Sodium & Potassium

jaitken_22
jaitken_22 Posts: 212 Member
edited September 23 in Health and Weight Loss
My sodium and potassium levels are waaay under, can anyone recommend what I can do to help improve this? I don't know a lot about those 2 things, so any advice will be welcomed!

Replies

  • Nelski
    Nelski Posts: 1,607 Member
    How low is your sodium? Sodium is usually one of the hardest things to stay under so I'm just curious how low yours is. Add salt to things if it's really that low. Bananas and potatoes have high amounts of potassium.
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    It's ok to be under on sodium. Potassium is something you do need though. It's nearly impossible to hit the potassium goal without supplements, but some things that are good sources of potassium are:

    V8 juice
    potato peels (I never peel potatoes anymore)
    coffee
    bananas
    peanuts and peanut butter
    raisins
    currants
    tomato puree

    You can do a Google search and find other good sources too. Good luck!
  • SDLester
    SDLester Posts: 24
    Buy the Low Sodium V8 Juice...you get approx. 100 mg of potassium for every ounce you drink...It taste the best when you have it chilled ;) MFP says I should have at least 3500 mg of Potassium daily...I normally always get that or more...My energy levels have shot way up and I have averaged 4 pounds of weight loss weekly over a 10 week period. (I also do at least 1 hour of cardio daily) I also do a banana or two daily along with a no fat yogurt (Dannon) Good luck!!
  • callipygianchronicle
    callipygianchronicle Posts: 811 Member
    I wouldn’t be so certain that your sodium levels are too low. I didn’t see the sodium column in your diary, but most processed foods have sodium, and most people’s diets are over not under in sodium. As for potassium, bananas and baked potatoes are always considered good sources. Here’s a list of many, many more: http://www.wisegeek.com/which-foods-are-good-sources-of-potassium.htm .
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    Buy the Low Sodium V8 Juice...you get approx. 100 mg of potassium for every ounce you drink...It taste the best when you have it chilled ;) MFP says I should have at least 3500 mg of Potassium daily...I normally always get that or more...My energy levels have shot way up and I have averaged 4 pounds of weight loss weekly over a 10 week period. (I also do at least 1 hour of cardio daily) I also do a banana or two daily along with a no fat yogurt (Dannon) Good luck!!

    Would you mind opening your diary so I can check out your potassium? I have a hard time getting enough, even knowing what I know about where to get it. I'd love some tips.
  • crystal_sapphire
    crystal_sapphire Posts: 1,205 Member
    i find many items on MFP don't have the potassium added. i know where i live we don't have potassium on our labels so when i add foods I don't get an accurate account.
  • bullmastifflover
    bullmastifflover Posts: 128 Member
    I was concerned about the same thing and did a little research. I decided to put a tiny bit of salt on my food to make sure my cells are functioning okay since it is possible to not get enough sodium.
    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284
  • YeaILift
    YeaILift Posts: 580 Member
    Personally, I eat a lot of spinach and broccoli. I am consistently over 3500 mg of potassium a day as of late.
  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,173 Member
    I run low on the blood pressure so occasionally I will get the dizzies and I was told by the doctor to drink some sports drink. He suggested 2-4oz per day to keep my stuff in balance while I was eatting lower cal. I don't always follow his advice though :blushing: Just don't care for the flavor of the stuff.
  • jaitken_22
    jaitken_22 Posts: 212 Member
    Yesterday my sodium levels on my MFP food diary noted as 382 with 2118 left. And my potassium levels were 363 leaving me with 3137.
  • jaitken_22
    jaitken_22 Posts: 212 Member
    Thanks everyone for your advice! :flowerforyou: I'll try V8 juice, raisins, spinach and broccoli for potassium and eat a banana every day and also try adding a pinch of salt to my food and see how that goes. I don't know how accurate the nutrients summary is in the food which I log in my diary but I always check ingredients when I log my food intake, which drives everyone mad cos I'm digging out packets from the bin to check!! I may also go to my local health shop and see if there are any supplements which I can take on days that I am low.
  • DanL66712
    DanL66712 Posts: 135
    The trouble with potassium supplements is that they are limited to 99mg which means you would need to take about 35 of them to reach your goal. It is exceptionally difficult, in my experience, to get all your potassium for the day, every day!
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    Something else to keep in mind: if a food in the MFP database is listed with 0 potassium, double-check it. Look at the label, or do a Google search. I bought some frozen broccoli and potassium wasn't listed on the label, but I knew it had some, so I searched and found this site: http://nutritiondata.self.com/ You can put in all kinds of foods and get the nutrient breakdown -- potassium is toward the bottom in the "minerals" box. You probably can't find brand-name stuff, but if it's a common thing like broccoli, it'll be there.
  • Lorirossit
    Lorirossit Posts: 2
    I have learned that low calorie dieting and drinking lots flushes potassium out of the body. There is not much info on how much we loose when drinking. I find when I drink 8-10 glasses a day I loose alot of potassium because I am freezing cold ALL the time.
  • catofisis
    catofisis Posts: 34
    I just saw that avocados are good for potassium too.
  • Lorirossit
    Lorirossit Posts: 2
    Forgot to mention too much potassium can lead to heart attack that's why doctors don't like ppl taking too much potassium.
  • aanatami
    aanatami Posts: 1
    Coconut water has potassium in it!
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