Potassium

ambivalence11
ambivalence11 Posts: 93 Member
in Food and Nutrition
According to MFP I need to eat 3500 mg of potassium a day. Is that correct? Is that humanly possible on a low calorie diet? I would have to eat

7 bananas a day (750 calories)
3.5 cups of almonds a day (2800 calories)
4 cups of raisins (1730calories)
3 avacados (870 calories)
2 tablespoons of chili powder (50 calories)

Don't get me wrong, I know a bit of colum A and B and C can add up to the 3500mg, but eating low cal is plenty hard without trying to knock off some more calories from dinner so you can eat almonds and avacados. Does anyone have a suggestion of how to reach this goal without eating ONLY fruits and vegetables for every meal?

Replies

  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
    take a vitamin?
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Lo-salt or reduced sodium salt will help.
  • babycook
    babycook Posts: 172 Member
    I don't know if you will find a supplement with the recommended dose of potassium without a script. My potassium intake is always at least 1000 mg too low. Has been since I started tracking in October. And I just had blood work done and my potassium was fine.
    Taking a supplement with the recommended dose can be dangerous because too much potassium is dangerous to the rhythm of your heart.
  • Goal_Line
    Goal_Line Posts: 474 Member
    I've never been able to consistently get to the recommended level of potassium - used to bother me. My blood work is fine as well.
  • miranda_mom
    miranda_mom Posts: 873 Member
    I never get the full potassium either (although I'm coming close today because I'm having a baked potato for dinner). I think part of the reason is that a lot of foods in the database don't have potassium listed. Like, you could eat something that you know has avocado, or bananas, or potatoes, and it will say "0" for potassium. So I always assume it's higher than what it shows for my daily total.
  • wildcata77
    wildcata77 Posts: 660
    There are some interesting studies done recently that show a link between potassium and sodium (this may be old news but it's new for me). The more potassium you take in, the more it combats sodium and the damage it does to your system.

    I believe the article I read was in Cooking Light and they had some great sources for potassium besides the stuff we always hear (bananas and potatoes). Leafy greens are obviously a source of everything good we could put in our bodies.

    I haven't set MFP to track potassium...maybe I will to see how much I'm getting.
  • TONYAGOOCH
    TONYAGOOCH Posts: 470 Member
    I am always under my potassium goal. I got close one day. I had 2 boca burger patties (1040 mg), Green Giant Antioxidant Blend Veggies (420 mg), an egg (66.5 mg), necterine (385 mg), greek yogurt (170 mg), 1 cup grapes (230 mg), peanuts (200 mg), protien shake (400 mg) and a multivitamin (80 mg). Of course this was a big workout day for me so I had eaten more calories too.
  • Lidenbrock
    Lidenbrock Posts: 47
    Most packets of food don't include a potassium count - so remember when you are using the food on the MFP database although they contain potassium - it might not have been input by the user since the value isn't on the packet.
  • wildcata77
    wildcata77 Posts: 660
    According to MFP I need to eat 3500 mg of potassium a day. Is that correct? Is that humanly possible on a low calorie diet? I would have to eat

    7 bananas a day (750 calories)
    3.5 cups of almonds a day (2800 calories)
    4 cups of raisins (1730calories)
    3 avacados (870 calories)
    2 tablespoons of chili powder (50 calories)

    Don't get me wrong, I know a bit of colum A and B and C can add up to the 3500mg, but eating low cal is plenty hard without trying to knock off some more calories from dinner so you can eat almonds and avacados. Does anyone have a suggestion of how to reach this goal without eating ONLY fruits and vegetables for every meal?

    Also, don't discount the benefits of consuming high fat/cal foods like Banana, Avocado, and Nuts...the Omega oils in those fats are good for your body, as long as you aren't over consuming.
  • KaleidoscopeEyes1056
    KaleidoscopeEyes1056 Posts: 2,996 Member
    take a vitamin?

    I thought Potassium supplements were prescription only...
  • prism6
    prism6 Posts: 484 Member
    I guess you have to just pick the few things that you want to concern yourself with,either due to medical reasons or knowledge. There are soooo many vitamins,and so much information, it can drive one crazy. I choose protien and calories and take a good vitamin suppliment...so far , so great...
  • Kathy53925
    Kathy53925 Posts: 241 Member
    According to MFP I need to eat 3500 mg of potassium a day. Is that correct? Is that humanly possible on a low calorie diet? I would have to eat

    7 bananas a day (750 calories)
    3.5 cups of almonds a day (2800 calories)
    4 cups of raisins (1730calories)
    3 avacados (870 calories)
    2 tablespoons of chili powder (50 calories)

    Don't get me wrong, I know a bit of colum A and B and C can add up to the 3500mg, but eating low cal is plenty hard without trying to knock off some more calories from dinner so you can eat almonds and avacados. Does anyone have a suggestion of how to reach this goal without eating ONLY fruits and vegetables for every meal?




    Daily consumption of 2,000 to 6,000 milligrams of potassium is a safe range for the general population.

