Why am I not getting enough Potassium?

jonathanw2012

So I keep on getting too much sodium and not enough potassium! How can I reverse this? I do not want to take a potassium supplement unless absolutely necessary. Any advice?

365andstillalive

According to google and this link, pretty easily.
http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-potassium.php

Phrick

Potassium is in a lot more foods than MFP gives us credit for - it's not required to be listed on food labels (at least in the US) so even if it is in a food chances are it's in the database with a big, fat zero next to the potassium milligrams. You're probably doing better than you think (even though you're probably still lower than ideal on it if you're like most people).

jennifer_417

I wouldn't worry about the sodium unless you have a relevant health condition like high blood pressure. As far as getting more potassium, a simple google search should help you find a list of high-potassium foods.

47Jacqueline

bananas

flumi_f

I don't know, how and what you eat. In general there is alot more sodium in ready made dishes or processed foods than in homecooked meals with fresh ingredients. The industry uses huge amounts of salt in there processing. So most people have high sodium / low potassium diet. From what I have read on the topic, this used to be different. And the human body actually needs more potassium than sodium.

I never ate alot of processed foods so my sodium is generally low. What I have noticed on my 1 1/2 years of tracking and analyzing the effect of certain foods on my weight, is that potassium is my key to retaining less water or getting rid of it again.

An example - pizza - grain carbs and high sodium, low potassium. If I eat pizza (even homemade, not as much fat and veggie toppings), I will retain 1kg of water over night! I like pizza, I eat pizza, I know what the scale will read the next morning ;-) If I eat a high fat / high cal / higher sodium melted cheese dish called raclette with steamed potatoes and drink wine with it, no gain in the morning. (Assumption - I didn't go over my cals on that given day)

Why! Because the steamed potatoes are low cal, high potassium! I know this is all empirical, but I have seen this phenomenon happen many times. So I then started tracking potassium in my macros. Since I have been keeping my potassium higher than my sodium, I've had less problems with water retention. Or I can get rid of it quicker after a high sodium day.

There are also several foods you can integrate into your diet with high potassium levels. Some are high cal, but there are lots of veggies with relatively low cals and high potassium levels. Google some food potassium levels and you will find some lists on the topic.

My staples are bananas, cauliflower, tomato paste, potatoes, many melon types are good, in general lots of fresh veggies. Potassium is very water soluble. So if your goal is potassium in your diet - fry, bake, steam, don't boil.

jonathanw2012

Potassium is in a lot more foods than MFP gives us credit for - it's not required to be listed on food labels (at least in the US) so even if it is in a food chances are it's in the database with a big, fat zero next to the potassium milligrams. You're probably doing better than you think (even though you're probably still lower than ideal on it if you're like most people).

I noticed that! I was like "What?!" It seems too important NOT to track... Electrolytes! But whatever. I wish MFP did a better job at tracking micros as well as macros. The longer they're here, the better they'll be, I hope.

Thanks for all the replies! This is the best forum I've ever been on!

jonathanw2012

There are also several foods you can integrate into your diet with high potassium levels. Some are high cal, but there are lots of veggies with relatively low cals and high potassium levels. Google some food potassium levels and you will find some lists on the topic.

My staples are bananas, cauliflower, tomato paste, potatoes, many melon types are good, in general lots of fresh veggies. Potassium is very water soluble. So if your goal is potassium in your diet - fry, bake, steam, don't boil.

What I've been doing is adding 1Tbsp Organic Spinach Powder to all my protein shakes. I read spinach is high in K, so since spinach is 92% water, it should be way more concentrated in the powder form.

flumi_f

I don't know Jonathan. Is there information to K on the label? I'm not a clean eater, but I prefer not to supplement, so I get my micros and macros from real food ;-) You'd be surprised what you get if you pick the right veggies.

Missjulesdid

The potassium supplements you can buy OTC are VERY VERY VERY low potency. You would need to take 40 pills to reach 4,000 mg of potassium!!! If you need to take a supplement, then to get one that will make any difference, it needs to by by prescription only.

