Magnesium and potassium
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DietPrada
Posts: 1,171 Member
I've been doing keto for a long time. I never get leg cramps etc. But I often wonder, how do I know I'm getting enough magnesium and potassium? I mean I must be, as I don't have any symptoms, but what foods do these come from? Only thing I consciously add is salt. But I like salt. I have a salt grinder and I add it to every meal.
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I think you go mostly off of how you feel. If you start to feel bad, keto flu if you will, then try to get more of these salts in your diet. If that doesn't work then it may, a bit off topic, mean a strict keto diet doesn't work that well with your body.0
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I eat a good bit of mushrooms, avocados, leafy greens, Greek yogurt, salmon, other fish, nuts/seeds, green beans. All are reportedly high in magnesium and/or potassium.1
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There are tests, but not the standard CMP serum tests...if you really want to know your results. Most of us get enough potassium naturally. Unless you're eating all grassfed and organic foods, you're likely at least mildly deficient in magnesium...0
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I have always believed salt is the reason behind the symptoms. Supplementing magnesium may be a good idea, but probably not necessary. I think there are enzymatic functions that probably suffer if magnesium isn't optimal but it's not the same as being deficient.
I really don't believe most people need to supplement potassium and I actually believe that one is a risky game. Anything other than a few dashes of lite salt could start to be too much and you wouldn't know until you got problematic symptoms. So unless there's a diagnosed deficiency, I wouldn't be concerned with that one.1 -
Yeah my Dad in his last days ended up in hospital a couple of times because his potassium was too high - the symptoms he described were both life threatening and unpleasant - so I'd like to avoid that if possible.
I do eat a fair bit of salmon and mushrooms nearly every day so maybe that's why.1 -
Two of my specialists (cardiologist and endo) told me the majority of patients who have obesity problems, especially long term morbid obesity, have underlying imbalances and deficiencies of hormones and key nutrients. Some of the most common (according to what I was told - I am not a medical professional) are Vit D, B7 and B12, chromium, and magnesium. Through testing we found out I was magnesium, B7 and B12 deficient and had numerous hormone problems (thank you Hashimoto's and being over 35). I was given magnesium glyconate and weekly B injections. WEEKLY. I think most people only have to do this monthly.
I personally cannot take potassium supplements and have to watch high potassium foods due to one of the meds I take.
Speak directly to your doctor about your concerns. The testing needed to rule out deficiencies is simple blood work.2 -
I wanted to add that food sources are usually best, but if your body is unable to synthesize them properly (as in my case), then supplementation is recommended.
Edited to say I don't know you at all, so I am not saying you are obese. I just wanted to chime in. My endo in particular speaks about rampant latent deficiencies that go unnoticed because our food supply is "crap" as she puts it.3 -
Strange how I posted a few hours ago about this, when I've never had cramping before (in 4 years of keto) and for the last hour I've had a cramp from my left hip to my ankle that won't quit. Not sure why. Maybe not enough salt, and oddly I dropped a whole kg overnight (I normally lose about 1.5kg a month). Related? I'm not sure.1
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I'm sorry you're experiencing this. Sometimes a soak in Epsom salt helps. I've also read about people drinking apple cider vinegar with the mother in it. I hope it lessens for you soon. It sounds terribly painful.0
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Being new to Keto, I've been wondering about my potassium & magnesium levels the last few weeks too. I've been noticing on my MFP food diary scales that my potassium has consistently been quite low. And I know I'm definitely not getting as much magnesium as I should be. I've been trying to eat (when I can) at least an avocado or two, some leafy greens, mushrooms, and use some lite salt for this very reason. I'm planning on starting Epsom salt foot soaks too, as soon as I can get to the store to buy some. I've been looking at Magnesium threonate supplements (for its high absorption & lack of laxative effects) and am currently in the process of narrowing down what brand I want to go with. I haven't noticed any ill effects of any deficiencies from these nutrients, but I'd rather take preventative measures now before they develop, since I know I'm low on them.1
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ABeautifulDistraction wrote: »I wanted to add that food sources are usually best, but if your body is unable to synthesize them properly (as in my case), then supplementation is recommended.
Edited to say I don't know you at all, so I am not saying you are obese. I just wanted to chime in. My endo in particular speaks about rampant latent deficiencies that go unnoticed because our food supply is "crap" as she puts it.
@ABeautifulDistraction - I could not agree MORE with your Endo... Our food supply is fully depleted of the nutrition there 25-50 years ago and longer. We no longer rotate crops to rest and rejuvenate fields. We cover EVERYTHING in pesticides. We genetically modify foods in a lab to breed for more resilient crops, while causing chain reactions down the line.
Because of all this, they say that 90%+ of the modern, first world population not eating only grassfed and organic foods are deficient in magnesium. It is required in over 400 bodily processes, but it takes massive deficiency for the most commonly recognized symptoms to surface. Serum levels, as are run as a standard are almost meaningless, unless you are to a point of nearly needing to be in the hospital, as the body MUST keep a fairly level balance of electrolytes active in the blood stream. It will literally leech potassium and magnesium out of your bones and muscles to keep this blood balance - so your active circulating levels may be great, but your storage sources and EVERYWHERE ELSE YOU NEED MAGNESIUM could be drained to the point of abject misery... There are other tests to run, but they are not common and most convention doctors don't recognize the need for these tests.
And I can say that sincerely, I can trace nearly every issue I have back to an underlying nutrient deficiency, except perhaps the starting triggers... Your Endo sounds like my kind of person!motorcyclekopp wrote: »Being new to Keto, I've been wondering about my potassium & magnesium levels the last few weeks too. I've been noticing on my MFP food diary scales that my potassium has consistently been quite low. And I know I'm definitely not getting as much magnesium as I should be. I've been trying to eat (when I can) at least an avocado or two, some leafy greens, mushrooms, and use some lite salt for this very reason. I'm planning on starting Epsom salt foot soaks too, as soon as I can get to the store to buy some. I've been looking at Magnesium threonate supplements (for its high absorption & lack of laxative effects) and am currently in the process of narrowing down what brand I want to go with. I haven't noticed any ill effects of any deficiencies from these nutrients, but I'd rather take preventative measures now before they develop, since I know I'm low on them.
@motorcyclekopp - As in the other thread running around on this same topic right now: community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10510675/a-question-about-potassium-supplementation#latest
we discuss how potassium and magnesium are not REQUIRED to be on nutrition labels and are under reported. Verifying nutrition independently in this case is very important.3 -
As a result of what I've read on this forum, I started using Natural Calm a few days ago. I like it b/c I can adjust the level of magnesium according to how my body responds. Seems easier than using capsules. I got the plain kind and don't mind the taste at all. I've been reading how crucial magnesium is to the digestive process. I had no idea. Colon cancer is prolific in my family and I feel blessed to have escaped it thus far. I'm convinced that an appropriate level of mag will help with that. I love learning from all you folks, so thank you!0