    Very Good Sources

    About 400 milligrams or more


    Cantaloupe

    8 oz. (1 cup)

    Orange juice

    8 oz. (1 cup)

    Baked potato

    1 medium potato

    Tomato juice

    8 oz. (1 cup)

    Honeydew melon

    8 oz. (1 cup)

    Nectarine

    1 large nectarine

    Dates

    4 oz. (1/2 cup)

    Dried beans

    8 oz. (1 cup) cooked

    Winter squash

    4 oz. (1/2 cup) cooked
  • bilzprincess
    bilzprincess Posts: 107 Member
    My diary is open. Feel free to check it out. I don't always eat my goal in potassium, but sometimes I do exceed it. All fruits and veggies that are fresh have it. Be sure when u add Raw Green Beans or something like that u check that potassium is listed in the nutrients. If not, it's been omitted, so choose a different raw green beans from the list. 3 c. Of fresh veggies when cooked become a normal size--so don't be alarmed by the quantity of 3 cups, etc.
  • JamesonsMommy
    JamesonsMommy Posts: 771 Member
    lots and lots of veggies :)
  • jcamby
    jcamby Posts: 200 Member
    You can buy potassium supplements (in the vitamin aisle)
  • JamesonsMommy
    JamesonsMommy Posts: 771 Member
    This may help :)



    http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/food/potassium-foods.htm
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    Be like Popeye and eat your spinach! 1 cup of spinach boiled and drained (no salt) has over 800mg of sodium and 41 calories, plus it's got a lot of iron and Vitamin A. Beet greens are even better.

    Kale, romaine lettuce, arugula, are also decent sources. Not in spinach's league, but still good.

    If it's green and leafy, pile it on!

    My wife takes beets (with the greens), turnips (with the greens), spinach, and kale. She sautees them in a little water and some olive oil and garlic, then sprays just a touch of soy sauce on. I could eat that stuff by the POUND, it's very filling, and potassium and iron are not a problem those days!
  • kbairdphillips
    kbairdphillips Posts: 275 Member
    A person should get twice as much potassium as sodium so by lowering your sodium (taking out processed foods), your potassium should increase. I know once I started to get sodium conscious, my potassium increased. The recommended daily allowance for potassium is 4,700 and I always try to stay above 3,000.

    Other good sources of potassium include tomatoes, low sodium tomato juice (12 oz=1,380), red potatoes, low fat chocolate milk (also a good post work-out drink), oranges, cooked spinach, squash, romaine lettuce, raisins, beans, Dannon Oikos yogurt, and I'm sure there are a lot more you could add to this list.

    Here are a couple good links.
    http://www.harvardschoolofpublichealth.org/nutritionsource/salt/sodium-potassium-balance/
    http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/23/health/he-sodium23
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    Try low sodium v8 juice. Quite low-cal and extremely high potassium. Also beet greens.
  • pbajwally
    pbajwally Posts: 210 Member
    I started tracking my potassium after reading that increasing potassium levels can aid in lowering blood pressure. My BP was not high but it was out of the normal range... so, why not keep an eye on it? I also take a supplement daily (available OTC) and have been doing so for about 2 months. I have definitely seen improvement. I've also been on a sweet potato & cantaloupe kick - cantaloupe has a LOT of potassium. I don't worry about hitting my daily macro, but I try to get close. Some days I do, some days I don't. But the foods that have a lot of potassium in them I am finding I naturally start eating more of.
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
    Vitamin water
  • itsmemxc
    itsmemxc Posts: 1
    I was wondering the same thing! I had just started tracking the daily summary to make sure I am getting my calcium, and wow I was surprised by the potassim deficit I seem to have.
  • jeremy227
    jeremy227 Posts: 1 Member
    You can get a non-script Potassium supplement, but it is usually only 100 mg.
  • IamOnMywayNow
    IamOnMywayNow Posts: 470 Member
    Coconut water has a lot of potassium and it is delicious!
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    Potatoes are a better source of potassium than bananas.
  • csmccord
    csmccord Posts: 272 Member
    Coconut water has a lot of potassium and it is delicious!

    Finally somebody said it! Both my trainer and nutritionist recommend coconut water for helping with potassium intake. It does not taste like coconut at all. It does have a flavor, but I don't really know how to describe it.
  • Anniebotnen
    Anniebotnen Posts: 332 Member
    I struggle with this too, but I'm getting better at hitting the 3500. Cauliflower, broccoli and carrots have lots and are low in calories. Prunes are a good source too, but don't eat too many at a time!

    I used to get terrible muscle cramps after working out but have not had a single one since I started paying attention to potassium intake.
  • misschoppo
    misschoppo Posts: 463 Member
    Most packets of food don't include a potassium count - so remember when you are using the food on the MFP database although they contain potassium - it might not have been input by the user since the value isn't on the packet.

    This ^ I don't actively track vitamins on MFP because a lot of foods just don't have the info on the pack and for fresh produce a lot of the entries in the database have 0 values for them so you might be eating vitamins that are not actually showing up in your logging.

    One thing that does have a decent amount of potassium in it that I like to drink is Coconut water - The Vita Coco brand has 463mg of potassium in every 250ml glass which comes in at 45calories :smile:

Categories