How can anyone eat the RDA of potassium??

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megleo818
megleo818 Posts: 595 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Okay, I have to admit that I never really looked at my nutritional stats until very recently. But when I did, I found that I suck at getting enough iron. Easy enough to take a supplement for that. But potassium? -- Impossible! Potassium "supplements" only give you like 3% of your RDA or something ridiculous. And the RDA is over 4,000 mgs, with really high-potassium foods (like sweet potatoes) coming in at less than 1000 mgs. So how's a person supposed to get this stuff??
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Replies

  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
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    Beet root.
  • kristydi
    kristydi Posts: 781 Member
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    You may be getting more than you think. Companies aren't required to include it on nutrition labels so many don't. For example, both tomatoes and onions have potassium, but the jarred marinara sauce on my pizza from lunch lists potassium at 0. Also many user entered foods leave it out. Entries with USDA in the title tend to have it.
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,779 Member
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    kristydi wrote: »
    You may be getting more than you think. Companies aren't required to include it on nutrition labels so many don't. For example, both tomatoes and onions have potassium, but the jarred marinara sauce on my pizza from lunch lists potassium at 0. Also many user entered foods leave it out. Entries with USDA in the title tend to have it.

    Yep. If I get 2000+, I assume I hit the target for the day. If you really want to see the numbers, OP, eat more whole foods, use USDA entries for commodities like raw meat and dried beans and milk, etc.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
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    me over the 2000 also and lots of times close to the 3000 and sometimes even over

    Total for today was 2,877
  • yellowantphil
    yellowantphil Posts: 787 Member
    edited June 2015
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    Blackstrap molasses has a lot of potassium.

    Spinach has a lot of potassium per calorie: 28 cups of spinach would be 4700 mg of potassium and 194 calories. Also, I don’t recommend this, but 40 ½ cups of coffee would provide 4700 mg of potassium and only 96 calories. >:)

    Beans, potatoes, milk, and some fruits have a lot of potassium but also a lot of calories.

    Here’s a USDA food database search for potassium.

    As kristydi mentioned, lots of foods have potassium but don’t list it. I try to get potassium amounts from the USDA food database whenever I can. Still, I’m lucky to get over 2500 or 3000 mg most days. But one day last week, I had a lot of blackstrap molasses and got to nearly 7000 mg for the day. :o:o
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
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    btw another thing
    Lots of people dont log small things like herbs and spices

    Herbs and spices ( i use them a lot on a daily base) have a lot of potassium too :)
  • irishdancer214
    irishdancer214 Posts: 108 Member
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    I thought I was the only one looking at my potassium stats in horror. I have to say, I do love the nutritional stats section on here...I started boosting my potassium levels (aka I started eating more fruits and veggies like I should have all along), and I've noticed that what seemes to be a magnesium deficiency for a long time seems to be disappearing!!
  • paris458
    paris458 Posts: 231 Member
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    I take a supplement but that was recommended by my doctor
  • hgycta
    hgycta Posts: 3,013 Member
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    You have to remember that while potassium is sometimes listed on a label, it isn't required and may not be listed for every food you buy - therefore, you may be consuming a lot more potassium without even realizing it! However, I've noticed that I was able to add a lot more potassium to my diet by making my protein shakes with coconut water instead of milk or regular water, and I actually enjoy it more too!
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    If you are using MFP to try to track your Potassium intake (assuming you aren't solely eating foods you prepare from scratch and depending on what your intake is set to), you may be getting in a lot more than you think.

    It's just that a lot of packaged foods, currently, don't have it on their nutrition labels (which then means it doesn't get recorded on MFP).
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
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    Potato Chips. 1 oz has around 400 mg.
    1 banana has around 400 mg
    1 large orange has over 300 mg

    That's an 1100mg snack right there ...
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    kristydi wrote: »
    You may be getting more than you think. Companies aren't required to include it on nutrition labels so many don't. For example, both tomatoes and onions have potassium, but the jarred marinara sauce on my pizza from lunch lists potassium at 0. Also many user entered foods leave it out. Entries with USDA in the title tend to have it.

