How to get more potassium?

lightenup2016

Hi--I've been on MFP for about 6 months, and I've just recently begun pre-logging my food the day before. Among other things, I like that this allows me to play around with my macros and other nutrients. If I work at I can hit everything pretty well, but I always come up short on potassium. I almost never even get to 50%.

I do like potatoes, but don't eat them a lot. I can eat a banana just about everyday. Does anyone have any other ideas for increasing potassium? Thanks!!

lulalacroix

Following. I have trouble getting even half the recommended dose and that is after a potato, banana, avocado, and more.

PaulaWallaDingDong

I hear coffee is a good source. I drink loads of it.

vanmep

I have the same problem but recently had blood work done that included potassium levels and it was perfect. I have a theory that the MFP database isn't wry accurate with regard to micro nutrients. Low sodium V8 juice is also a great source of potassium

lorrpb

Potassium is not required to be listed on nutrition labels, so the potassium numbers you get from MFP are NOT ACCURATE. If you feel you have low potassium, talk to your doctor.

Alatariel75

^^^ Lorrpb is completely correct. You cannot rely on MFP for potassium tracking, unless you're checking every entry for accuracy. Many, many, many foods which contain potassium do not have any listed in the database.

NEOHgirl

As other have said, since it's not listed on the required labels, most foods don't publish it so it doesn't get tracked on MFP. My dietitian told me not to worry about potassium, that if you are eating a good amount of fruits & veggies then you will get enough. Also, there are some majorly nasty side effects, some involving heart failure, if you get too much potassium, so as long as you are getting SOME every day, you should be fine.

lightenup2016

I hadn't thought about potassium not being listed for a lot of foods. I'll read up on it more--I had just read that many people don't get the amount they should, so thought I should look into it.

Thanks!!

MelissaPhippsFeagins

Potassium outside of normal levels affects your heartbeat and kidney function. It's very likely you would notice. I learned more about it than I wanted to know when my child started passing out for no reason. (it turned out to be a much more benign problem, thank God.)

Anonymous_fiend

Spinach has a lot. Tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas, possibly salmon but i don't remember on that. I'm extremely low too and contemplating a supplement.

darkspaten

Echoing what others have stated above, it's generally not listed. For instance, I regularly eat the 100 calorie mini packs of organic Wholly Guacamole, which does not list any potassium on the container nor in the MFP database. However, for the portion size it should be ~300mg per serving.

Adding to the above suggestions, the top items for potassium per serving are: potato, avocado, lima beans, flounder, banana, and tomato.

Another thing to consider is the 'K:Na ratio' of potassium to salt. Most (American) diets have this at 1:2 and some dietary research shows this could be beneficially inverse as high as 5:1; my current MFP nutrient recommendation has this at 3:2, which is obviously a step in the right direction. This is where bananas get their reputation since they naturally are 440:1!

As most know our diets are so incredibly laden with salt, I doubt you'll have a hard time intaking too much potassium unless you're also on a low-sodium diet. However, all that said, I'm skeptical of potassium supplements. The FDA reportedly restricts non-food-based forms of potassium salts to 99mg per dose because of health problems with potassium salt supplements. Generally, it seems best to stay away from potassium supplements and just focus on regularly incorporating potassium-rich foods.

earlnabby

lightenup2016 wrote: »

Hi--I've been on MFP for about 6 months, and I've just recently begun pre-logging my food the day before. Among other things, I like that this allows me to play around with my macros and other nutrients. If I work at I can hit everything pretty well, but I always come up short on potassium. I almost never even get to 50%.

I do like potatoes, but don't eat them a lot. I can eat a banana just about everyday. Does anyone have any other ideas for increasing potassium? Thanks!!

First of all, many foods in the database do not list potassium so you are probably getting more than you think. If you are concerned or are getting symptoms of low potassium (like muscle cramps) you can ask your doctor to order a blood draw to check potassium levels in your blood. You might want to do that next time to see your doctor anyway, just for peace of mind.

I am on a diuretic for chronic edema so I need to pay attention to my potassium. Foods I really like that are high in potassium include pomegranates, avocados, and coconut water. I DO NOT eat bananas, they make me gag.

markrgeary1

darkspaten wrote: »

Echoing what others have stated above, it's generally not listed. For instance, I regularly eat the 100 calorie mini packs of organic Wholly Guacamole, which does not list any potassium on the container nor in the MFP database. However, for the portion size it should be ~300mg per serving.

Adding to the above suggestions, the top items for potassium per serving are: potato, avocado, lima beans, flounder, banana, and tomato.

Another thing to consider is the 'K:Na ratio' of potassium to salt. Most (American) diets have this at 1:2 and some dietary research shows this could be beneficially inverse as high as 5:1; my current MFP nutrient recommendation has this at 3:2, which is obviously a step in the right direction. This is where bananas get their reputation since they naturally are 440:1!

As most know our diets are so incredibly laden with salt, I doubt you'll have a hard time intaking too much potassium unless you're also on a low-sodium diet. However, all that said, I'm skeptical of potassium supplements. The FDA reportedly restricts non-food-based forms of potassium salts to 99mg per dose because of health problems with potassium salt supplements. Generally, it seems best to stay away from potassium supplements and just focus on regularly incorporating potassium-rich foods.

There's a big danger with too much potassium. I put myself straight into Tachacardia by supplements(of a sort) of potassium.

I don't see any more than you are, my bloodwork says I'm getting plenty.

GottaBurnEmAll

An easy way to get more without getting too much is to switch to a "lite salt". It's usually a blend of potassium and magnesium.

I tend to have imbalanced electrolytes and use it for that.

I will say that you're likely getting enough due to the information missing from the data base in a lot of cases, though.

Gallowmere1984

vanmep wrote: »

I have the same problem but recently had blood work done that included potassium levels and it was perfect. I have a theory that the MFP database isn't wry accurate with regard to micro nutrients. Low sodium V8 juice is also a great source of potassium

This.

Once I made a conscious effort to hunt down potassium contents of foods, and cross reference them with specific items in the database, I was shocked. Between my broccoli, salmon, chicken breast and bean habits, I am averaging over 6000 mg of Potassium per day, without even trying very hard.

lightenup2016

OP here, thank you for all of your replies! Funny, when I pre-logged my food for today, I saw that my potassium was through the roof! Apparently sun-dried tomatoes have quite a bit of potassium. The weird thing is, the jar of sun-dried tomatoes doesn't list potassium at all in the nutrition information, but when I scan the product into MFP, it says 400 mg of potassium per serving.