Potassium - How to get 4g a day without a supplement?

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  • reggie2run
    reggie2run Posts: 477 Member
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    bump
  • lyttlewon
    lyttlewon Posts: 1,118 Member
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    Is it possible you are low in serotonin? Deficiencies include overreacting to stimulus, paranoia, lack of self esteem, lack of rational emotion and unexplained fears. Your emotional hyper sensitivity may be due to a lack of the calming affect of this neurotransmitter. L-Tryptophan a building block which naturally comes from protein sources like cottage cheese, non fat dry milk chicken, turkey with skin, soybeans, almonds, pumpkin seeds, orange juice and toasted wheat germ.

    I recall you saying you had an issue with dairy and legumes so maybe these lacking in your diet are not helping.

    Running is known to produce enkephalins, which causes the runners high, and deficiency in enkephalins causes feelings of inferiority, inadequacy and low self worth. You can improve your enkephalins with the building block L/D Phenylalanine

    Just based upon how you feel many times in posts, personally attacked and belittled, I thought I would mention these. :flowerforyou:
  • ToughTulip
    ToughTulip Posts: 1,118 Member
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    Bananas, Potatoes, Melon, Spinach, Broccoli, and mushrooms are my sources! Very high in potassium
    Milk, Meat, and cheese has quite a bit too
  • leiloob
    leiloob Posts: 49 Member
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    Coconut water!
  • mariposa224
    mariposa224 Posts: 1,269 Member
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    Don't know if you're wanting seasonings as well, but I purchased this to help me cut back on sodium & found that it had a good-ish amount of potassium (460 mg). Tony Chacheres - Salt-Free Creole Seasoning
  • George1567
    George1567 Posts: 107
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    8 oz of Low Sodium Spicy V8, 1000g potassium
  • konerusp
    konerusp Posts: 247 Member
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    try cooking up dark greens with lentils,makes a delicious dish.
    you can search for "spinach dal" in google ull find a ton of recipes.

    the same recipe can be done with kale,spinach,fenugreek leaves,chards.

    free pass for vegetables :)
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
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    Doing research on my own while I wait for answers and I think Information on the internet sucks... "Bananas have the most potassium at 357 mg per 100 grams of fruit, followed by cantaloupe with 350 mg, kiwi with 330 mg, then apricot and blackberry with 300 mg each." but WHFOODS says bananas have 422mg and cantaloupe has 425....

    Le sigh. Why can't people just share the same data and take the guesswork of who is "accurate" out of this!
  • nygrl4evr
    nygrl4evr Posts: 196 Member
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    Bump...I struggle with getting all of mine in too.
  • reneetherare
    reneetherare Posts: 7
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    Sweet potatoes! I have the same trouble and so, eat roasted root veggies all the time. Like other posters said, coconut water.
  • mrpurdy
    mrpurdy Posts: 262 Member
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    Another vote for coconut water, here! It's the best for re-hydrating after a difficult workout, too!
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
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    Is it possible you are low in serotonin? Deficiencies include overreacting to stimulus, paranoia, lack of self esteem, lack of rational emotion and unexplained fears. Your emotional hyper sensitivity may be due to a lack of the calming affect of this neurotransmitter. L-Tryptophan a building block which naturally comes from protein sources like cottage cheese, non fat dry milk chicken, turkey with skin, soybeans, almonds, pumpkin seeds, orange juice and toasted wheat germ.

    I recall you saying you had an issue with dairy and legumes so maybe these lacking in your diet are not helping.

    Running is known to produce enkephalins, which causes the runners high, and deficiency in enkephalins causes feelings of inferiority, inadequacy and low self worth. You can improve your enkephalins with the building block L/D Phenylalanine

    Just based upon how you feel many times in posts, personally attacked and belittled, I thought I would mention these. :flowerforyou:

    Most of my posts I just wear my heart on my sleeve and attract the "boys don't cry" crowds. People who are raised with "tough loving" parents grow up to give everyone "tough love" when they perceive them being what their parents told them is the sign of weakness. Trust me, I have lots of love in my life and I don't need any Serotonin; but thank you for your help anyways. I'm just a sensitive, people loving, happy go lucky, and naive young male who often gets called "gay if he wasn't married" because I am in tune with my emotional side (unlike most men).

    But back to the potassium! Being over-sensitive to light and sound is a bit of a drag and with my potassium being under 2g and the daily required being upped to 3.5g for adult women and to 4.8g for adult men, I'm willing to give this a shot.

