Potassium :-O

hollyrayburn
hollyrayburn Posts: 905 Member
edited November 14 in Food and Nutrition
so my potassium was low. I've been lethargic, had a few cramps, all that jazz.

What other foods besides bananas do you eat to get your potassium? I'm not a big fan of bananas, not so much as I dislike the taste but they always go bad due to I can only eat a part of one at once (I can NOT do bananas with spots on em!) lol.

I've recently began a multivitamin to my regimen, but potassuim is not listed, so I'm assuming it has little to none. I'll probably incorporate a potassium supplement as well. Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Keep in mind that potassium is not required to be listed on food labels so it is often not. Also, many of the entries on MFP are user entered and not everyone enters all of the micronutrients.
    So if you are basing this off of you diary, it is very likely you are getting much more than you think .
    I would go back and start finding entries that include potassium before considering supplementation.
  • never2bstopped
    never2bstopped Posts: 438 Member
    Potatoes and kiwi are my fave sources. In fact kiwi has more potassium per fruit than a banana
  • ropelews
    ropelews Posts: 2 Member
    Honeydew, tomatoes, mushrooms, oranges
  • MsOhooly
    MsOhooly Posts: 6 Member
    Potassium is also my enemy. But a great excuse to drink dark chocolate zico, which has a happy amount of potassium (touts to have the same amt of potassium per serving as a banana), is relatively low in calories and basically tastes like a yoohoo. Also, no chewing involved.
  • hollyrayburn
    hollyrayburn Posts: 905 Member
    3dogsrunning wrote: »
    Keep in mind that potassium is not required to be listed on food labels so it is often not. Also, many of the entries on MFP are user entered and not everyone enters all of the micronutrients.
    So if you are basing this off of you diary, it is very likely you are getting much more than you think .
    I would go back and start finding entries that include potassium before considering supplementation.

    No, not at all, this was from labs after feeling that way. I shoulda clarified that, lol. The numbers were not critical, but the last thing I would want is to develop hypokalemia or something. I was told by my PCP to increase it in my food for sure, then look at supplements if not seeing a change. Since yesterday (that was when I found out), I have really been looking for potassium info! Thanks for the input :)
    never2bstopped wrote: »
    Potatoes and kiwi are my fave sources. In fact kiwi has more potassium per fruit than a banana
    ropelews wrote: »
    Honeydew, tomatoes, mushrooms, oranges

    These two things make me happy! I love kiwi and shrooms :). Thanks guys!
  • hollyrayburn
    hollyrayburn Posts: 905 Member
    MsOhooly wrote: »
    Potassium is also my enemy. But a great excuse to drink dark chocolate zico, which has a happy amount of potassium (touts to have the same amt of potassium per serving as a banana), is relatively low in calories and basically tastes like a yoohoo. Also, no chewing involved.

    Just googled that; I'd never seen it. I'm wishing I had some NOW! Haha I'll be searching Walmart and Kroger for this soon!!
  • MsOhooly
    MsOhooly Posts: 6 Member
    hollyrayburn wrote: »
    MsOhooly wrote: »
    Potassium is also my enemy. But a great excuse to drink dark chocolate zico, which has a happy amount of potassium (touts to have the same amt of potassium per serving as a banana), is relatively low in calories and basically tastes like a yoohoo. Also, no chewing involved.

    Just googled that; I'd never seen it. I'm wishing I had some NOW! Haha I'll be searching Walmart and Kroger for this soon!!

    You will not be disappointed!
  • never2bstopped
    never2bstopped Posts: 438 Member
    Make sure you balance your potassium with your magnesium and sodium.
  • hollyrayburn
    hollyrayburn Posts: 905 Member
    never2bstopped wrote: »
    Make sure you balance your potassium with your magnesium and sodium.
    For sure! Micros can be a pain. And admittedly I don't follow them as I should. I might be like "dang, I had a lot of sodium today" or "oh wow, I didn't get nearly enough calcium." Of course, I've never had a (physical) issue until this week lol. Labs have always been outstanding!
  • megablackk1d
    megablackk1d Posts: 67 Member
    white and sweat potatoes
  • hollyrayburn
    hollyrayburn Posts: 905 Member
    megablackk1d wrote: »
    white and sweat potatoes

    Sweat potatoes? That's some of that "non clean" eating everyone gripes about in here!! :scream:

    I know what ya mean, the typo just made me giggle.

