Potassium - help!

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steveyeu
steveyeu Posts: 4 Member
in Food and Nutrition
It is one nutrient that my diet lacks, and struggle to get it soley from food sources, any tips to up my intake?

Would anyone recommend a supplement such as the one Holland&Baratt sell?

Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Potassium is not required on food labels. If it's not on the label, it's not getting into your diary. But most people get enough. Do you have a deficiency?
  • TheRootofGroot
    TheRootofGroot Posts: 118 Member
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    The supplements are usually an overpriced joke.
    I think most pills are 50mg, which is quite useless when you need 4700mg in a day.

    Thing is, as the previous poster mentioned, as it is not required it is almost never included on the label, despite potassium being in pretty much everything.

    If you want as accurate an idea of what your potassium intake is then make sure when you log things like meat, dairy, fruits and vegies that you have chosen an item in the MFP catalogue that has it included.
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    edited July 2016
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    A lot of foods have potassium. Ex: Beans.
    But, the potassium is not on the label. So users have no way of inputting this information.
    You might just be getting enough.
    More people are deficient in magnesium. Not sure why potassium is even on MFP,
    Potassium in pill form can be dangerous. Google it and get informed.
    If you are concerned, just limit your sodium intake. 1:1 ratio.
    Ex: 2,000 sodium, at least 2,000 mg potassium. Always more pot than salt.
  • marm1962
    marm1962 Posts: 950 Member
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    find your food on here and track your potassium manually -- https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search
  • amorfati601070
    amorfati601070 Posts: 2,882 Member
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    JanetYellen wrote: »
    A lot of foods have potassium. Ex: Beans.
    But, the potassium is not on the label. So users have no way of inputting this information.
    You might just be getting enough.
    More people are deficient in magnesium. Not sure why potassium is even on MFP,
    Potassium in pill form can be dangerous. Google it and get informed.
    If you are concerned, just limit your sodium intake. 1:1 ratio.
    Ex: 2,000 sodium, at least 2,000 mg potassium. Always more pot than salt.

    This is on spot. Also, coconut water has loads of it..

    Tomato paste is another, if you can incorporate it into cooking.
  • CommanderRogers
    CommanderRogers Posts: 5 Member
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    What foods have potassium? Just so we know what we can eat if I feel like I'm not getting enough since my food log tells me I am not.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited July 2016
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    It's really not that hard to get enough potassium, and the sodium/potassium balance is what matters. All food except crustacians (prawns etc) have more potassium than sodium. It's the added salt in convenience food that skews the balance. If you cook some food from scratch and don't oversalt it, you'll be allright.

    Acting on "feelings" based on incomplete information is not going to help you one bit.
  • OlyCapitalChick
    OlyCapitalChick Posts: 236 Member
    edited July 2016
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    It is weird how magnesium is never talked about.
    Lots of headache suffers are never told about this.

    Thanks all for the great info on potassium and salt ratios and the label thing!
  • markrgeary1
    markrgeary1 Posts: 853 Member
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    phtgrapher wrote: »
    What foods have potassium? Just so we know what we can eat if I feel like I'm not getting enough since my food log tells me I am not.

    Check out bannas, russet potato, dates. Some fish is loaded too. Some salt replacements are loaded with it. Do be careful not to go overboard, too much potassium will cause heart issues(messes with my heartrate).
  • LaceyBirds
    LaceyBirds Posts: 451 Member
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    I am never even close to hitting my potassium on MFP. But my blood work since starting MFP over a year ago (at which time I started purposefully eating foods with more potassium like bananas, V8 juice, potatoes) compared with my blood work for six years prior show that my potassium levels have stayed the same and are always normal.

    So don't worry about the MFP database, you should be fine. And if you're worried, go get a blood test.
  • Tara4boys
    Tara4boys Posts: 515 Member
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    Lite Salt tastes just like regular salt but it is half sodium and half potassium. Previous poster is right that potassium pills are a drop in the bucket if you are truly deficient.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Bananas!
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
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    I really wonder why MPF lists potassium. Magnesium is what I would have chosen.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    Coffee!

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