbage on day three of a water fast?

I’ve used both extensively during 16:8 intermittent fasting, OMAD, and multi-day water fasts. Here’s the honest breakdown — no fluff, no affiliate bias, just what actually works when you’re staring down hour 48 and your legs feel like jello.

Check latest price on LMNT → | Check latest price on Ultima →

Quick Verdict: Who Should Buy What

Don’t have time for the full comparison? Here’s the short version:

Choose LMNT if: You’re doing extended fasting (24+ hours), OMAD, or keto + fasting. The 1000mg sodium per stick is non-negotiable for preventing “keto flu” and fasting headaches.
Choose Ultima if: You’re doing intermittent fasting (16:8, 18:6), you’re sodium-sensitive, or you want a lighter-tasting drink with trace minerals that won’t overwhelm you with saltiness.
Choose both if: Use LMNT on extended fast days and Ultima on your regular IF schedule. Many fasters in the r/fasting community do exactly this.

Nutritional Showdown: Sodium, Potassium, and Magnesium

This is where the two brands diverge dramatically. Let’s look at what’s actually in each stick pack:

Nutrient	LMNT (per stick)	Ultima (per scoop)
Sodium	1000 mg	55 mg
Potassium	200 mg	100 mg
Magnesium	60 mg	25 mg
Calcium	0 mg	35 mg
Chloride	1600 mg	80 mg
Trace Minerals	None	70+ trace minerals
Calories	0	0
Sugar	0 g	0 g

The numbers tell the story. LMNT has 18x more sodium than Ultima. That’s not a typo. For extended fasters, this is the entire point — during a 48+ hour fast, your body dumps sodium through urine and sweat at an accelerated rate. The “snake juice” protocol popular in r/fasting calls for 2000-5000 mg of sodium per day during extended fasts. One LMNT stick gets you halfway there. Ultima’s 55 mg is essentially a rounding error by comparison.

But Ultima counters with 70+ trace minerals from a mineral concentrate. These include zinc, manganese, selenium, chromium, and boron — micronutrients that play supporting roles in energy metabolism, immune function, and bone health during long fasts. LMNT deliberately strips everything down to just the three electrolytes that matter most for fasters: sodium, potassium, and magnesium.

The potassium difference also matters. LMNT delivers 200 mg per stick while Ultima gives 100 mg. During extended fasts, potassium depletion causes muscle cramps and heart palpitations — symptoms that scare first-time fasters into breaking their fast prematurely. Getting adequate potassium from your electrolyte drink helps prevent those scary moments.

Ingredients Deep Dive: What Else Is In There?

LMNT Ingredients

LMNT keeps it minimalist: sodium chloride (salt), potassium chloride, magnesium malate, citric acid, natural flavors, stevia leaf extract. That’s the entire list. No fillers, no dyes, no maltodextrin, no sugar alcohols. The magnesium malate form is worth noting — it’s one of the more bioavailable forms of magnesium, and malic acid supports ATP energy production at the cellular level. This matters when you’re running on fat stores alone during a prolonged fast.

Ultima Ingredients

Ultima goes broader: mineral concentrate (providing the 70+ trace minerals), sodium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium citrate, calcium citrate, citric acid, natural flavors, stevia leaf extract, silicon dioxide. The silicon dioxide is an anti-caking agent — generally recognized as safe, but worth knowing about if you’re particular about additives. The magnesium citrate form is decent for absorption but can have a mild laxative effect in higher doses, which some fasters notice more than with magnesium malate. If you have a sensitive digestive system during fasts, this could be a factor.

What Neither Brand Has

Both brands are free of sugar, artificial colors, and artificial sweeteners. Neither contains maltodextrin (a cheap filler found in many electrolyte powders that can spike blood sugar). Both use stevia as their sole sweetener. This is important for fasters — many popular electrolyte drinks like Liquid IV and BodyArmor Lyte contain sugar or sugar alcohols that can potentially interfere with the fasting state.

Taste Test: Salt Bomb vs Subtle Sip

Taste is subjective, but there are clear patterns in what fasters report across Reddit communities and Amazon reviews:

LMNT tastes salty. Noticeably, undeniably salty. Some flavors (Citrus Salt, Orange Salt, Raspberry Salt) mask it better than others. The Raw Unflavored version is basically salt water — only for the hardcore. The saltiness is a feature, not a bug — you’re drinking it because you need sodium. But if you’re sipping it casually during a 16:8 window, it can feel aggressive. The stevia aftertaste is present but mild.

Ultima tastes like lightly flavored water. The sodium is barely detectable. Flavors like Cherry Pomegranate, Grape, and Lemonade are crowd favorites — refreshing without being cloying. It’s the kind of drink you can sip all day without getting palate fatigue. The stevia is more noticeable in some Ultima flavors than others, with some people reporting a slight bitter aftertaste in the Blue Raspberry flavor.

Verdict: Ultima wins on everyday drinkability. LMNT wins if you’re in the middle of a 72-hour fast and your body is screaming for salt — suddenly that saltiness hits different, like your cells are literally thanking you with every sip.

Price Per Serving: Which Burns Less Cash?

Cost Factor	LMNT	Ultima
Price per stick/serving	~$1.30–$1.50	~$0.75–$1.00
Servings per container	30 sticks	90 scoops (tub) or 20 sticks
Monthly cost (2x/day)	~$78–$90	~$45–$60

Ultima is significantly cheaper per serving, especially if you buy the 90-serving tub. But here’s the catch — during an extended fast, you might need 3-4 Ultima servings just to get the same sodium as one LMNT stick. When you factor in the “effective cost per gram of sodium,” LMNT actually wins the value calculation for extended fasters.

