Help! I am nutritionally lacking

Highercalling

My counts are low in fiber, potassium, vitamin a and c, iron. What are the best foods for these categories. I not only want to loose the weight but I would like to gain the nutrients my body is lacking. No supplements--all natural food please.

Phrick

Fruits and vegetables will benefit your fiber, potassium, C and A categories, as well as the iron to a lesser extent

meats/animal products for greater iron content

and you're probably not actually low in potassium, if you're basing it on MFP's reports. Because manufacturers are not required to include potassium information on nutrition labels (at least, in the US -not sure about elsewhere), it is typically not included in most entries. If you're not having symptoms of low potassium (such as muscle cramps), chances are you're good.

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

How do you know that you are low? If you are going from the charts on MFP then don't, they are inaccurate as most labels don't list micro nutrients.
The best way to eat a broad range of nutrients is to eat a wide range of fruit and veg in a range of colours, add in some lean proteins and some healthy fats.

Highercalling

I tend to get muscle cramps--low potassium. My skin problems tell me the rest. Do you know which foods are highest in value in each category.

hekla90

marislaugh wrote: »

My counts are low in fiber, potassium, vitamin a and c, iron. What are the best foods for these categories. I not only want to loose the weight but I would like to gain the nutrients my body is lacking. No supplements--all natural food please.

Try eating citrus foods for potassium and fiber, carrots are high in vitamin A. Spinach has fiber and iron. Try cooking in an iron pan. Blackstrap molasses has iron. Meat has iron. Many Grains are supplemented with iron in the US.

LKArgh

marislaugh wrote: »

I tend to get muscle cramps--low potassium. My skin problems tell me the rest. Do you know which foods are highest in value in each category.

You cannot self diagnose vitamin deficiencies in this way, sorry. Not saying it is not possible you have vitamin deficiencies, but it is impossible to tell in which things without lab tests, .

Highercalling

hekla90 wrote: »

Try eating citrus foods for potassium and fiber, carrots are high in vitamin A. Spinach has fiber and iron. Try cooking in an iron pan. Blackstrap molasses has iron. Meat has iron. Many Grains are supplemented with iron in the US.

Highercalling

Thank you! This is the type of information I need. If you or anyone else has more info like this I would appreciate it so very much.

TavistockToad

google is your friend

Highercalling

I am trying to watch my bread intake. It seems to bind me up. The more vegetables and fruits the better. Thanks

Phrick

potatoes and sweet potatoes are quite high in potassium, as well as brussels sprouts and beet greens. My doctor has me watching my potassium intake due to muscle cramping issues, however I do agree with @aggelikik that self-diagnosis is sketchy. And especially since over-doing potassium can be very bad, it would be very smart to get the blood tests done that will tell you for SURE if you need to be putting your focus on that or something else (especially as there are many causes for muscle cramps)

oolou

I have a high fibre cereal and a banana for breakfast each day. Not had leg cramps since the summer and am also ...um ... nicely regular

Highercalling

Thanks oolou, very helpful!

hekla90

Phrick wrote: »

potatoes and sweet potatoes are quite high in potassium, as well as brussels sprouts and beet greens. My doctor has me watching my potassium intake due to muscle cramping issues, however I do agree with @aggelikik that self-diagnosis is sketchy. And especially since over-doing potassium can be very bad, it would be very smart to get the blood tests done that will tell you for SURE if you need to be putting your focus on that or something else (especially as there are many causes for muscle cramps)

Unless you are a dialysis patient or have kidney issues I can't think of many reasons to restrict dietary potassium. I would caution against taking supplements without a physicians knowledge. But you're gonna have a reeeeal hard time overdoing potassium from dietary sources with functioning kidneys lol.

abatonfan

marislaugh wrote: »

My counts are low in fiber, potassium, vitamin a and c, iron. What are the best foods for these categories. I not only want to loose the weight but I would like to gain the nutrients my body is lacking. No supplements--all natural food please.

First, are you using accurate MFP entries? Oftentimes, people upload food information without the posted micronutrients, and that can cause your amount consumed to be falsely low. In the US, food companies are not yet required to list potassium (I think it is mandated with the upcoming change in nutrition labeling), so you would need to estimate based off USDA entries if you want to see where your potassium intake lies.

singingflutelady

Oatmeal is a good source of iron

tillerstouch

Spinach... lots of spinach... low calories has some potassium, a little fiber (not much but some) and great for vitemins a and c. Eat it raw is best nothing on it. I'm surprised no one has said it yet.

cwolfman13

more veggies and fruit. potatoes and sweet potatoes kick a bananas *kitten* where potassium is concerned...also using canned tomato products/sauces and things like V8 (I do low sodium). good sources of iron include legumes, lentils, greens (cooked more so than raw), red meat, dark meat poultry, oysters, etc...

there are lots more...google is your friend.

Merkavar

Some micronutrients it doesn't really matter if you eat too much. Not fat soluble and just got right through you.

But vitamin a and a few others you probably don't want to over consume if you just think your deficient.

Probably best to get a blood test etc to remove the guess work.

My brothers diet consisted of Donna kebabs, pizza, KFC, muesli and was some how getting all his vitamins and minerals.

So with out a test you can't really tell if your deficient etc

kshama2001

marislaugh wrote: »

Thank you! This is the type of information I need. If you or anyone else has more info like this I would appreciate it so very much.

I suggest you google "dietary sources of X" and look at sites that include values. For example, when I googled "dietary sources of iron" I found: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/

scolaris

Try working on one or two at a time... When you get a groove there, expand your efforts. That's how I started. It's hard to make everything fall in place at once. Now I have a sort of formula that even carries over to when I shop during the week: how much leafy greens, how many servings of deep yellows, my proteins, my dairies with high calcium. It will gradually fit together sort of like a puzzle.

Highercalling

Thank you scolaris. Very helpful!