Is 3500mg/day Potassium realistic?
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MomReborn
Posts: 145 Member
Hello all!
The dietary goal for healthy adults in regards to potassium is 3500 mg/day. Potassium is an important nutrient beneficial in preventing heart disease, among other things. Depending upon where you live, however, potassium may be in short supply. How can we get enough potassium in our diets?
I know about foods such as bananas, greens, yogurt and tomato sauces. What other foods have you all found beneficial in maintaining this nutrient level? Do you worry about getting enough potassium? Is this dietary target unrealistic?
Thanks in advance for your input!
The dietary goal for healthy adults in regards to potassium is 3500 mg/day. Potassium is an important nutrient beneficial in preventing heart disease, among other things. Depending upon where you live, however, potassium may be in short supply. How can we get enough potassium in our diets?
I know about foods such as bananas, greens, yogurt and tomato sauces. What other foods have you all found beneficial in maintaining this nutrient level? Do you worry about getting enough potassium? Is this dietary target unrealistic?
Thanks in advance for your input!
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Replies
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As the chart above indicates, a varied diet is the best way to get enough potassium, and every other nutrient.1
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People always forget stuff like chicken, salmon and lean beef. Those have amazing sodium:potassium ratios, though they obviously come with more kcals due to density.1
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@pinuplove, that's a great chart!0
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Thanks, all! I didn't really consider meat as sources of potassium. Here I have been cutting down on my consumption, a bit too drastically I might add. I have found that if I throw that portion of my diet out of balance (fats and proteins from meat), that I'm pretty sluggish.1
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Also, potassium is not required for nutrition labels so it often does not show up in the database. Most eat more than they realize. Unless you are on diuretics, you probably are getting enough but you can always ask your doctor for a metabolic panel.5
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Also, potassium is not required for nutrition labels so it often does not show up in the database. Most eat more than they realize. Unless you are on diuretics, you probably are getting enough but you can always ask your doctor for a metabolic panel.
Luckily, it will be required within the next couple of years.2 -
Thanks @earlnabby I wasn't aware of that. I'm still relearning the entire process of not simply taking labels at face value. I've often wondered if there was a parallel between not outlining these nutrients and supplement manufacturers making a huge stink about us not getting enough of them. Okay, maybe more than just wondered
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Thanks @earlnabby I wasn't aware of that. I'm still relearning the entire process of not simply taking labels at face value. I've often wondered if there was a parallel between not outlining these nutrients and supplement manufacturers making a huge stink about us not getting enough of them. Okay, maybe more than just wondered
Not really, in my experience. A lot of the stuff pushed by supp makers will never see a label, because they aren't considered vital components of the diet for the majority. Vitamin deficiency estimates for populations are relatively easy to find anyway. That said, obviously a blood panel would be the best bet, on a per individual basis.0 -
Also, potassium is not required for nutrition labels so it often does not show up in the database. Most eat more than they realize. Unless you are on diuretics, you probably are getting enough but you can always ask your doctor for a metabolic panel.
This is a GREAT point! I've been really struggling with trying to get my potassium up too (check out recipes for spinach potato soup it's really good and if you leave the potato skins on one big bowl has like over 1000mg) but i never considered that it might just not be included in the nutritional info on certain things!!0 -
Potassium is really hard to track. It's not a nutrient that is required on labeling up until recently (and I'm not sure it is now as well). So many foods contain potassium but it simply isn't listed. I try to eat a potato or sweet potato with dinner most nights to help boost potassium. You can take supplements but high doses of pure potassium can be dangerous so I think they max out at 99mg per tablet and you're not supposed to take them other than as directed on the label. It's better to get potassium through your food.1
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Also, potassium is not required for nutrition labels so it often does not show up in the database. Most eat more than they realize. Unless you are on diuretics, you probably are getting enough but you can always ask your doctor for a metabolic panel.
This^^. I was getting a bit concerned with my totals in MFP until I started investigating and realized that a lot of foods that do have potassium, are not even labeled with it. And then I checked my past CBC results (I keep a spreadsheet of my yearly results) and promptly stopped worrying about it.
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It's perfectly possible to get the recommended amount, but watch the database entries. Also, watch the sodium content of foods like chicken. It may have potassium in, but chicken etc. are generally injected with brine during processing, which kinda defeats the purpose of getting your potassium intake up.0
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Gallowmere1984 wrote: »Also, potassium is not required for nutrition labels so it often does not show up in the database. Most eat more than they realize. Unless you are on diuretics, you probably are getting enough but you can always ask your doctor for a metabolic panel.
Luckily, it will be required within the next couple of years.
That's good news. I have a family member with severe kidney issues and trying to figure out what does and does not have medium to high levels of potassium is a pain in the *kitten*. He's pretty much given up on it.0 -
Unless you have been advised by a doctor to supplement potassium, that's one of the ones that should NOT be supplemented (other than in a multivitamin). In First World countries, if you are eating two or three vegetables a day you're probably fine.
Careful with supplementing potassium.
I use entries in the database with potassium added - lots of them I added myself - I like to track it, it causes me to eat more fruit and vegetables. Most days I can hit 3500, but I eat easily 600g of vegetables a day anyway.1 -
cmriverside wrote: »
Unless you have been advised by a doctor to supplement potassium, that's one of the ones that should NOT be supplemented. In First World countries, if you are eating two or three vegetables a day you're probably fine.
Careful with supplementing potassium.
I use entries in the database with potassium added - lots of them I added myself - I like to track it, it causes me to eat more fruit and vegetables. Most days I can hit it, but I eat easily 600g of vegetables a day.
Those 99mg tabs are a joke, honestly. I use potassium chloride in place of table salt. My potassium intake it usually 4-10x my sodium intake. So long as you aren't dumb and try to eat half a bottle of the supps with no food on your stomach, you'll be fine. The body is really good at regulating those electrolytes, so long as you don't massively spike it all at once.0 -
dopeysmelly wrote: »It's perfectly possible to get the recommended amount, but watch the database entries. Also, watch the sodium content of foods like chicken. It may have potassium in, but chicken etc. are generally injected with brine during processing, which kinda defeats the purpose of getting your potassium intake up.
1 cup of diced chicken breast (140g) has 358mg of potassium (10% of RDA), and 104mg of sodium (4% of daily RDA). Doesn't sound like a concern.0
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