Unbalanced nutrition

Rebeckistan

Hey everyone,

So I have been calorie counting my meals for an average of 1,200 calories a day. I tend to think I've been eating quite well. I make almost all of my meals from scratch and only have the occasional treat or cheat meal (usually after saving a bunch of calories for the day to go towards it). However, I was looking through the nutrition information in my log and noticed that I'm almost always coming in below the goals for iron, potassium, vitamins etc. Can you have a look in my diary and let me know if you have any suggestions on how to improve it? I'm open to adapting my diet but I'd appreciate some insights on what I should change to improve it.

Thanks in advance!

Need2Exerc1se

I wouldn't use MFP to track any micronutrients as the data is not always entered. Beans and leafy greens are good sources of both potassium and iron. Meat, especially red meat, is high in iron. Most fruits and vegetables contain potassium - good sources are mushrooms, tomato juice/sauce, melons, squash, beans (especially white beans), leafy greens, bananas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, oranges, orange juice, prunes, raisins, arichokes, almonds, sunflower seeds, apricots, yogurt, fish, avocado

If you eat a good variety of fruits and vegetables you are likely getting enough micronutrients

slaite1

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

I wouldn't use MFP to track any micronutrients as the data is not always entered. Beans and leafy greens are good sources of both potassium and iron. Meat, especially red meat, is high in iron. Most fruits and vegetables contain potassium - good sources are mushrooms, tomato juice/sauce, melons, squash, beans (especially white beans), leafy greens, bananas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, oranges, orange juice, prunes, raisins, arichokes, almonds, sunflower seeds, apricots, yogurt, fish, avocado

If you eat a good variety of fruits and vegetables you are likely getting enough micronutrients

+1

Potassium especially. I get a lot of potassium and Mfp shows me very low. I actually looked up everything I ate one day and was way over on the required amount-but under on Mfp. It's just not listed.

Rebeckistan

Okay that's great to hear! Thanks for this!

Kalikel

If you're using food labels and not UDSA entires, your totals could be off. Companies don't list complete info on the labels all the time.

On the flip side, most Americans aren't getting enough potassium and many don't get enough iron. So, it's possible that you really are under the RDA on those things.

I do track micros, eat a wide variety of healthy food and use USDA entires and it's not easy getting enough of all the micros on a regular basis.

You'd be surprised how easy it is to be shorts especially on 1200 calories...which is probably why so many if us are!

tincanonastring

slaite1 wrote: »

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

I wouldn't use MFP to track any micronutrients as the data is not always entered. Beans and leafy greens are good sources of both potassium and iron. Meat, especially red meat, is high in iron. Most fruits and vegetables contain potassium - good sources are mushrooms, tomato juice/sauce, melons, squash, beans (especially white beans), leafy greens, bananas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, oranges, orange juice, prunes, raisins, arichokes, almonds, sunflower seeds, apricots, yogurt, fish, avocado

If you eat a good variety of fruits and vegetables you are likely getting enough micronutrients

+1

Potassium especially. I get a lot of potassium and Mfp shows me very low. I actually looked up everything I ate one day and was way over on the required amount-but under on Mfp. It's just not listed.

+2

If not, supplement?

Kalikel

tincanonastring wrote: »

slaite1 wrote: »

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

I wouldn't use MFP to track any micronutrients as the data is not always entered. Beans and leafy greens are good sources of both potassium and iron. Meat, especially red meat, is high in iron. Most fruits and vegetables contain potassium - good sources are mushrooms, tomato juice/sauce, melons, squash, beans (especially white beans), leafy greens, bananas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, oranges, orange juice, prunes, raisins, arichokes, almonds, sunflower seeds, apricots, yogurt, fish, avocado

If you eat a good variety of fruits and vegetables you are likely getting enough micronutrients

+1

Potassium especially. I get a lot of potassium and Mfp shows me very low. I actually looked up everything I ate one day and was way over on the required amount-but under on Mfp. It's just not listed.

+2

If not, supplement?

Don't supplement potassium without asking a doctor first.

tincanonastring

Kalikel wrote: »

tincanonastring wrote: »

slaite1 wrote: »

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

I wouldn't use MFP to track any micronutrients as the data is not always entered. Beans and leafy greens are good sources of both potassium and iron. Meat, especially red meat, is high in iron. Most fruits and vegetables contain potassium - good sources are mushrooms, tomato juice/sauce, melons, squash, beans (especially white beans), leafy greens, bananas, potatoes, sweet potatoes, oranges, orange juice, prunes, raisins, arichokes, almonds, sunflower seeds, apricots, yogurt, fish, avocado

If you eat a good variety of fruits and vegetables you are likely getting enough micronutrients

+1

Potassium especially. I get a lot of potassium and Mfp shows me very low. I actually looked up everything I ate one day and was way over on the required amount-but under on Mfp. It's just not listed.

+2

If not, supplement?

Don't supplement potassium without asking a doctor first.

True. I was thinking more daily vitamins/iron vs. straight potassium supplement, but yes, that's an important distinction.