For 16:8 intermittent fasters who only need one serving a day, Ultima is clearly the budget winner at roughly half the daily cost. The 90-serving tub offers the best value and lasts about three months at one serving per day.

Check Ultima 90-serving tub on Amazon →

Fasting Compatibility: Does Either Break a Fast?

Both LMNT and Ultima are zero calorie, zero sugar, zero protein. Neither will break a fast in terms of autophagy or ketosis. Both use stevia as a sweetener, which does not trigger an insulin response in most people, according to available research.

However, there’s a nuance some fasters miss: LMNT’s high sodium content can trigger a mild digestive response in some people, particularly if taken on a completely empty stomach during the first 24 hours of a fast. Your stomach produces some gastric acid in response to sodium chloride. This isn’t “breaking” the fast — it’s just your digestive system reacting to concentrated electrolytes. Sipping slowly over 30 minutes instead of chugging eliminates this issue for most people.

Ultima’s lower mineral concentration means it’s gentler on the digestive system. You can drink it quickly without any stomach awareness, which is why many 16:8 fasters prefer it as their morning hydration boost when breaking the overnight fast.

For more details on what does and doesn’t break a fast, see our complete guide on electrolytes during fasting and our dirty fasting vs clean fasting comparison.

Real-World Fasting Scenarios: When Each Shines

Scenario 1: 16:8 Intermittent Fasting

Winner: Ultima. You’re fasting 16 hours — your electrolyte depletion is moderate compared to extended fasts. Ultima provides enough sodium and potassium to prevent the afternoon slump without overwhelming you with salt. The lighter taste means you’ll actually want to drink it, which is half the battle with electrolyte supplementation.

Scenario 2: OMAD (One Meal a Day)

Winner: LMNT. Fasting 23 hours means significant sodium loss that builds over the day. One LMNT stick in the morning and another in the afternoon keeps the headaches away and maintains mental clarity. Ultima would require 3+ servings to match the sodium content, which gets expensive and means you’re drinking a lot of flavored water throughout the day.

Scenario 3: 48-72 Hour Water Fast

Winner: LMNT by a landslide. Extended fasting depletes sodium aggressively — your kidneys excrete more sodium per hour than during normal eating. The “snake juice” community recommends 2000-5000 mg sodium daily during extended fasts. Two LMNT sticks deliver 2000 mg. Getting equivalent sodium from Ultima would require 36+ servings — literally impossible and absurdly expensive. LMNT is practically designed for this use case.

Scenario 4: Keto + Fasting Stack

Winner: LMNT. When you combine keto with intermittent fasting, sodium depletion is even more aggressive because ketogenic diets themselves cause rapid sodium and water excretion (this is why keto flu happens). LMNT’s 1000 mg per stick is essential for this combination. Many keto fasters report that LMNT eliminates “keto flu” symptoms within 20 minutes of drinking — dizziness, brain fog, and muscle weakness disappear fast.

Scenario 5: Light Daily Fasting + Trace Mineral Support

Winner: Ultima. If your fasting is relatively gentle (14:10 or 16:8) and you want broad-spectrum mineral support beyond just the big three electrolytes, Ultima’s trace mineral blend provides micronutrients that support cellular function, immune health, and bone density during the fasting window. Think of it as a hydration multi-vitamin.

The Bottom Line

LMNT and Ultima aren’t really competing for the same customer — they’re optimized for different fasting intensities. Think of it this way: LMNT is the tactical gear for extended missions. Ultima is the daily driver for regular commutes.

If you’re doing anything beyond 16:8 — OMAD, 48-hour fasts, extended water fasts, or keto fasting — LMNT’s sodium load isn’t optional. It’s the difference between powering through and quitting at hour 36 because your head is pounding and your muscles are cramping. Check LMNT on Amazon →

If you’re doing standard intermittent fasting and want a pleasant, affordable daily electrolyte drink with trace minerals and no salt shock, Ultima delivers exactly what you need. Check Ultima on Amazon →

The smartest move? Keep both in your cabinet. Use LMNT on your longer fast days and Ultima on shorter ones. That’s exactly what experienced fasters in r/fasting and r/intermittentfasting recommend, and there’s a reason it works — your electrolyte needs change with your fasting schedule.

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FAQ: LMNT vs Ultima for Fasting

Can I mix LMNT and Ultima together?

No real advantage. You’d get a weird flavor combination and the sodium content would still be dominated by the LMNT. Better to use them separately for their intended fasting purposes — LMNT for long fasts, Ultima for daily IF.

How many LMNT sticks per day during a 72-hour fast?

Most experienced fasters use 2-3 sticks per day (2000-3000 mg sodium total). Listen to your body — if you have a headache, muscle cramps, or feel dizzy, add another stick. If you feel bloated or overly thirsty, back off slightly.

Does Ultima have enough sodium for extended fasting?

No. At 55 mg per serving, you’d need 36+ servings to hit the 2000 mg of sodium recommended for extended fasts. Ultima is simply not designed for extended fasting electrolyte replacement. Use LMNT or make your own snake juice instead.

Which tastes better — LMNT or Ultima?

Ultima generally wins on taste because it’s milder and less salty. LMNT’s saltiness is an acquired taste, but many extended fasters come to crave it because their body desperately needs the sodium. The LMNT Citrus Salt and Raspberry Salt flavors are the most palatable entry points.

Are there cheaper alternatives to both brands?

Yes — homemade “snake juice” using table salt, potassium chloride (No-Salt), and magnesium citrate in water costs pennies per serving. But it tastes terrible and requires measuring. The convenience, portability, and flavor of LMNT and Ultima justify the cost for most people who fast regularly.