    Planning on some baked taters and shrooms for dinner tomorrow :)
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    hollyrayburn wrote: »
    so my potassium was low. I've been lethargic, had a few cramps, all that jazz.

    What other foods besides bananas do you eat to get your potassium? I'm not a big fan of bananas, not so much as I dislike the taste but they always go bad due to I can only eat a part of one at once (I can NOT do bananas with spots on em!) lol.

    I've recently began a multivitamin to my regimen, but potassuim is not listed, so I'm assuming it has little to none. I'll probably incorporate a potassium supplement as well. Thanks in advance!

    I keep a bag of potassium citrate. I also use dehydrated coconut water.
  • PJR1985
    PJR1985 Posts: 14
    Salt substitutes are pure potassium chloride and super easy to work into most any meal or baked good.
  • arlington21
    arlington21 Posts: 34 Member
    hollyrayburn wrote: »
    so my potassium was low. I've been lethargic, had a few cramps, all that jazz.

    What other foods besides bananas do you eat to get your potassium? I'm not a big fan of bananas, not so much as I dislike the taste but they always go bad due to I can only eat a part of one at once (I can NOT do bananas with spots on em!) lol.

    I've recently began a multivitamin to my regimen, but potassuim is not listed, so I'm assuming it has little to none. I'll probably incorporate a potassium supplement as well. Thanks in advance!

    Mushrooms is an excellent source of low calorie high potassium
  • Micah_Carter
    Micah_Carter Posts: 7 Member
    Just get some "No Salt" or "Lite Salt" salt substitute. They're made for people sensitive to sodium, and are potassium salts. Put it on everything.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    After going to the doc with similar complaints, I was told to up my intake of potassium foods, and to aim for 4700mg a day (MFP's goal is only 3500mg). Some great food sources that I eat often are dried apricots (but they are high in sugar/carbs, which may turn some folks off). Dried figs are another, and Brussels Sprouts; sweet potatoes, winter squash (I am fond of butternut, mashed with garlic-parmesan butter - omg). Regular white potatoes too. I bought some beets at a farmer's market a couple of weeks ago, and was shocked at the potassium mg in the greens alone, it's really, really high per 100g.

    I also bought some NuSalt (brand) of potassium chloride, but I prefer Morton's Lite Salt which is a blend of sodium chloride and potassium chloride - the NuSalt tastes just different enough from regular salt that I don't care for it (unless it's IN a dish, as opposed to sprinkled on top).

    Other posters are right, since potassium is not a required nutrient on labels, it's often left out or marked as 0 in user-submitted MFP entries But once I started actively seeking accurate potassium data (via USDA's website and NutritionData.self.com) and adding it to my personal entries (and sometime editing existing entries when feasible), I've actually found it pretty easy to exceed my potassium goals per day.
  • hollyrayburn
    hollyrayburn Posts: 905 Member
    Phrick wrote: »
    After going to the doc with similar complaints, I was told to up my intake of potassium foods, and to aim for 4700mg a day (MFP's goal is only 3500mg). Some great food sources that I eat often are dried apricots (but they are high in sugar/carbs, which may turn some folks off). Dried figs are another, and Brussels Sprouts; sweet potatoes, winter squash (I am fond of butternut, mashed with garlic-parmesan butter - omg). Regular white potatoes too. I bought some beets at a farmer's market a couple of weeks ago, and was shocked at the potassium mg in the greens alone, it's really, really high per 100g.

    I also bought some NuSalt (brand) of potassium chloride, but I prefer Morton's Lite Salt which is a blend of sodium chloride and potassium chloride - the NuSalt tastes just different enough from regular salt that I don't care for it (unless it's IN a dish, as opposed to sprinkled on top).

    Other posters are right, since potassium is not a required nutrient on labels, it's often left out or marked as 0 in user-submitted MFP entries But once I started actively seeking accurate potassium data (via USDA's website and NutritionData.self.com) and adding it to my personal entries (and sometime editing existing entries when feasible), I've actually found it pretty easy to exceed my potassium goals per day.

    I've ised Mortins lite, the taste is decent! Yeah, I think stuff like potassium should be listed, since some people on anticoagulant meds need to know this info.

    Thanks for the input, all!!
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