Enough potassium?

lrberchielli

I am having trouble getting enough potassium in my diet. Getting 3500mg a day seems impossible and I eat a plant based diet. Is this a problem for anyone else?

lilmissy2

Are you the same person that on another forum said you were tracking potassium to stop cramping?

The only reason I ask is that sometimes cramping can be the result of too much sodium and you'll be interested to know that sodium works closely with potassium inside your body. It's difficult to explain the mechanisms without getting too technical but basically, the sodium to potassium ratio can be just as important as the actual amount of either.... ie if you are eating more potassium, your body will respond as though you are eating less sodium (to an extent). Which makes me wonder if perhaps you might try cutting your sodium down as well

It's actually very rare for people to not get enough potassium from diet. As for good sources of potassium (actually I usually am saying 'bad sources' for people who have to cut down!) are bananas, tomatoes, potatoes, dried fruit, nuts, peanut butter, avocade, orange juice.

lrberchielli

Not the same person. I read something similar about salt and potassium. The article I read said something about the historical differences in the ratios as well (I figured it probably had to do with the amounts of processed foods people eat today). I don't seem to have a problem with sodium, usually between 1000-1500mg a day. I am not a vegan but I eat mostly fruits and vegetables all day long which is why I was a little surprised that my potassium numbers were almost never reaching the 3500mg mark.