potassium

jbucci1186
jbucci1186 Posts: 440 Member
edited September 2024 in Food and Nutrition
so i'm having trouble getting anywhere close to this DRA of 3500mg of potassium. I can never get myself over 1500mg a day. It's the one thing I basically know nothing about aside from it helping calm nerves, and I don't even know if I believe that.

Do I need to care about this? If so, should I just take a supplement or try to eat more foods with potassium? I'm just not sure I'm quite ready to change my diet up if it requires it. I don't like eating bananas or mango because I consider them to be high calorie for fruit. I take Centrum Men's Ultra, but it only has 80mg in it.

thanks!

Replies

  • NancyAnne1960
    NancyAnne1960 Posts: 500 Member
    I'm like you. Don't know much about it - except I eat extra when I get sore muscles or muscle cramps. It used to be I'd get a leg cramp, and about 5 minutes after eating a banana or raisins, it would go away. So, basically I have absolutely no answer to your question. :)
  • Babrao
    Babrao Posts: 152 Member
    I was just as confused so I asked the Pharmacy and they told me there were not any supplements for Potassium. I wonder why my vitamins don't contain any also? Very strange, I wonder if anyone gets enough or what is reccommended...
  • wriglucy
    wriglucy Posts: 1,064 Member
    I don't think it's a nutrient that is going to hurt you if you don't get the recommended amount daily. I'm sure if you're way under....it may affect you, but I don't think it's a common one to be deficient in. Potassium helps with the muscle function, and the nerves....so, like you said, if you start having cramps, you may need to eat a little more that day. Otherwise, I think you should be fine. :)
  • wjkirby
    wjkirby Posts: 120
    I worked to get my potassium level up. It's hard to get the 3500. I take potassium supplements every day and started paying attention to foods high in potassium. I'm on a cantaloupe kick right now. It's high and of course bananas, strawberries, red potatoes, milk and celery just to mention a few. I still don't get to 3500 most days but I get close to 3000.
  • wjkirby
    wjkirby Posts: 120
    I was just as confused so I asked the Pharmacy and they told me there were not any supplements for Potassium. I wonder why my vitamins don't contain any also? Very strange, I wonder if anyone gets enough or what is reccommended...

    Your pharmacy is incorrect. Potassium Gluconate is what you are looking for.
  • aneumany
    aneumany Posts: 165 Member
    its just a page i googled.. but i took it upon myself last year when i was working out to take a potassium supplement bc i always got bad muscle cramps, and i started having bad side effects, including diff heartbeat and chest pains, i suggest u talk to ur dr. before taking any it can be very dangerous if not taken properly.. but check this out for a better overview if ud like..

    http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/potassium-000320.htm
  • waterjogger
    waterjogger Posts: 114
    You need to be careful because too much potassium can be dangerous. In the past I've only taken it when I was on a strong diuretic which depleted my potassium.
  • pspam
    pspam Posts: 9
    Potassium, sodium, and calcium are all part of the cycle involving the production of ATP, maintaining an electrolyte buffer in your bloodstream, and the expansion of muscle fibers following contraction. In a state where you are exercising and lack sufficient potassium, muscle fibers will contract and remain locked in that position, i.e. cramps. When this occurs during dehydration, athletes are given intravenous solutions with potassium and sodium to stop the cramps when they can't keep any food down.

    Potassium is important, but I don't know if recommended daily allowances account for any activity beyond sitting at a desk. Dark chocolate, baked potatos, tomatos, raisins, almonds, beans, avacado, banana, baked fish, ... there are other options that won't bust the diet. I recommend searching the net to see if a small change can have a large impact on potassium consumption.
  • johnwhitent
    johnwhitent Posts: 648 Member
    You need to be careful because too much potassium can be dangerous. In the past I've only taken it when I was on a strong diuretic which depleted my potassium.

    Wow, your experience is the opposite of mine. When I began tracking potassium I found that I was getting less than 20% of the RDA. Even eating potassium rich foods I have trouble getting to 75% of RDA. I googled potassium and from what I found low potassium is far more common than high. Dr Weil's website states that if your blood test shows too high of a level of potassium get it checked again because too high potassium is hard to get to with diet. I have IDB and I also get severe calf cramps unless I seek out potassium rich foods, so I'm still looking to add potassium, though I do not take any supplement.
  • myukniewicz
    myukniewicz Posts: 906 Member
    Potassium and Sodium go hand in hand :)
    Potassium helps regulate fluid movement in between cells, and also aids in muscle contraction.

    i take a potassium supplement every day, and i aim to get mine at 3000mg.
    zucchini, potatos, kiwi, bananas all are EXCELLENT sources of potassium!!! :)
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