Running Low on Protein and Potassium

lee1975jones
lee1975jones Posts: 4 Member
in Getting Started
I have been tracking faithfully for the past 9 days. I have lost 1.2 pounds which is ok , not great but hey it's a loss. What I have noticed is I am not meeting my protein and potassium goals daily. I have opted for a 40/30/30 plan which puts my protein needs to be about 102 per day, but I am getting nowhere close. To manage that I am supplementing with 2 whey protein shakes per day one for breakfast and one for mid after noon snack. My potassium intake on the other hand still really low. Anybody else watching these two nutrients?

Replies

  • Leonidas_meets_Spartacus
    Leonidas_meets_Spartacus Posts: 6,198 Member
    pure coconut water and light salt are great sources of potassium. I mix coconut water, half teaspoon of salt light with a powered zero to get up on my potassium.
  • lee1975jones
    lee1975jones Posts: 4 Member
    I will give that a try, I just started supplementing today, but I really don't know how much absorption a person gets from supplementation. Real food is best (always)!
  • simbersea
    simbersea Posts: 1,248 Member
    Try adding spinach to your salads if you dont already. 1 cup of spinach has about 25% of your daily recommended intake. It doesnt have any protein, but you can always throw a grilled chicken breast on top of your salad.
  • kherrons
    kherrons Posts: 99 Member
    Potatoes are great for potassium. As for protein, I usually have a Raw Protein shake and lean meat throughout the day. I probably come about 5-10 shy of meeting my 94g.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Before becoming overly concerned with you potassium levels you need to keep in mind that it is not required to be listed on nutrition labels and many foods in the database that contain potassium do not have a value listed. It is very likely you are getting more than your reports are showing. I would review that first.
  • Leonidas_meets_Spartacus
    Leonidas_meets_Spartacus Posts: 6,198 Member
    Coconut water has 50 cals and around 532 mg of potassium, the salt light has around 400mg of potassium in quarter teaspoon. Thats my go to drink for electrolytes, especially on long distance runs.
  • lee1975jones
    lee1975jones Posts: 4 Member
    Thanks
  • kelseyhere
    kelseyhere Posts: 1,123 Member
    kiwis are a good source of potassium! i'm allergic to bananas and found kiwis have even more :)
  • runfatmanrun
    runfatmanrun Posts: 1,090 Member
    I easily exceed my mfp recommended potassium recommendation daily and hit somewhere between 170 and 200g protein. You can look at my diary if you like. I prefer potatoes for potassium but I also get it from bananas.

    To add, it looks like I get quite a bit from broccoli and carrots too.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    , but I really don't know how much absorption a person gets from supplementation. Real food is best (always)!
    Do you know how much they get from 'real food'.
    Citation that 'real food' is always best too, please - along with a definition of what makes a food 'real' ;).
  • madreap
    madreap Posts: 6 Member
    Add potassium to the food your search for - a lot of people have added potassium to foods that did not report it - did this and went from a deficit of 2500 to a overage of 300
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Most likely you are fine with potassium...being potassium deficient is pretty rare. Potassium isn't required to be put on food labels and since most of the database entry come from food labels, there are a lot of things with plenty of potassium that get listed as zero. Nobody should supplement potassium without having an actual deficiency (blood work) and under doctors watch. If you're eating you fruit and veg, you are likely getting plenty of potassium. If you're really worried about it, drink a low sodium V8, make sure you eat potatoes with skin on (or sweet potatoes), tomato sauces, vegetables, bananas and other fruits, avocado, coconut water, etc....all are high potassium.

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