sodium vs. potassium

Dudagarcia

Thank u I'm cooking black beans now

toysbigkid

thanks for the great information. I never knew!!!

enivedlliw

the best suggestion is talk to your DR. I take both a diretic (laxis) and Potassium 2x a day perscribed by my DR. read my profile and you'll see why its important to consult your Dr. about these sort of questions!

Great advice.

Dudagarcia

Thanks Warren for posting this.

CalJur

Sodium is essential to your bodily functions. The recommended daily amount is actually good for you. The problem is getting too much sodium usually in sodas and processed foods can cause weight retention and other health issues.

Potassium is both an electrolyte and a mineral. It helps keep the water (the amount of fluid inside and outside the body's cells) and electrolyte balance of the body. Potassium is also important in how nerves and muscles work.

Potassium levels often change with sodium levels. When sodium levels go up, potassium levels go down, and when sodium levels go down, potassium levels go up.

It is much harder to reach the daily recommended potassium level but not impossible. Many foods are rich in potassium, including scallops, potatoes, figs, bananas, prune juice, orange juice, nuts and squash. I recently added potassium as something to track in my food diary.

Hope this helps.

NewChristina

I can verify this. Had CHF a few years ago. (Not from sodium, but from pre-eclampsia.) I was put on a low sodium diet, many meds and 20 meq of potassium twice a day.
But please be careful with the potassium. Overdoing the K can cause an imbalance with your electrolytes and mess up your heartbeats/blood pressure.

Dudagarcia

I was also told I needed sodium u always hear about not having too much and I know it comes in foods I don't eat too much processed foods just cause I try to watch carbs and my hubby is diabetic. I have green salads and protein etc.

LaurenAOK

Very interesting, I have never heard this! Thanks!

DBB07

I was also told I needed sodium u always hear about not having too much and I know it comes in foods I don't eat too much processed foods just cause I try to watch carbs and my hubby is diabetic. I have green salads and protein etc.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Dudagarcia,

It is common to be deficient in sodium on low carbohydrate diets. This, in turn, causes the body to excrete potassium as well. It's called "natriuresis." Volek and Phinney, in their book "The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living" write about this issue. When I find the quote, I'll edit this post so that you can have the benefit of their wisdom.

[Edit]

On pages 149-154 of their book, the authors write in relevant part: "[A]ll carbohydrate-restricted diets, even ones providing 50-60 grams . . . are natriuretic - they make the kidneys dump sodium. Now, if you are bloated, edematous, or hypertensive, 'dumping sodium' is a good thing. But if you do not (or no longer) have these fluid-excess symptoms, then over-excretion of sodium . . . can have negative health effects as well. . . . At some point, . . . the adrenal gland secrete the hormone aldosterone, which makes kidney tubular cells excrete potassium in order to conserve sodium. nless there is copious potassium coming in from the diet, this excess urinary potassium comes from the body's potassium pool inside cells. Two things then happen. First, nerve and muscle cells don't work well, leading to cardiac dysrhythmias and muscle cramps. Second, because potassium is an obligate component of lean tissue, the body starts losing muscle even if there's plenty of protein in the diet."

They recommend taking two bouillon cubes a day in two cups of water to solve the sodium problem.

DBB07

Warren_Carrol

I'm absolutely not a doctor (I didn't even stay in a holiday inn express last night)
I wouldn't suggest cramming too much of anything in yourself to offset anything else (such as sodium/potassium)

obviously, if you have a pre-existing health issue, all bets are off and just consult with your doctor.

Dudagarcia

Thank u cmpierce so much no I don't have health issues am not on any meds I'm definitely seeing doctor tomorrow again thank u for all the good advice I will let u know what happens

KaleidoscopeEyes1056

I don't remember specifics, but I kind of remember learning about a Sodium Potassium pump in my high school AP Biology class. In order for it to work properly, it did need a good ratio of sodium and potassium to work. Like I said, I don't remember specifics because it's been so long, but yeah.

Sisnjrn

Just a warning... Potassium can be a real problem in excess quantities. Too much or too little potassium can cause fatal heart arrhythmia. Be careful with Salt Substitutes that replace Sodium with Potassium. Also, don't get an idea to mega dose with Potassium supplements to offset Sodium intake. Keep in mind there are certain medicines that can cause the body to conserve Potassium, such as ACE Inhibitors (a common family of Blood Pressure medicines). If you are taking an ACEI, they come with the instruction to monitor Potassium levels and avoid too much Potassium in the diet. I think if your source for micronutrients is food and not supplements it will be a safer bet. For example, magnesium supplements will give you diarrhea

My bottom line here is that consuming your RDA for Sodium and Potassium (and any other micro or macronutrient), eating your recommended amount of calories and exercising responsibly is all you need to lose weight. Things can get dangerous when you mess around with your electrolytes. Keep it simple...

Sisnjrn

I agree ... when one starts to play with more than the RDA ... then they need to study the affects of it or talk to a doctor before they start playing with it.... in this case ... more of either is not better and less is not good either.... RDA is key. Heart meds also do play a role in wasting of these meds ... either way they are key to maintaining electrical activity in your heart ... too little or too much affects the pump! Like anything ... all this advice sounds good but research and speak with your doctor first.

DBB07

Quite honestly, I'd lay 100 to 1 odds that 90% of the American public doesn't take in the RDA of 4,700 mg for potassium: they'd have to eat the equivalent of 5 giant baked potatoes (with the skin) or 10 bananas to do so. Most other so-called rich sources include amounts that are even more negligible.

ninerbuff

Sodium gets a bad rap because of water retention. In reality, sodium tracking isn't really needed unless someone is suffering from high blood pressure or has heart disease. To offset the water retention..............drink more water. If you're eating a balanced diet, then one doesn't need to do much to try to balance out sodium/potassium ratios. The body will do it on it's own. Millions of Asians can't be wrong.

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skinnybearlyndsay

Funny...my sister read an article to me yesterday while I was driving from Cooking Light about this topic. A 1:1 ratio is a good thing to strive for. An issue that I remember from the article (as I was driving) is that potassium is not considered a mandatory nutrient on food packaging. However, I've noticed that a lot more food companies are providing this information on packaging.

And yes, bananas are not the only source. There are tons of foods with more potassium than bananas...avocados, beans, cantaloupe.

UsedToBeHusky

Potassium is awesome! Some other great sources:

Low-sodium canned tomatoes
Dried beans
Sugar-free or reduced sugar orange juice
Sweet potatoes
Potatoes
Non-fat milk

KANGOOJUMPS

SO TRUE!!!!,, this is great!, i am big on potassium in foods!,

sseettlleejjee

Thanks! This is very interesting. I have an issue with my ear when I eat too much sodium. Anything to help with this is appreciated.

I am going to Google sources of potassium.