Potassium and Iron

Many of the entries in the database dont contain correct information on micronutrients like potassium and iron. People don't always put it in, either because it's not on the label or they don't care about it.

ETA - good sources of potassium are bananas, potatoes, tomato sauce, green leafy vegetables

good sources of iron are meat (especially red meat), dark leafy greens, dried beans

That is kind of what I thought. I just wanted to see if it was something to be concerned about. I don't have a doctor appointment for a few months and don't want to get surprised when he does my blood tests. Thanks!

Most people don't have issues with potassium...it's pretty rare to be deficient. Potassium is not required on food labeling so it doesn't appear on many entries. You're probably getting more than you think you are. That said, I'm on a diuretic so I go out of my way to identify big sources of potassium and get at least 4500 Mg per day...my diuretic along with my exercise regimen leaves me cramping up a lot if I'm not getting enough potassium. Basically I eat a lot of green leafy vegetables, tomato sauces, low sodium V8, potatoes, etc. I also use coconut water in lieu of sports drinks like Gatorade to re-hydrate after a good workout.

Iron on the other hand...a lot of people who get on this journey to health and weight loss end up iron deficient. It is more prevalent in women and very prevalent with those who eat plant based/vegetarian/vegan diets. The best sources of iron are beef and dark "meat" poultry, clams, molusks, muscles or oysters. Smaller amounts of heme iron are available from white meat poultry, pork, and other seafood.

One of the reasons the rate of iron anemia goes up with those trying to lose weight is that they tend to cut out a great deal of their red meat consumption and typically don't eat a lot of dark meat poultry, etc...and many really cut out a lot of meat, poultry, fish just in general. You can get vegetarian sources, but these sources of iron are non-heme iron (things like spinach, beans/legumes, broccoli, potato, etc) and aren't as easily absorbed by the body and people have difficulty consuming these foods in meaningful quantity. Also, many cereals, etc are fortified with non-heme iron to compensate.

Signs that you may not be getting enough iron include being cold all of the time even when conditions don't really warrant being cold (a frequent complaint when losing weight that many mistake for just simply shedding fat), irritability, fatigue, and weakness among other things.

I'm vegetarian and my iron levels are normal. I was actually borderline anemic when I ate meat (because I didn't pay attention to my diet), so I really pay attention now to what I'm eating to get enough iron. If you're getting iron from vegetable sources, make sure you have it in combination with Vitamin C to help the absorption. As well, try not to have it in combination with calcium because that blocks absorption. If you make a bit of an effort it's not difficult to get enough iron through vegetarian means.