In the early months following my weight loss surgery while my stomach was still healing, I struggled sometimes to get adequate potassium from foods alone. I drank a vitamin water zero to help with potassium levels. The "Revive" flavor of Vitamin Water has 880 mg of potassium which was just enough to supplement the potassium I was getting from foods. I also struggle with getting enough potassium when I go low carb as some of the most potassium rich foods are fruits and potatoes! Here's some great lower-carb potassium sources

4oz flounder- 600+ mg of potassium
1 cup cooked dark leafy greens- 800+ mg of potassium
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt- 625 mg potassium
1 avocado-900-1,000 mg of potassium
1 scoop isopure protein powder- 380 mg of potassium
Also most meats will give you 300-400 mg in a 3 ounce serving.
1 cup portabella mushrooms 400 mg potassium.

kommodevaran

Almost every - no, I believe, every single - natural food, besides crustaceans (lobster, crab, shrimp and so on), and egg whites, and roe, because it's egg, contains more potassium than sodium. Processed food contains more sodium because of the added salt. Chances are you are getting more potassium than you think, and there is no need for supplements or special food. There should be a balance between sodium and potassium, too much or too little of either is not good. Check out
http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods

kommodevaran

If you feel the need to track a nutrient that is not commonly entered in the food database, it's possible to either add your own food and not make it public, or modify the existing ones.

socajam

So I keep on getting too much sodium and not enough potassium! How can I reverse this? I do not want to take a potassium supplement unless absolutely necessary. Any advice?

To name a few: Coconut water lots of potassium
Qia Superfood (Chia, Buckwheat and Hemp Cereal) = 190 grams of potassium per 30 grams (just bought it at Costco yesterday)

TiberiusClaudis

The potassium supplements you can buy OTC are VERY VERY VERY low potency. You would need to take 40 pills to reach 4,000 mg of potassium!!! If you need to take a supplement, then to get one that will make any difference, it needs to by by prescription only.

This is true, I was having really bad cramps and my personal trainer suggested I take in more potassium, so went looking for supplements. But everything I saw, said 1-3% of the daily requirement..huh? So I asked the pharmacist about this, seems potassim is highly toxic. So one could easily poison someone with excess potassium, so that's why supplements are so low. So real food is your best bet as stated above

shapefitter

I had no idea that Electrolytes, was related to this topic. My gp mentioned that my Electrolyte level was low, a few years back. Having no idea what it meant, I've concentrated on other health aspect, with great success thanks to MFP. However, I did awake with a cramp in my left calf muscle, this morning. Something, that I used to suffer from, after a night out with friends. I'm teatotal now, and put it down to the fact that I didn't get my usual 8 glasses of water yesterday (water flushes out the sodium/salt). This is my grasp of things, but would be happy to have the 'Electrolyte' clarified a bit more.

_Zardoz_

So I keep on getting too much sodium and not enough potassium! How can I reverse this? I do not want to take a potassium supplement unless absolutely necessary. Any advice?

The MFP app is not an accurate way to monitor potassium. Food labelling does not legally have to have this listed and the majority of database entries will either have it missing or wrong due to this. If you have any concerns go see your doctor in all likelihood though your potassium is perfectly normal

justalittlecrazy

Are you having a problem with cramping? If not, you are probably fine. Potassium is regularly covered in lab work so you probably would have heard something, if you ever have labs done.

If you are having problems with cramping, try to drink a lot more water, as well as adding potassium rich foods. I have debilitating leg cramps- both calves and the insides of both thighs, all at the same time- but my key to keeping them under control is water, water and more water. And the more active you are, the more water you need.

Liftng4Lis

Sodium is more abundant in processed foods, which means anything canned or prepared you're going to run into this. Unless you're having problems with water retention, I wouldn't overly worry about it.

jessicalewis82

I'm on a very low carb diet which makes me have to add more sodium to my diet. I eat a lot of spinach which actually has more potassium then bananas. I take magnesium which helps absorb more of the potassium.

FredDoyle

I've been tracking potassium for several years. The good news is that meat is high in potassium.
If I want to up my K levels, I make a protein powder shake with coconut water or have a cup of V8.
Tomatoes are high in K, as are potatoes and most veggies. Eat a pile of mushrooms. Low cal.
Bananas are a poor choice actually if you don't want to add cals to a meal. I'd rather eat a piece of meat and get the protein as well. Squash is another good one. Fairly low cal and high in K and fibre.
I make all my own entries in the database and track potassium. You can check here:

http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list

deepakjnath

Tender coconut water 1 glass 250 ml per day will give you all the potassium you will ever need.