Potassium and cramps, HELP!

onwarddownward
onwarddownward Posts: 1,683 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi. I am swimming about an hour a day. I am getting foot cramps, particularly in the toes. I don't know how much potassium I need for my body and if I need to supplement.

I am 284 (sigh) and 5' 9".

Any suggestions. I eat two or three bananas daily.

Thanks in advance,

Jan

Replies

  • onwarddownward
    onwarddownward Posts: 1,683 Member
    I just added tracking potassium to my diary and apparently I am only at about a third of what an adult requires. So I think I am going to start googling potassium rich foods.
  • Razzlebari
    Razzlebari Posts: 29 Member
    Curious about my own potassium intake, I switched one of my micronutrient trackers to potassium. Apparently one serving of soybeans has 400+% of the potassium we need per day! Maybe that'll help? I buy them frozen and boil 'em for just a few minutes. I know not everyone is comfortable with soy, so it's a personal choice, but that's one way to increase your potassium! You also can take a supplement (I take a few to balance things out based on my annual blood work - vitamin D, iron, and a multivite).

    Check out this list of potassium rich foods: http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-potassium.php
  • dayone987
    dayone987 Posts: 645 Member
    Cramps can be caused by by other things, so you can't assume it's potassium. The kidneys do a pretty good job of keeping a balance unless you have certain illnesses/extreme stressors and/or take medications that affect potassium.
    As you may know, too high or too low can be bad.
  • Razzlebari
    Razzlebari Posts: 29 Member
    Curious about my own potassium intake, I switched one of my micronutrient trackers to potassium. Apparently one serving of soybeans has 400+% of the potassium we need per day!

    Oops, that was totally incorrect! They provide 430 out of 3500 mg of potassium required per day.
  • marvybells
    marvybells Posts: 1,984 Member
    yeah it could be something else besides how much potassium you are consuming. a few months back i was getting bad toe cramps even though i was eating lots of potassium rich foods every day. i made sure my sodium wasn't too high, ate lots of potassium, but still the cramping persisted. in my case i tried taking l-glutamine powder and it helped tremendously. i took it for several weeks then eventually stopped & the cramps are gone. i have some on hand just i case it starts up again.
  • MsStang02
    MsStang02 Posts: 147 Member
    Bump..
    Good question.

    I am allergic to bananas and can only eat 1 every other day.
    Nice topic.. can't wait to see the responses
  • ukgirly01
    ukgirly01 Posts: 523 Member
    I get horrid cramps usually at night after exercising and in my shins, at the time drinking tonic water eases it but I have found I sometimes need to have a dyoralite sachet to help. Eating a banana every day wasn't enough.
  • ittibits
    ittibits Posts: 44 Member
    Please check with your doctor and have your blood levels checked before embarking on a potassium rich diet. People with both normal functioning kidneys, the kidneys do their job correctly filtering and balancing minerals and fluid. You could cause more harm than good.
  • LindaLou1397
    LindaLou1397 Posts: 69 Member
    I don't get cramps from low potassium, but I do get them if I don't drink enough water. Maybe you should try more water first before you bump up your potassium. I have to get blood work done once a month due to low potassium. If you use albuterol or take a diuretic for blood pressure you could have low potassium. I use both of those so I have to take four prescription potassium pills a day and my potassium is still to low so I have started eating one of two banana's a day. If you look up high potassium food online you will find a list of foods you can eat to bring your potassium up, but high potassium is dangerous so be very careful.
  • __Aid__
    __Aid__ Posts: 72 Member
    I'm on a potassium diet restriction, so have to restrict the following

    bananas
    tomatoes
    mushrooms
    nuts
    pulses & beans
    baked potato
    oranges
    spinach
    dried fruit

    all high in potassium
  • lnewcombe91
    lnewcombe91 Posts: 6
    I do a lot of Scuba Diving and used to get cramps a lot in my feet, calves and thighs.

    I found three ways of comabtting it.

    1. Staying properly hydrated. I find i get a cramps when i swim because it tends to be so warm and i cant feel how much i sweat so i don't realise how dehydrated im getting. I started drinking plenty of water before i swam and took a bottle of water to the poolside. This helped a lot.

    2. Like you say, bananas are a great source of potassium. There's also a lot in spinach, baked potatos (skin on) and dried apricots.

    3. If you go to the Dr complaining about cramps they'll most likely give you a Quinine tablet. Quinine is also found in Tonic water. I know Schweppes Tonic Water often says on the front of the bottle that it is a source of Quinine.
  • dan95130
    dan95130 Posts: 78 Member
    Potassium is so important I am surprised how little attention people give it. A lot of potassium rich food have an entry of '0' in the MFP database because users only enter calories, protein, carbs, and fat. I correct these entries whenever I find them.
    If you are trying to boost your potassium intake, two items that are excellent sources are V8 juice and blackstrap molasses. Be care to get blackstrap and not regular molasses. Plantation brand blackstrap molasses is my personal favorite.
  • BeckyAnne4
    BeckyAnne4 Posts: 143 Member
    i get a good chunk of my potassium from V8 vegetable juice (i get the low sodium version) and also from (i was surprised by this) my morning coffee! i drink a lot of black coffee (brewed, not instant), and was pleasantly surprised by how much potassium i am getting from it. of course, i'm sure i drink too much coffee, though :wink:

    the best sources i've found so far are; anything tomato, any kind of bean (esp white cannellini beans), baked potato *with skin* (regular or sweet, just really watch the portion size due to starchy-ness), most fish (esp sockeye salmon and halibut), spinach, most root vegetables (like carrots, parsnips, rutabaga), or really just about any vegetable in general. just make sure that if you're cooking your veggies that they are being baked, steamed, or very gently simmered, and *not boiled*. vigorous boiling can leech out nutrients.

    good luck!
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
    Curious about my own potassium intake, I switched one of my micronutrient trackers to potassium. Apparently one serving of soybeans has 400+% of the potassium we need per day! Maybe that'll help? I buy them frozen and boil 'em for just a few minutes. I know not everyone is comfortable with soy, so it's a personal choice, but that's one way to increase your potassium! You also can take a supplement (I take a few to balance things out based on my annual blood work - vitamin D, iron, and a multivite).

