Iron / Potassium

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Hi,

I've been using MFP for almost 2 months. Can anyone tell me what foods are high in iron and potassium? Each day it looks like I'm not getting enough of both.

Thanks so much!

Tracy

Replies

  • btsinmd
    btsinmd Posts: 921 Member
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    I have the same problem. Does anyone have an answer?
  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,871 Member
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    Meat is good for iron and potassium, though most of the meat entries on here don't include potassium. To help my potassium levels I also eat dried apricots, bananas and oranges. The site Allrecipes.com has a feature where you can search for recipes using nutrition requirements.
  • fablevins
    fablevins Posts: 111 Member
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    You should also add almonds and avocados for potassium.
  • aszwarc
    aszwarc Posts: 200 Member
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    Because potassium isn't required to be identified on food labels, a lot of entries don't include it, even those foods known to be high in potassium.

    But this list is a good place to start: http://www.algaecal.com/potassium-foods-list.html

    EDIT: also http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/food/potassium-foods.htm
  • jazzkat68
    jazzkat68 Posts: 101 Member
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    Tomatoes are an excellent source for potassium. My go to is Low Sodium V8 juice. Mushrooms, another one of my favorites, are high in potassium. Lean meat for iron.
  • trishcass46
    trishcass46 Posts: 33 Member
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    Dried beans are quite high in potassium. Google 'potassium rich foods' and there are good lists.
  • aszwarc
    aszwarc Posts: 200 Member
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    An old-fashioned way to get more iron in your diet is to cook in a cast-iron skillet. It will add trace amounts of iron to anything cooked in it. My mom swears by that when she needs to get her iron up to donate blood.
  • topshopperwantabe
    topshopperwantabe Posts: 112 Member
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    1 cup of white canned beans contain 1189 potassium and only around 300 calories
  • evaromar
    evaromar Posts: 3 Member
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    potassium is found especially in fruits,vegetables and milk
    iron is found in meats,poultry,fish,whole grains, soy foods, and fortified and enriched grain products.There are some factors (vitamin C) that enhance iron absorption, and there are others(coffee, tea, red wine,milk, and antacid medications ) that inhibit iron absorption when eaten in the same meal with iron-containing foods
  • khackey
    khackey Posts: 10 Member
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    I have low iron so take a supplement (http://www.nfh.ca/en/product_info/Iron SAP.pdf) as prescribed by my naturopath, apparently there are many types of iron and I was previously taking an ineffective type for my needs. In addition to the new supplement she also suggested I brew a nettle tea with a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses everyday, you let steep for 15 mins for therapeutic effect. It's not the best tea I've had in my life but I add a bit of honey and get it down as it's worth it in the end but otherwise you could just use the blackstrap molasses as it's high in iron, I'm not a huge fan but my grandfather loved it on pancakes. She also echo'd a previous comment about using iron pots/pans for cooking so slowly migrating to those as I have need to buy them.
  • tbarnard02
    tbarnard02 Posts: 10 Member
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    Thanks! This is so helpful.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    For iron..have red meat twice per week and the dark meat of poultry is quite high in iron..but really, if you're not anemic and you're getting at least 50%+ over the course of a week, you shouldn't become deficient.

    Potassium...lots of stuff out there:

    1. Get your greens...big fan of Kale here...also spinach...but Chard is the king green when it comes to potassium.
    2. Milk/Greek Yogurt
    3. Avocado...almonds
    4. Coconut water (natures gatorade...great after cardio)
    5. meat is decent
    6. A number of fruits, including the obvious banana

    So many more. I actually shoot for 4,700 mg potassium per day as evidence suggests that most people need more than the 3,500 mg DV due to high sodium intake. I have to have an 11.5 oz low sodium v8 daily to hit my goal...one of those is around 1,100 mgs or something around there.