How do you get potassium?

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  • RobynLB
    RobynLB Posts: 617 Member
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    you can google 'foods high in potassium'... that would give you a world of info

    Yeah... did that. I guess I am more wondering how people incorporate those into their diets and actually meet the RDA. Even high potassium foods are only providing about 10% or less per serving!
  • demorelli
    demorelli Posts: 508 Member
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    bananas and avocados are both super high in potassium.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    V8 and potatoes
  • RobynLB
    RobynLB Posts: 617 Member
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    Look at your magnesium intake not just your potassium - magnesium is involved in muscle relaxation and general stress management - looking at your diary it's way low on mineral rich foods generally (beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, wholegrains, dark leafy green veggies, dairy).

    If you are eating the recommended nine servings of fruit and veggies in the full rainbow of colours you should be getting enough potassium, not sure how you are measuring but often people don't add the micronutrients when they list the product so you can 't trust MFP to add up. You are eating fruit when your intake really should be skewed in favour of veggies and not consistently eating from the full rainbow.

    .As an aside you are relying heavily on egg whites, chicken and whey which are not particularly nutritious so you could be missing out on vitamins and minerals there too, Consider adding in at least the recommended servings of dairy, oily fish and perhaps some red or organ meats.

    Listen to your body and cycle your training hard and easy weeks, even professional athletes do that. If you are chronically dehydrated you need to rest and eat better. You might use this time to get some instruction on self myofascial release (self massage) with the foam roller which may help with your cramping alongside better mineral intake.

    I have stomach problems which severly limits what I can eat. No wheat, dairy,or corn. I also don't tolerate beans well. I tend to eat quite a lot of veggies and some fish, but I have funky busy days when my diet is mostly just what I can eat form 7/11: i.e. cliff bars and fruit.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    you can google 'foods high in potassium'... that would give you a world of info

    Yeah... did that. I guess I am more wondering how people incorporate those into their diets and actually meet the RDA. Even high potassium foods are only providing about 10% or less per serving!

    Youll meet the RDA if you have a fruit and vegetable centric diet including high starch vegetables. This is why we tell people on dialysis to reduce the number of fruit and veggies they eat.
  • Missjulesdid
    Missjulesdid Posts: 1,444 Member
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    Flounder is high in potassium and it's nearly pure protein. Double win!

    one filet has 149 calories, 437 Mg of potassium, and 31 grams of protein!
  • syrklc
    syrklc Posts: 172 Member
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    sweet potato - 475 mg potassium in 1 medium potato
  • dblaacker
    dblaacker Posts: 153 Member
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    Dancing_Banana_zps4dd18130.gif

    Yes!! Bananas!! And dancing.
  • vpundmann
    vpundmann Posts: 1
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    I have been told by my doctor that I am low in potassium and to eat certain foods with potassium.....like baked potatoes, raisens, nuts. I also take a potassium pill each day and I found a drink you can get at Quik Trip called: IXL Do u it comes in about 4 different flavors....the blue one is my favorite. These bottles has 400 potassium and I think it has just 45 calories.
  • Jeffdawn64
    Jeffdawn64 Posts: 8 Member
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    First things first, see your doctor and allow him/her to access how far off your counts are. He/she will then determine the correct consumption of fruits/veggies and or Rx potassium. Also get him/her to check your magnesium levels. Please do not play with this as low levels are dangers and if they get low enough they can harm you.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    I train hard about 10 hrs per week, and I think I have a pretty chronic potassium imbalance. I have frequent, intense, long lasting toe, leg, and foot cramps. I suspect an overall electrolyte imbalance. My fluids also seem way off. I figured I could start by looking at potassium. Looking at what I eat, it seems like I get about half what I am supposed to. The highest natural sources of potassium seem to be fruits and veggies, but they still aren't that high. I eat a lot of fruits and veggies, and that still doesn't get me up to the RDA. I don't dig juice, so I am thinking about supplementing. Does anyone have any suggestions?

    I wonder if your problem isn't that you are lacking in magnesium? The muscle cramps make me think that---you also may be lacking in calcium but magnesium deficiencies are much more common unless you don't eat any dairy at all. About 80% of people are deficient in magnesium. Many athletes are prone to severe deficiencies. One thing that is important to remember about potassium is that if you are low in magnesium, you won't store potassium either.

    Sounds like you could think about increasing your potassium intake as well, but it is generally available in most foodstuffs--so just eating more may solve that problem. You should be getting roughly the same amount of potassium as you get sodium. Potassium supplements are inadvisable as sudden death is a complication of getting too much. (Not a good prospect!) If you do go that route, it must be carefully supervised by your doc---potassium supplements are, I think, by Rx only. Good luck!
  • jsuaccounting
    jsuaccounting Posts: 193 Member
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    Unsulfered black strap molassass can help when you are low on minerals (potasium (10%), calcium, iron and some others I think). It might not be to your taste. I haven't taken it lately but I used to eat cut up banana dipping the pieces in black strap molassas.

    Also, I currently take a magnesium suplement every evening and eat a couple of avocados a week.