    This ^^

    I find it hard to believe that anyone doesn't eat the RDA. Potassium is in everything.
  • yellowantphil
    yellowantphil Posts: 787 Member
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    "Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    I find it hard to believe that anyone doesn't eat the RDA. Potassium is in everything.

    It's very common not to get the entire 4700 mg recommended. Potassium is in pretty much everything, but 4700 mg is a lot. I don't eat that many processed foods, and I estimate the potassium content of a lot of the foods I eat, and it's rare for me to get to 4700 mg.
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,642 Member
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    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    kristydi wrote: »
    You may be getting more than you think. Companies aren't required to include it on nutrition labels so many don't. For example, both tomatoes and onions have potassium, but the jarred marinara sauce on my pizza from lunch lists potassium at 0. Also many user entered foods leave it out. Entries with USDA in the title tend to have it.

    This ^^

    I find it hard to believe that anyone doesn't eat the RDA. Potassium is in everything.

    This.

    too much oils, refined sugars and grains making up most of your diet are about the only way one ends up seriously deficient (hmm....)
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
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    potatoes (both white and sweet) have a lot of potassium. I only ever hit that macro when I eat spuds.
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,779 Member
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    philcarter372 wrote: »
    "Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    I find it hard to believe that anyone doesn't eat the RDA. Potassium is in everything.

    It's very common not to get the entire 4700 mg recommended. Potassium is in pretty much everything, but 4700 mg is a lot. I don't eat that many processed foods, and I estimate the potassium content of a lot of the foods I eat, and it's rare for me to get to 4700 mg.

    Where do you get the 4700 number from? I thought it was 3500.

    In any event, OP, if you are still worried, look up the potassium in the raw ingredients of branded products you buy the most. Canned vegetables, beans, coffee, milk, etc all have potassium, but MFP entries likely don't include it.
  • yellowantphil
    yellowantphil Posts: 787 Member
    edited June 2015
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    barbecuesauce wrote: »
    Where do you get the 4700 number from? I thought it was 3500.

    The current daily value used on food labels in the US is 3500 mg, yes. But the new dietary reference intake is 4700 mg. There are plans to update the food labels to change the potassium recommendation to 4700 mg. Potassium will also be required on food labels after the update. Here's a link from the FDA and a list of changes from a food label company.
  • jessicapk
    jessicapk Posts: 574 Member
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    I rarely eat the RDA amount but, again, I think it's mostly because it's not listed. I don't cramp or seem to have issues related to electrolytes. Honestly, OP, since it's not listed on many labels, I wouldn't worry unless you have low potassium levels on your blood test.
  • bibliophage
    bibliophage Posts: 2 Member
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    A couple years ago I compiled a list of foods with high potassium-to-calorie ratios from USDA nutrient databases. That way I can get my potassium requirements without going over my Calorie budget. I excluded foods I don't like (Swiss Chard etc) and foods I'm not likely to eat in significant quantities (various herbs and spices). Some foods famous for being high in potassium fail to make the list because they have too many calories relative to their potassium content. My list, starting with the best sources, is
    • clams
    • bamboo shoots
    • spinach
    • lettuce
    • celery
    • tomato
    • mushrooms
    • spinach
    • broccoli
    • cabbage
    • bell peppers and chili peppers
    • rutabaga (Swede)
    • snap beans
    • cantaloupe
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    philcarter372 wrote: »
    "Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    I find it hard to believe that anyone doesn't eat the RDA. Potassium is in everything.

    It's very common not to get the entire 4700 mg recommended. Potassium is in pretty much everything, but 4700 mg is a lot. I don't eat that many processed foods, and I estimate the potassium content of a lot of the foods I eat, and it's rare for me to get to 4700 mg.

    I don't put in the effort to track potassium so I don't know exactly how many mg I get, but since I get regular blood tests that would show a deficiency, I get plenty. In fact once I tested high and was put on a low potassium diet. Almost everything I typically eat was on the 'high potassium foods to avoid' list.

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