Impossible Potassium DV

A great resource and the one many figures in the database and on products are based is the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/

From that database, for example, 100g of carrots have 320mg of potassium so a basic 3 oz/85g/9pieces serving of baby carrots is .85x320 or 270mg of potassium.

Baby carrots happen to have that number in MFP but it's wrong on some of the baby carrot listings for the size of serving listed. You can always double-check nutrition numbers at http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/

1) Roughage...get your green leafy veggies (not friggin' lettuce)...actual greens. Also stuff like broccoli, brussels sprouts and the like. You need your roughage. Fruit also, but really the veggies are where it's at.

2) Potatoes are an outstanding source; a banana couldn't hold a potatoes jock strap as far as potassium goes

3) as was mentioned, potassium isn't required on food labels so it's likely you're getting more than you think

4) I drink coconut water after my runs, cycles, etc...natures gatorade...my 11 oz serving has 600+ mg potassium

5) low sodium v8 juice is an excellent source, plus you can drink a serving of vegetables on your way to 4-6 servings per day.

I generally get around 4500 - 5000 mg easily

I find it easy to get all the potassium I need. Vegetables (tomatoes are really high in potassium), legumes (like lentils), beans, and fruit are all pretty high in potassium. You can look at my diary if you'd like. It's usually the days I eat junk that I don't get the required amount. Other days I'm over 5 grams even without potatoes. Eating lots of plant foods is definitely how to get the goal.

But I wouldn't ignore it as some have advised. It's true many lables don't show potassium, but most Americans don't get enough potassium either because of all the processed foods. I usually try to look up potassium amounts (or at least an estimate) online when things aren't labeled. I personally feel it's important to get more potassium than sodium based on what I've read, so I like to track it.

Wow. Same problem here. Just joined a few weeks ago and I'm kind of shocked that the diet I've always considered very healthy actually comes up short in some areas. Too much sodium and sugar and not nearly the recommended amount of potassium. So how do you get the potassium without adding more carbs or sugar? I'm going to try to learn to love baked potatoes, and maybe coconut water. Also, cannellini beans on my salads. We'll see how it goes.

As previously stated in this thread, you're probably getting far more than you think you are. Potassium is in pretty much everything, but not required to be on food labels. Because it isn't on many food labels, it doesn't show up in the MFP database when you log your food.

So long as you're gettin gyour fruits and veg, you're probably just fine.

As someone who is on a low potassium diet, I can say without hesitation that 99% of the Potassium numbers on this site is flat out wrong. Just look at any fast food food entry, like an Egg McMuffin -- it's actually very high in Potassium but this site lists it as zero.

How do I know this? Eggs and cheese have potassium -- yet anything with those ingredients show up as zero on this site.