    Good luck,
  • RobynLB
    RobynLB Posts: 617 Member
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    I train hard about 10 hrs per week, and I think I have a pretty chronic potassium imbalance. I have frequent, intense, long lasting toe, leg, and foot cramps. I suspect an overall electrolyte imbalance. My fluids also seem way off. I figured I could start by looking at potassium. Looking at what I eat, it seems like I get about half what I am supposed to. The highest natural sources of potassium seem to be fruits and veggies, but they still aren't that high. I eat a lot of fruits and veggies, and that still doesn't get me up to the RDA. I don't dig juice, so I am thinking about supplementing. Does anyone have any suggestions?

    I wonder if your problem isn't that you are lacking in magnesium? The muscle cramps make me think that---you also may be lacking in calcium but magnesium deficiencies are much more common unless you don't eat any dairy at all. About 80% of people are deficient in magnesium. Many athletes are prone to severe deficiencies. One thing that is important to remember about potassium is that if you are low in magnesium, you won't store potassium either.

    Sounds like you could think about increasing your potassium intake as well, but it is generally available in most foodstuffs--so just eating more may solve that problem. You should be getting roughly the same amount of potassium as you get sodium. Potassium supplements are inadvisable as sudden death is a complication of getting too much. (Not a good prospect!) If you do go that route, it must be carefully supervised by your doc---potassium supplements are, I think, by Rx only. Good luck!

    I don't eat dairy at all. So maybe it is calcium. Sometimes I but those tootsie roll calcium chews. Are those actually effective?
  • jsuaccounting
    jsuaccounting Posts: 193 Member
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    ... I looked it up - even though it isn't in all the fp listings- cocoa powder has potasium in it - if only 80.0 mg per tbs.
    (http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/sweets/5471/2)

    As others have mentioned you may be getting more than you think because it isn't always listed.

    - canned salmon with bones is good for calcium
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    I train hard about 10 hrs per week, and I think I have a pretty chronic potassium imbalance. I have frequent, intense, long lasting toe, leg, and foot cramps. I suspect an overall electrolyte imbalance. My fluids also seem way off. I figured I could start by looking at potassium. Looking at what I eat, it seems like I get about half what I am supposed to. The highest natural sources of potassium seem to be fruits and veggies, but they still aren't that high. I eat a lot of fruits and veggies, and that still doesn't get me up to the RDA. I don't dig juice, so I am thinking about supplementing. Does anyone have any suggestions?

    I wonder if your problem isn't that you are lacking in magnesium? The muscle cramps make me think that---you also may be lacking in calcium but magnesium deficiencies are much more common unless you don't eat any dairy at all. About 80% of people are deficient in magnesium. Many athletes are prone to severe deficiencies. One thing that is important to remember about potassium is that if you are low in magnesium, you won't store potassium either.

    Sounds like you could think about increasing your potassium intake as well, but it is generally available in most foodstuffs--so just eating more may solve that problem. You should be getting roughly the same amount of potassium as you get sodium. Potassium supplements are inadvisable as sudden death is a complication of getting too much. (Not a good prospect!) If you do go that route, it must be carefully supervised by your doc---potassium supplements are, I think, by Rx only. Good luck!

    I don't eat dairy at all. So maybe it is calcium. Sometimes I but those tootsie roll calcium chews. Are those actually effective?

    There are good calcium supplements and so-so ones. Calcium carbonate is a common one (it is cheap) but it is not terribly well absorbed. A good calcium supplement should be balanced by magnesium in the amount of 50%---in other words if it has 600 mg. of calcium, it should also have 300 in magnesium. Look also for one that has vitamin D added and has a varied delivery system, i.e. calcium citrate, calcium maleate, calcium gluconate, etc. It should be taken with some kind of acid (as in tomato juice or grapefruit) to enhance uptake. But be aware that if you already have gastric issues, taking a cal/mag supplement could make them worse depending on what the problem is. You really need a doctor's guidance on this. The first stop, as others have mentioned, is to get him to test to see just what your mineral balance looks like and go from there.
  • nickyhill31
    nickyhill31 Posts: 3
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    Bananas are a good source of potassium...
  • Songbird1104
    Songbird1104 Posts: 210 Member
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    Look at your magnesium intake not just your potassium - magnesium is involved in muscle relaxation and general stress management - looking at your diary it's way low on mineral rich foods generally (beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, wholegrains, dark leafy green veggies, dairy).


    Yeah, when I was pregnant last year I had a lot of leg cramping due to low mag. I took a calcium/magnesium/zinc supplement and that helped a lot.
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
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    I drink fresh carrot juice (by Bolthouse Farms). 8 ounces has 540mg of potassium. I also make mashed yams which have a whopping 815mg for about 3 1/2 ounces.

    Here's a website that has a "top ten" foods which are high in potassium.
    http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-potassium.php
  • Dstrand1
    Dstrand1 Posts: 15 Member
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    Check with doctor... I had severe leg cramps for a few weeks. Increaded potassium, drank quinine, did all the wives tales for leg cramps. Turned out i had a major blood clot that need blood thinners and time to heal.
  • pudadough
    pudadough Posts: 1,271 Member
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    I take a potassium supplement for my heart palpitations. One pill a day and I don't think about it after that.

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