Potassium

MinimalistShoeAddict
MinimalistShoeAddict Posts: 1,946 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Looking over my nutrient intake I seem to be in my target ranges of most every day. Potassium is the big exception. I rarely reach 2000mg and am never close to the 3500 recommended intake.

Is this a big problem? I know I could eat more bananas and green vegetables but 3500mg a day seems like a tough task.

Is it a big deal if I only average 1700mg or so a day of Potassium?

Thanks!

Replies

  • StyxxandStones
    StyxxandStones Posts: 120
    so long as you feel fine, no. but just know, if you have to get an IV and have potassium pumped into your body, it BURNS like a mother.

    :flowerforyou:
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,409 Member
    Go to the Search box and type Potassium. There are a lot of explanations in many, many previous threads - probably in the last couple days..

    Short answer - Potassium isn't entered into the foods in most databases. You're getting more than you think. Deficiencies are rare in developed countries.

    Google "potassium rich food" for a list, but it's pretty much any fruit, vegetable, dairy, meat.
  • rwspencer
    rwspencer Posts: 1 Member
    Hi! I noticed the same low intake when I first started using MFP. Until about 4 years ago, I use to run long distance races quiet a lot (4 completed marathons and over 2 dozen half marathons). Around that time my legs and feet started to feel like concrete. I chalked it up to overtraining, getting older, etc. Most articles you read say the normal human gets plenty of potassium so I never thought I was not getting enough - an observation I do not think is true in our society. Given that too much potassium can be dangerous if you consume too much, a lot of advice is very cautious. In any event, after a couple of weeks of using MFP, I thought maybe my running problems were related to a potassium deficiency. I started to add a half teaspoon of potassium chloride to my vitamin water zero - about 75% of the RDA - when I was attempting to exercise. This is the same stuff in V-8 and you can find it next to salt at the grocery store given it is a salt substitute. It was like Popeye when he eats spinach!!! I went from barely able to run a mile to finishing a half marathon in 6 weeks. Of course, I had a base going into it given my years of running, this was amazing. I still am in disbelief I have running back in my life and it just took this small change (I tried so many other things too that did not work!). Given I ran a lot and drank a lot of caffeinated drinks (strips away potassium), I am sure I am an extreme example, but this one change was really a life saver for me. Since I added this to my workout on August 18th of this year, I am down 57 pounds and 2 pounds from my weight five years ago when I completed my last marathon. Sorry for the longwinded answer, however, this among other smaller changes made a huge difference! I am running around 35 miles a week now. I am not sure I answered your question directly, however, if you are experiencing leg/feet issues, it is worth exploring potassium more! Good Luck!
  • 1Kristine1
    1Kristine1 Posts: 697 Member
    so long as you feel fine, no. but just know, if you have to get an IV and have potassium pumped into your body, it BURNS like a mother.

    :flowerforyou:
    Or they might just give it to you in pill form lol
  • MinimalistShoeAddict
    MinimalistShoeAddict Posts: 1,946 Member
    Thank you rws. I will check into this as I also run and drink a lot of caffeine!
  • LadyIntrepid
    LadyIntrepid Posts: 399 Member
    I never reach my potassium goal so take supplements (nothing too high-dose crazy). Can't hurt, could help.
  • alasin1derland
    alasin1derland Posts: 575 Member
    interesting
  • raeleek
    raeleek Posts: 414 Member
    I was dizzy and had leg cramps a lot and my sister, worked for years in dialysis, mentioned upping my potassium. I started to up my intake through foods and within a few weeks the dizziness and cramping went away.

    I ate a lot of spinach and started drinking low-sodium V8. I was told to avoid a potassium supplement unless specifically directed by a doctor.
  • JraeL91
    JraeL91 Posts: 38
    young coconut water has a lot of potassium
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    Potassium is in the majority of foods. It's not required to be put on the nutrition label, so it isn't, and so it isn't put into MFP.

    Where are you getting the information you're not getting enough?
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    Even with proper nutrition, my bloodwork always show my potassium very low or even under the low limit. I am able to recognize when it is too low now. I have to take a pill everyday and sometimes that's not enough and I have to double up per Drs orders.
    Anyway, starting out, I'd get bloodwork done to see where things are.
    Good luck!

    THIS^^^ my urologist actually discovered my low potassium during a routine urine test while treating my kidney stones. I am now on like 2500mg a day.

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