Potassium question

Seanb_us
Seanb_us Posts: 322 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My target goal is default MFP. One of the goals is 3500 (units?) of potassium.

How on earth can I meet that?

I don't think I can consume enough OJ and bananas on a daily basis to get that done.

Ideas?

Sean

Replies

  • Seanb_us
    Seanb_us Posts: 322 Member
    Bump
  • Lynn_babcock
    Lynn_babcock Posts: 220 Member
    From the searching I did on it.. it's really not something to worry about unless you have problems with your kidneys.. then you'd have targets you actually have to hit. If you are extremely low the best food I found for potassium is actually broccoli.. it had more potassium per calorie than bananas. Potatoes had 5 potassium per calorie (pretty high). I don't remember where I read it.. but it said to figure each calorie has 1 potassium in it. Some things in the food lists just don't have the potassium listed.. so figure you are actually getting more potassium than you are seeing on your report.

    In short, unless you have a health issue that would merit careful counting, the average healthy person is getting what they need in potassium everyday if you are consuming enough calories.
  • shannashannabobana
    shannashannabobana Posts: 625 Member
    Potatoes. Hmm. Somebody posted a chart of high potassium foods the other day...I googled for the exact one but I couldn't find it. basically boils down to potatoes, leafy greens, beans and fruits.
  • anneyaz
    anneyaz Posts: 1 Member
    The recommendation for potassium for adults was raised to 4,700mg in 2010 I think (not sure why MFP is behind on that). Here's a link to the USDA Nutrient List (PDF) for potassium content in foods: https://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/12354500/Data/SR25/nutrlist/sr25w306.pdf

    FWIW, I get my potassium by eating several vegetables (kale, broccoli, etc.) and some sort of bean at every meal--it adds up. Good luck!
  • eponine1976
    eponine1976 Posts: 143 Member
    You may be getting more potassium than your diary shows. Food makers are not required to put potassium on the labels (though some choose to) so quite often a food has potassium but it won't be counted in your food diary toward your totals.

    That said, I've been proven to have a pretty bad potassium deficiency. If I don't take extra potassium I get severe leg cramps and sometimes even super scary heart palpitations. Trying to get my potassium from food alone wasn't working so my doctor had me taking potassium supplements. I've recently been able to get off the pills though by switching to using "No Salt" potassium salt substitute instead of regular salt. I don't taste a difference with the "No Salt" but I've heard other people say it tastes funny. It's working to control my potassium deficiency.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    You may be getting more potassium than your diary shows. Food makers are not required to put potassium on the labels (though some choose to) so quite often a food has potassium but it won't be counted in your food diary toward your totals.
    Exactly what I was gonna say! :tongue:

    Plus, a lot of the entries in the database don't include potassium - I always hunt around to find an entry that does, and found I'm getting a lot more potassium than I thought.

    Coffee
    Dairy products
    Tomatoes
    Bananas
    Kiwis
    Melons
    Peaches
    Heck, fruit in general! :tongue:
    Many Veggies
    Nuts
    Avocados - yay!
    Potatoes & sweet potatoes
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,783 Member
    TOP 10 FOODS HIGHEST IN POTASSIUM (per 100gr)

    white beans - 561
    spinach - 558
    baked potato - 535
    apricots, dried - 1162
    baked acorn squash - 437
    yogurt - 255
    fish - 628
    avocado - 485
    mushrooms - 396
    banana - 358

    Also, coffee (surprisingly) and tomatoes.


    http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-potassium.php
  • Seanb_us
    Seanb_us Posts: 322 Member
    Thanks all! :smile:
  • ken_hogan
    ken_hogan Posts: 854 Member
    I was always curious about this as well...thanks for asking the question!

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