    Thanks again :flowerforyou:
  • lyttlewon
    lyttlewon Posts: 1,118 Member
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    Well unless you are talking about your nervous system, potassium isn't specifically a brain building chemical. Potassium is essential for the proper functioning of the heart, kidneys, muscles, nerves, and digestive system. Maybe I misunderstood what you mean by "hypersensitivity" in your original post. We all have to build our neurotransmitters from our diet regardless of how "happy" our lives are. Good luck.
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
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    Well unless you are talking about your nervous system, potassium isn't specifically a brain building chemical. Potassium is essential for the proper functioning of the heart, kidneys, muscles, nerves, and digestive system. Maybe I misunderstood what you mean by "hypersensitivity" in your original post. We all have to build our neurotransmitters from our diet regardless of how "happy" our lives are. Good luck.

    I put a link in my OP First Post. Read the blog entry attached. I have sensory sensitivity and food sensitivity; I just figured having a sensitive demeanor (not moody or sobbing over-emotional; just subjectively minded instead of objectively) was another natural trait.
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
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    Thank you everyone who replied, I think I have what I needed. :flowerforyou:
  • trtmom
    trtmom Posts: 76 Member
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    V8 Juice!!
  • possibri
    possibri Posts: 158 Member
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    Well unless you are talking about your nervous system, potassium isn't specifically a brain building chemical. Potassium is essential for the proper functioning of the heart, kidneys, muscles, nerves, and digestive system. Maybe I misunderstood what you mean by "hypersensitivity" in your original post. We all have to build our neurotransmitters from our diet regardless of how "happy" our lives are. Good luck.

    Potassium is directly related to the firing of neurons... so while it isn't a "brain building chemical" it is indeed crucial to brain function. When a neuron fires that is the work of the sodium-potassium pump, which is why we need to have them in balance, too much/too little of either causes our brain to work less efficiently.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na+/K+-ATPase#Function
    http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072495855/student_view0/chapter2/animation__how_the_sodium_potassium_pump_works.html


    Also, I'm finding that Yukon Gold potatoes are an amazing source of potassium, along with celery, kiwi, and avocado. I believe certain meat also has a decent amount of potassium (just so you aren't forced to get it solely from veggies)

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/83030-meats-high-potassium/


    I have also been working hard on upping my potassium intake, and still usually find myself under the recommended amount, so you might be forced to eat more veggies AND take a supplement. Good luck! =]]

    EDIT: Also, it's been mentioned that MFP food entries don't always have the potassium listed even though there is potassium in the item, so it could be that you're low, but not as low as you think, simply because not all of it is getting logged!
  • chrisbcats
    chrisbcats Posts: 16 Member
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    Here is a list of foods and their potassium count: http://www.algaecal.com/potassium-foods-list.html

    I have the same situation as you. I need to reach my daily value of potassium without increasing my sugar intake. I've been tracking my potassium intake and as close as I can get is about 48% of my DV.

    I'm very new at this, but I'm learning to balance every carb with a protein. So a high potassium snack for me is:
    Green non fat plain yogurt w/ small box of california raisins.

    And thanks to kfbayard I'm going to try a new breakfast smoothie:
    Coconut water (frozen into cubes) blended with spinach leaves and non fat plain Greek yogurt. I will tell you how it taste :)
  • taylor5877
    taylor5877 Posts: 1,792 Member
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    Lean meats also have a lot of potassium. I easily get 4g/day on average, but I eat more than most. You're welcome to browse my dairy.
  • lyttlewon
    lyttlewon Posts: 1,118 Member
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    Well unless you are talking about your nervous system, potassium isn't specifically a brain building chemical. Potassium is essential for the proper functioning of the heart, kidneys, muscles, nerves, and digestive system. Maybe I misunderstood what you mean by "hypersensitivity" in your original post. We all have to build our neurotransmitters from our diet regardless of how "happy" our lives are. Good luck.

    I put a link in my OP First Post. Read the blog entry attached. I have sensory sensitivity and food sensitivity; I just figured having a sensitive demeanor (not moody or sobbing over-emotional; just subjectively minded instead of objectively) was another natural trait.


    I don’t know why I am putting so much effort into this, other than nothing drives me battier than spurious research.

    What is your y=f(x) equation?

    Y=hypersensitivity.
    X that influences hypersensitivity=brain
    x that influence brain=neurotransmitters
    x that influences neurotransmitters=Serotonin (GABA might also be one of yours but serotonin matches your description better)
    x that influences Serotonin=L-Tryptophan

    Foods that contain L-Tryptophan
    Food - potassium content
    One small orange (237mg) or one-half cup of orange juice (236mg)
    Three ounces of roasted turkey, dark meat (259mg)
    One cup of 2 percent white milk (377mg)
    One cup of low-fat (2 percent) cottage cheese (217mg)
    One cup of wheat germ (1026mg)
    Almonds 100g ( 705mg)
    Pumpkin seeds 100g (919mg)
    Soymilk (343mg)

    You notice how all of these foods are high in potassium? The answer is, WHO CARES? We already know that potassium doesn’t directly influence mood function, but L-Tryptophan does!

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