Potassium- How do you get 3500 mg?

Options
2»

Replies

  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
    Options
    Experts suggest 4,700 milligrams of dietary potassium a day for adults as part of a balanced diet.

    I eat a plant based diet but without a potassium substitute I can't get enough. Plus it's no stress, I add it instead of salt and do fine. I get blood tests once a year to make sure I'm on the right track.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Options
    I don't track it so I don't know if I get that much every day but beans, mushrooms, squash, melons, greens, broccoli, cooked tomatoes, nuts and peanut butter are probably my top sources. I've never been deficient.

    I would suggest that you not take a potassium supplement without checking with your doctor first. Too much potassium in your blood can be deadly.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
    Options
    Potassium isn't required to be listed on nutritional labels...so a lot of entries in the database are missing that due to the fact that most entries are user entered as per nutritional labels. Eat your veggies...potatoes are outstanding sources of potassium...they blow a banana out of the water...also canned tomato products in general, including V8...legumes are another good source...coconut water, etc...

    Chances are you are not deficient as actual deficiency is rare when one is eating a balanced and varied diet
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Options
    I've got some bad news for your.....the RDA according to the American Heart Assoc & Canadian Heart & Stroke is 4,700mg per day! (I only learned that doing some research after a mild stroke) I eat bananas, drink low sodium v8 or Motts Garden Cocktail, love baked potatoes, have the prefect excuse to eat beef, drink milk etc etc etc.....like some others have mentioned there is a lot of potassium in foods that doesn't appear on nutrition labels. It takes a little effort to reach the 4,700mg RDA but it's doable without resorting to supplements.
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
    Options
    I wouldn't say it's deadly, unless you eat a ton of potassium every day (way more then 4.7 grams of it a day).
  • angeleyes4643
    angeleyes4643 Posts: 151 Member
    Options
    I'm in the same boat but I can't eat too many banannas because I've got prediabetes. Thanks for all the input and keep it coming. I do take a supplement daily but that's only 99 mg.
  • cee134
    cee134 Posts: 33,711 Member
    edited July 2016
    Options
    @JanetYellen The potassium level will be listed, make sure there is no sodium. No Salt is in most big name stores, you just have to look (it's usually hiding) , or you can order it online (it shouldn't be more then $5-6 a can. I like it because it is a big can and you get more for your money)
  • Spontaneously
    Spontaneously Posts: 36 Member
    edited July 2016
    Options
    JanetYellen wrote: »
    @cee134 If my store does not carry French's, do you think other salt substitute brands would? I think my store has Mrs. Dash.
    What do I look for in the ingredients in a salt substitute? Will it say potassium?
    Do these salt substitutes even have an ingredient list on their little tiny bottles?
    I would love to add potassium instead of salt to my foods - a change I would make for life today.

    I just bought Morton Lite Salt in a little canister. The ingredients read "Salt, potassium chloride, calcium silicate, magnesium carbonate, dextrose, potassium iodide." Not quite as efficient as the No Salt, but it contains 350 mg of potassium for 1/4 tsp.

    No vouchers for flavor comparison between brands as I'm a noob to this, but I personally wouldn't use this one quite as liberally as regular/kosher/sea/other salts. Dig the idea though.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Options
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Potassium isn't required to be listed on nutritional labels...so a lot of entries in the database are missing that due to the fact that most entries are user entered as per nutritional labels. Eat your veggies...potatoes are outstanding sources of potassium...they blow a banana out of the water...also canned tomato products in general, including V8...legumes are another good source...coconut water, etc...

    Chances are you are not deficient as actual deficiency is rare when one is eating a balanced and varied diet

    Ha! I just checked the potato entry I usually use and it has 0 potassium. I'll be changing that toot sweet :grumble:
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,241 Member
    Options
    This has been said before, but I will say it again, the database here is USELESS to track potassium. It is not required on nutrition labels, and many foods that are known to be high in potassium list it as zero in the database. I would suggest if you are concerned about potassium levels, you need to find a way to track them elsewhere.

Categories