    Check out this list of potassium rich foods: http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-potassium.php

    Soy is estrogenic. Don't eat that crap.
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
    OP, try taking magnesium powder (like Natural Calm). It's a natural muscle relaxant. Most people are magnesium deficient anyway.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    Low sodium v8 is even better than regular for potassium. Also beet greens -- whenever I start to get cramps, I buy beets with the tops on, sautee them lightly in some olive oil and eat them. Nom.
  • onwarddownward
    onwarddownward Posts: 1,683 Member
    Thanks for the wonderful ideas. I did run a report through the site on my potassium intake and it was way low, so I am stocking up on foods to get it into the normal range. I think that part of the problem is that I have graduated from having to stop at the wall to just turning and kicking off while swimming laps and my toes are getting more action than they had before.

    Thanks again,

    Jan
  • LadyMustard
    LadyMustard Posts: 104 Member
    Coconut Water. You can find it in most health sections, and its fat free.(and for the poster that mentioned they can't have bananas, no bananas!!) Some people don't like the taste of it, but I love the stuff.

    One 8oz serving comes in at 45 calories and has 470mg of potassium and 100% Vitamin C.
    One bottle usually has 2 servings @ 90 cals and 940mg potassium.
    Nutrition label for Vita Coco: http://vitacoco.com/wp-content/themes/VitaCocoH5/nutrition-info/pure-nutrition.png
  • RavenWolf1977
    RavenWolf1977 Posts: 39 Member
    Coconut water and apricots are two of my fave high potassium items. I do use a supplement daily as well. My potassium got so low I ended up in the ER. Never realized how "hard" it is to get a high enough potassium level.

    However, once supplementing my husband can even see a change in mood. If I do not supplement daily, I get irritable either. So my mood is directly linked to my potassium level. :)
  • samacooper
    samacooper Posts: 28 Member
    I'd just like to point out that I think a lot of foods in the data base don't seem to have the potassium recorded, so using on MFP to gauge your intake will probably give you a too-low estimate of your intake. I notice things like that; an entry will be "confirmed" by many people, but do not have the full info in the entry.

    I don't like bananas, so I eat a baked potato with the skin for a potassium boost; I read that potato with skin has even more potassium than a banana. Here, pulled this from webmd.com:

    "Here’s how many milligrams (mg) of potassium you'll get from these potassium-rich foods:

    Winter squash, cubed, 1 cup, cooked: 896 mg
    Sweet potato, medium, baked with skin: 694 mg
    Potato, medium, baked with skin: 610 mg
    White beans, canned, drained, half cup: 595 mg
    Yogurt, fat-free, 1 cup: 579 mg
    Halibut, 3 ounces, cooked: 490 mg
    100% orange juice, 8 ounces: 496 mg
    Broccoli, 1 cup, cooked: 457 mg
    Cantaloupe, cubed, 1 cup: 431 mg
    Banana, 1 medium: 422 mg
    Pork tenderloin, 3 ounces, cooked: 382 mg
    Lentils, half cup, cooked: 366 mg
    Milk, 1% low fat, 8 ounces: 366 mg
    Salmon, farmed Atlantic, 3 ounces, cooked: 326 mg
    Pistachios, shelled, 1 ounce, dry roasted: 295 mg
    Raisins, quarter cup: 250 mg
    Chicken breast, 3 ounces, cooked: 218 mg
    Tuna, light, canned, drained, 3 ounces: 201 mg
    Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
  • jeanywren
    jeanywren Posts: 72 Member
    In the past I have had serious problems with leg cramps. These were extremely severe and I tried all kinds of remedies, including eating a lot of potassium rich foods. Finally one Dr. put me on quinine, a seemingly innocent prescription drug. However, now I found that it is not so innocent and after having to go on blood thinners, could not have the quinine. That caused me to panic a bit. I have found that it seems it is the muscles way of letting you know they need hydration. I have read this before and now I know that drinking a lot of water is the answer for me. If I even get a few cramps in my toes or feet at night, I can pin it down to not having had enough water during the day.
  • rachelwarner32
    rachelwarner32 Posts: 96 Member
    I went to one of those holistic eye readers a couple months ago. She knew all my health problems. One of the things she told me is that I'm tired all the time from a potassium deficiency. Her suggestion was to get more greens. Kale, spinach, carrots, broccoli etc. I also take a Mega-Chel supplement and I feel 100% better. While bananas are full of potassium they're also high in sugar and I think that's why she suggested greens. I hope you get to feeling better :-)
  • jillianlamb
    jillianlamb Posts: 29
    I tend to not get enough potassium either, so that's something I've been tracking too. Personally, spinach is one of my favourite foods and it's really quite high in potassium, about 840mg per cup cooked.

    Here's a super quick recipe to try with cooked spinach I use all the time (curtesy of Ina): http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/garlic-sauteed-spinach-recipe/index.html
    It's 109 calories per serving and really flexible with what you add/take away from it (personally I don't add butter or extra salt). It's great if you're short on time and potassium!
  • PriceK01
    PriceK01 Posts: 834 Member
    Because potassium information is not required on food labels, we can't accurately track it on MFP :(

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