whats this potassium thing?

Belle_Fille

this is my first day tracking potassium and after all of my meals, i have only consumed 126 for potassium. it says my daily goal is 3500...that seems like A LOT! do i need all of that? whats the deal?

Caper88

Mine says that as well. It must be based off a recommended daily amount everyone should be getting. Unsure how it is related to weight loss. Interested if anyone knows.

Tomhusker

I am not real sure, but I think it is like the good twin to the evil sodium. If your diet has a lot of sodium you should make sure your potassium is up there. I read a bit the other day about it. I take a potassium supplement at night.

sjd2010

Potassium has nothing to do with weight loss, but keeping your body healthy. You get potassium from various foods, such as spinach, milk, etc. If you suffer cramps, you could be low on potassium. It is a very important nutrient for your body and you should get as close to the recommended amount as possible. Good luck.:flowerforyou:

Mindful_Trent

Please check out this link: http://www.cvshealthresources.com/topic/potassium

Potassium is a CRITICAL mineral for our overall health. Sodium/Potassium balances are related, and affect every system in our bodies. Potassium that is too high is bad for you, but so is Potassium that is too low.

Mindful_Trent

One more thing - I do NOT recommend tracking potassium in MFP. Unfortunately, it's not required to be on food labels, and many food labels don't have it. Even when they do, not everyone enters it when they put the food in the database. Luckily, that means that the number you get on MFP is likely going to be far too low. It is important to get enough Potassium, but you're much better off making it a point to eat several high-potassium foods each day as a habit rather than tracking the potassium in everything you eat.

Here is another source for finding potassium-rich foods - they have the list sorted alphabetically or by potasium content. I recommend looking at the latter, as they include some foods on there that really aren't that high in potassium.
http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=20958
(You have to scroll down the list and find potassium. They have all the other major nutrients on there as well.)

sarglava

Actually potassium AND sodium are related to neuron-firing in our brains. Without these chemicals we would not survive.

stephraposo

i dont remember exactly but it has to do with polarisation (sodium) and depolarization (potassium) in the muscles and heart muscle. So i think that it means that sodium contracts and the potassium decontracts the muscle. anyway its vital. i think bananas have alot of potassium, and you can find it in potato and nuts.

i hope it helps

Tofuheart

Bananas are good for Potassium. Apricots are high on the list too.

Potassium is a mineral salt electrolyte that is used to balance PH levels in our body fluids. It's vital for heart, liver, kidney and nervous system function.


I used to be on the Dr B diet. We would have to take HUGE amounts of it daily to balance our electrolytes. It stops muscle craps and other such things related to being on a starvation based diet. It has some nasty side affects if you take too much though. (heart palpitations etc) It was really hard to get off the potassium when I stopped the diet. My body was so out of synch with itself. I know some people that are still taking supplements a year later because of the side affects from being on such high doses and then starving yourself.

When I started taking a nursing program I learned how bad that diet is and the manipulation of the minerals etc that are part of these fad/starvation diets. Not good.

Eating a balanced diet is key to keeping potasium at proper levels. I don't think it's something that needs to constantly be monitored unless you have health complications such as diabetes or pre existing kidney conditions.

When I get my blood work done every six months I get my Doctor to run a full panel so I can see where my Potassium is for curiosity sake.