potassium and sodium

ultrachickenburger
ultrachickenburger Posts: 25
in Food and Nutrition
I seem to have a constant deficiency in both... By at least 1500mg...
Is that bad? Is there an easy way to improve this?

Replies

  • tyrsnbdr
    tyrsnbdr Posts: 234 Member
    low sodium is not a problem. IDK about potassium, it is the mineral recommended to prevent cramping.
  • norcalskater
    norcalskater Posts: 194 Member
    No you will be fine. I actually think the amounts they give you in general for both potassium and sodium are a little ridiculous. As long as you're getting 1000 - 1500 of sodium you will be okay. Mine wants me to get 3500mg of potassium which is a little insane.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    You're probably getting more potassium than you think as it is not required on food labels...if you're eating lots of veg and fruit and what not, you're probably getting enough.

    sodium is a max limit...you do need sodium, but most people go well over that limit. do you not eat any processed foods...pretty hard to be under 1,000 mg of sodium unless you don't eat any processed foods. Do you never eat out...a typical meal out is going to be laden with sodium.

    I don't eat much in the way of processed foods and still hit right around 1500 - 1800 Mg per day, and that's not counting the salt that I cook with.

    You should have a ratio of 1.5 times your sodium in potassium for electrolyte and PH balance.
  • Greytfish
    Greytfish Posts: 810
    I seem to have a constant deficiency in both... By at least 1500mg...
    Is that bad? Is there an easy way to improve this?

    Your body needs 200 mgs of sodium to function properly. The guidline for 1500-2300 mgs is an upper limit, not a target.

    Potassium for an average adult should be around 4,700 mg/day. Potassium rich foods include: Bananas, Avocados, Nuts, citrus and green leafy veggies.

    Also, if you're only tracking on MFP, a lot of items are missin these values, sometimes because it's not listed in the packaging or isnt clear.
  • TEZofAllTrades
    TEZofAllTrades Posts: 51 Member
    Bananas!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Low blood sodium can be a big problem, even deadly. But it's rare.

    The dietary sodium recommendation is a maximum. It's pretty hard to get too little sodium unless you are on medication that affect blood sodium levels. BP meds often do, as well as some others. If you are on any medications, check the label.

    Low potassium can also cause health problems, but you can't trust MFP logs to tell if you are not getting enough. Many of the entries don't have potassium entered, even when the food contains potassium.

    If you get yearly blood screens and your doctor hasn't mentioned any deficiencies then you are likely fine.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    No you will be fine. I actually think the amounts they give you in general for both potassium and sodium are a little ridiculous. As long as you're getting 1000 - 1500 of sodium you will be okay. Mine wants me to get 3500mg of potassium which is a little insane.

    potassium is actually pretty important to your heart health as well as your electrolyte balance. 3500 is pretty easy to hit if you're eating a well balanced diet that is rich in nutrient dense foods...plenty of fruit and veg.

    Like I said in a previous post, it often doesn't show up on foods in the database because it is not required on labels...if you're eating a pretty nutrient dense diet you're probably getting way more than you think you are. Most people aren't actually potassium deficient unless they have absorption issues.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    low sodium is not a problem. IDK about potassium, it is the mineral recommended to prevent cramping.

    Low sodium is a problem. It causes dizziness, headaches, confusion, seizures. It may also cause nausea and vomiting.
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,654 Member
    Most MFP database entries don't identify the potassium content. If you're using MFP to track it, you're probably getting a lot more than you think you are. Very common potassium-rich foods include beans, tomatoes, dairy products, carrots, oranges, seafood, winter squash, and pistachios. And bananas, but from what I've been told it's more difficult to break down and digest from those.

    ETA: Low sodium can be a serious problem, especially for athletes in sweaty conditions. Google hyponatremia for details. One of my marathoner MFP friends had a low-sodium incident last year, and one of my high school's runners was hospitalized for hyponatremia during off-season training.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    I seem to have a constant deficiency in both... By at least 1500mg...
    Is that bad? Is there an easy way to improve this?

    How do you know you are deficient? Did you have this confirmed by a doctor through blood work? Or are you just assuming this based on your info on MFP?

    If you think you are deficient, contact your doctor and ask him or her to test your potassium and sodium levels.

    In the meantime, eat bananas for potassium. And for sodium, drink Gatorade (IN MODERATION).
  • tyrsnbdr
    tyrsnbdr Posts: 234 Member
    low sodium is not a problem. IDK about potassium, it is the mineral recommended to prevent cramping.

    Low sodium is a problem. It causes dizziness, headaches, confusion, seizures. It may also cause nausea and vomiting.

    Ahh... Really? Thank you for making me smarter.
  • ultrachickenburger
    ultrachickenburger Posts: 25
    Wow thanks for the many replies.
    I checked on my foods and noticed that I indeed probably got way more potassium and sodium than MFP makes me think.
    It didnt take into account the pine nuts in my salad today, the salt I used for my marinade etc...
    I definitely met the minimum mentioned earlier
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    low sodium is not a problem. IDK about potassium, it is the mineral recommended to prevent cramping.

    Low sodium is a problem. It causes dizziness, headaches, confusion, seizures. It may also cause nausea and vomiting.

    Ahh... Really? Thank you for making me smarter.

    Actually, you are both correct.

    Low sodium as the OP is talking about is probably not a problem, because they were speaking of dietary sodium. Low blood sodium causes the symptoms listed above. Dietary sodium and blood sodium are very different things.
  • missbirrell
    missbirrell Posts: 133
    I don't get much sodium most days. I have low blood pressure and didn't realise it could be/is related to my low sodium intake until I started tracking. I feel like I eat lots of salty foods but I'm very rarely near my sodium intake. This is a problem to me because my low BP causes me to faint so I need to up my sodium. High sodium causes more trouble than low sodium, I believe, so I wouldn't worry about it being low. I am also always low on potassium, but as someone pointed out, it isn't on labelled food so I'm probably getting more than I think. I don't think low potassium is too bad. Supplements may be a good idea if it's really low though? I take a multivitamin.
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
    I find it odd that they are selling banana juice now, but I find it even more odd that they don't list potassium on the label. I guess most people already know that bananas are a good source of potassium, but it still seems strange.

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