How does anybody get enough potassium?

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idipyoudipwedip
idipyoudipwedip Posts: 22 Member
in Food and Nutrition
If you get enough potassium regularly, tell me your secrets. I am consistently below halfway of my goal every day. I feel like I'd have to eat 5 bananas and 10 potatoes a day to get the recommended amount.
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  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
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    Manufacturers aren't required to print potassium on nutrition labels so you are likely getting more than you realize.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    ^^ Yup. Labels aren't required to list potassium, and so most of the database entries in MFP don't have potassium listed, when the item actually does. Chances are very good that you get way more than you think, and are hitting your target.
  • QueenofHearts023
    QueenofHearts023 Posts: 421 Member
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    Idk I eat a banana each day, have spinach each day, and drink a really good multivitamin. That's all I do and my levels were fine the last time I went for blood tests.

    Bit low on iron now though, I noticed my nose started bleeding more often... meh...red meat here I come. :neutral:
  • PearBlossom9
    PearBlossom9 Posts: 136 Member
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    Supplements. Potassium Citrate Powder that can be added to drinks. Also Lite-Salt which contains potassium and salt.
  • sndrd49
    sndrd49 Posts: 234 Member
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    seska422 wrote: »
    Manufacturers aren't required to print potassium on nutrition labels so you are likely getting more than you realize.

    Good to know! Seemed impossible to reach the daily goal.
  • Praying_Mantis
    Praying_Mantis Posts: 239 Member
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    Interesting! I have the opposite -- my blood work shows elevation of potassium. I was asked if I drank a lot of bottled water. Um, no, not at all. We have excellent tap water. :smile:

    Meanwhile I don't have a clue why my potassium level is high, it's sure not from eating bananas.

    Sorry OP.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    I have a family member that has to limit their potassium intake for health reasons. Trust me, if you're not avoiding potassium and have a reasonably varied diet, you're almost certainly getting enough. It's in just about everything to some degree.
  • Strawblackcat
    Strawblackcat Posts: 944 Member
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    I eat a lot of potatoes and drink a green smoothie each day. The smoothie usually has over 800mg on its own. Plus, I eat lots of fruits and veggies over the rest of the day as well, so it's no problem for me to hit my target.
  • shawnathan9
    shawnathan9 Posts: 17 Member
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    I eat 6-8 bananas a day. o:)
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
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    the more unprocessed foods you put into your menu, the more you see potassium showed up. Putting potassium on labels isnt required. sometimes i might use substitues so that I can see the potassium (like fries from wendys, or a certain tomato sauce, potato chips, etc). OJ also gives a good bang for the buck in potassium. Grapes, carrots, brocolli, milk, red wine,.... Potassium pills are a waste because they can only put so much in the pill and you can get way more than that from other things you might like but not know as yet has potassium.
  • Bmbomar
    Bmbomar Posts: 2 Member
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    Avocados are a good source of potassium
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
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    Coffee has a lot o:)

    Like the others have said don't, sweat it.
  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,120 Member
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    Lots of vegetables. Don't forget that food companies aren't yet required to list potassium (they will have to once the USDA switches to the new food labels), so it may be falsely low.

    I had a nutrition professor say that the best way to meet the RDA for potassium is to eat more unprocessed foods. She noted that there is an inverse relationship between sodium and potassium in foods as they become more "processed" (a baked potato would have less sodium and more potassium than the same amount of calories in potato chips).
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    Pomegranates, Cornish hens, granola,
  • chastity0921
    chastity0921 Posts: 209 Member
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    @Praying_Mantis mine were high once. I realized it was from the water flavoring packets. Once I stopped using those, it went back to normal. I don't know if you ever use them, but just saying!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    Lots of legumes and vegetables.
  • elite_nal
    elite_nal Posts: 127 Member
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    idipyoudipwedip wrote: »
    If you get enough potassium regularly, tell me your secrets. I am consistently below halfway of my goal every day. I feel like I'd have to eat 5 bananas and 10 potatoes a day to get the recommended amount.

    High potassium foods:

    Beans
    Apricots
    Dark leafy greens
    Yogurt
    Banana
    Potato
    Avocado
    Squash
    Mushrooms
    Salmon

  • idipyoudipwedip
    idipyoudipwedip Posts: 22 Member
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    Thanks everybody. I didn't realize that potassium isn't a required listing. I eat lots of veggies and legumes so I'm probably getting enough.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    edited January 2016
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    If your CMP (complete metabolic panel, or is it the CBC? The one that measures electrolytes) done at annual health checkups says otherwise, you're probably getting enough. I've never had a problem. I eat lots of veggies, drink coffee daily, and eat potatoes very often. Those things add up to quite a lot more potassium than a handful of bananas does.

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