Potassium

HotGraham4985
HotGraham4985 Posts: 7 Member
in Food and Nutrition
How on Earth am I supposed to get 3500mg of flippin' potassium every single day?
I feel like maybe the setting is wrong.. I take a supplement, and it's only 99mg/day.
Does anyone know more about this?

Thanks!

Replies

  • pramasaurus
    pramasaurus Posts: 8
    Were you told to up your potassium intake? Potassium is found in pretty high quantity in most processed and packaged foods, and in fresh foods as well. If you get too much it can be bad for you, leading to irregular heartbeats, and is actually considered a medical emergency. If you haven't been told in the past that you have high or low potassium, I wouldn't worry about your consumptions. The body does a great job at conserving and eliminating it when you're not getting enough/getting too much.
  • BeachIron
    BeachIron Posts: 6,490 Member
    Most of the entries on MFP seem to skip the potassium content. It's probably the last nutrient you should worry about because so many foods contain it, so that if you are eating a reasonably balanced diet, the chances are you are getting plenty. I'll also say that most advice I've read on potassium supplementation warns not to start it without speaking to a doctor.
  • mvaught12
    mvaught12 Posts: 2 Member
    I have the exact same question................
  • JanetLynnJudy
    JanetLynnJudy Posts: 173 Member
    One of my old high school classmates died because of heart failure caused by low potassium levels. I was just reading about that on our class reunion facebook page today. He was in his 20's at the time. It is definitely worthwhile to monitor your potassium levels. I take a potassium supplement daily. You also have to make sure you don't take too much.
  • LavenderBouquet
    LavenderBouquet Posts: 736 Member
    In my personal experience, the MFP food database is extremely lacking in this aspect. For example, my food diary for today calculated my potassium intake to be 870mg. However, when I went to the USDA potassium index and calculated it manually, I actually reached 2012mg. If you eat plenty of vegetables, healthy meats, and fruits you are likely getting much much more than MFP is calculating for you.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,272 Member
    How on Earth am I supposed to get 3500mg of flippin' potassium every single day?
    I feel like maybe the setting is wrong.. I take a supplement, and it's only 99mg/day.
    Does anyone know more about this?

    Thanks!
    Wow. Why would you take a 99 mg supplement? There's more than that in a cup of coffee, small apple or twice as much in a mandarin orange. A banana has 400 mg...
    I got 3640 mg today from coffee, almond milk, turkey pepperoni, chicken soup,asparagus, corn, catfish, an apple, orange, and frozen yogurt. Actually, I probably got more. I just make sure I hit 3500 and stop counting.
  • siqiniq
    siqiniq Posts: 237 Member
    I live in the tropics, and I love bananas and coconut water, but I have to limit them because they contain too much potassium for me. the doc tells me that one of the drugs I take for high BP is helping to lower my potassium, but the doc who originally prescribed it never said anything about it. Humph!
  • rchari1
    rchari1 Posts: 1
    Thanks - I've had the same question. If we think MFP's data is wrong I hope they get someone to take a look. It's very misleading.
  • btoeps74
    btoeps74 Posts: 167 Member
    Potassium is the easy requirement to meet. Most fruit is loaded with it. I get the bulk of mine from baby spinach leaves. Eat them raw or as a salad. I also mix some in my protien shakes in the morning.

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