Potassium???

MickyCrispDipper

When I look at the nutrition section of MFP I tend to hit all vitamins and macros nicely, but potassium I never get close, I average 480mg a day but it says the goal is 3500mg, anyone else have this problem, should I get more potassium??? What happens if I don’t get enough potassium?

MelmothWanders

Potassium, along with Magnesium, Calcium, and Sodium, is one of the primary electrolytes in your body. Potassium is an afterthought for most people though, unless you have high blood pressure. In that case, a high potassium, low sodium diet can help improve your blood pressure. Presence of potassium in your blood better allows your kidneys to regulate sodium levels. Still, everyone should be hitting 3500-4700mg of potassium daily. Besides blood pressure, potassium helps with muscle function, including your heart.

One thing you should know, however, is that potassium, much like sodium, is found in virtually all foods in small amounts. Potassium information is frequently left off of packaging because it's not required to be listed, and so many foods on MFP do not have any potassium information. This does not mean you're not getting any potassium.

If you want to make sure that you're getting enough potassium, eat your fruits and vegetables. Things like tomatoes, bananas, potatoes, spinach, etc, have very high levels of potassium, and even a glass of vegetable juice can have about 25% of your RDA in a serving.

sgtx81

When I don't have enough I get charlie horses and heart palpitations. I try and keep up on it but I don't always do a great job. I do calf checks a few times a day, where I clench my calf muscle. If it tries to lock up on me I take some potassium and it takes care of the problem. Too little or too much potassium can kill you, it's very important to consume what you need. I'm no expert on potassium, but I think you'd already be a goner if you really only got 480mg a day. If you're going by the food database here it's crap in a lot of cases.

StevefromMichigan

MickyCrispDipper wrote: »

When I look at the nutrition section of MFP I tend to hit all vitamins and macros nicely, but potassium I never get close, I average 480mg a day but it says the goal is 3500mg, anyone else have this problem, should I get more potassium??? What happens if I don’t get enough potassium?

Potatoes are loaded with potassium. So are bananas.

ValeriePlz

MelmothWanders wrote: »

Potassium information is frequently left off of packaging because it's not required to be listed, and so many foods on MFP do not have any potassium information. This does not mean you're not getting any potassium.

100%. You are getting more than you think you are.

toxikon

I like to supplement with a salt-substitute like Nu-Salt, No-Salt, etc. It's usually either a 50/50 mix of sodium and potassium chloride, or 100% potassium chloride. Each 1/4 tsp is close to 700mg. You can add it to a smoothie, or just use it in your cooking. Just don't overdo it - taking too much potassium can cause some serious health problems.

cwolfman13

A lot of the food you're eating has potassium...it isn't required on food labels and that's where most data base entries are derived from and since it's not on the label, it doesn't get loaded into the database.

You're getting more than you think, but you could also just google high potassium foods.

Potassium deficiency is pretty rare, particularly if one is eating their veg and fruit. Potatoes are loaded with potassium.

Secretnotes

Cream-of-tartar is high in potassium too. I make lo-cal meringues with it.

Spicy Low-sodium V-8 is also high in potassium (1000 mg per 8 oz serving) but I've been having a difficult time finding it in the stores. (I can get it from Amazon.com.)

I only up my intake of potassium when I have leg or calf cramps, which is a symptom of low potassium. Too much potassium is dangerous.

MelmothWanders

Secretnotes wrote: »

Spicy Low-sodium V-8 is also high in potassium (1000 mg per 8 oz serving) but I've been having a difficult time finding it in the stores. (I can get it from Amazon.com.)

I was in the same boat, Secretnotes, so what I've done for the past couple of years is to purchase large containers of generic low-sodium vegetable juice and stir in a teaspoon of cayenne pepper when I first open them. Just be sure to shake it well each time you have some.

sgtx81

nutritiondata.self.com << this is a good place to see what you're actually getting

MelmothWanders

Not to beat a dead horse, but I just ran into this problem and so can provide a great example.

I just cooked a pot of soup last night. The soup is shredded cabbage and chicken with assorted vegetables, including a tomato sauce base, and chickpeas. When I ran everything through MyFitnessPal, the equivalents that I selected gave me a result of 305mg of sodium per a serving, about right since everything was fresh or no-salt-added packaged items. It gave me a result of 899mg of potassium, which seemed right at first glance but didn't add up.

When I examined the ingredients one by one, I found that the listing I used for low sodium Goya chickpeas was missing potassium data altogether. Legumes are one of the biggest sources of dietary potassium. After factoring in the potassium that was missing because of this, each serving of this soup is actually around 1650mg of potassium.

JeromeBarry1

There is potassium in many foods, the USDA will soon require food labels to list Potassium, and eventually after that the myfitnesspal food database might reflect the USDA values. Until then, use the USDA food database linked above to be sure that your food diary is correctly claiming all the potassium you deserve. There are, of course, some good foods higher in potassium than others. Bananas, of course, coffee, leafy greens and many vegetables. The available supplements for potassium are generally low-dose because most of us do actually get plenty of potassium without trying too heroically.

AmandaCrow2015

I have the same problem. You would have to eat 4-5 potatoes to hit your daily goal lol. I ate a baby greens salad, tomatoes, drank milk, and I'm still only half way with mine but my vitamin A is at 150%??