Potassium?

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HotMamaByVday
HotMamaByVday Posts: 343 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Should I take a potassium suppliment if I have not been meeting that requirement or is it ok as long as my potassium and sodium balance?

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  • DonM46
    DonM46 Posts: 771 Member
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    check with your doctor
  • HotMamaByVday
    HotMamaByVday Posts: 343 Member
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    Bleh. That is a crappy answer. lol. I am not sick or feeling any symptoms of hypokalemia.
  • dleon7900
    dleon7900 Posts: 9
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    I have the same question! I never seem to be getting enough potassium and I HATE bananas so I don't even really know how to get more. I'm just as confused as you and I have no health insurance, so a dr isn't an options. If anyone knows more, I'd love to hear the answer to this as well! :-)
  • gmann1973
    gmann1973 Posts: 247
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    thats what I do and your potassium can be higher from what I have read and you want retain as much water
  • ebramlett
    ebramlett Posts: 306 Member
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    I take a suppliment. It also helps your kidneys in preventing stones. I had a stone problem a while back and my doc got me the pottasium citrate suppliment and it has helped me out tremendously. I will be taking them forever!
  • ebramlett
    ebramlett Posts: 306 Member
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    I easily hit 3500 g pottasium per day now.
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
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    I have the same question! I never seem to be getting enough potassium and I HATE bananas so I don't even really know how to get more. I'm just as confused as you and I have no health insurance, so a dr isn't an options. If anyone knows more, I'd love to hear the answer to this as well! :-)

    There are PLENTY of sources of potassium besides bananas. Bananas aren't actually the best source by any means. Check out http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=90 and my diary for potassium ideas.

    I just try to maintain the balance, getting more potassium than sodium and it's working out for me. If you aren't having any adverse symptoms, I'd say it's ok. We all get more potassium than we think because it's not required on labels.
  • anubis609
    anubis609 Posts: 3,966 Member
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    I found out that mushrooms are chock full of potassium. An ounce has 100mg of potassium.
  • quietlywinning
    quietlywinning Posts: 889 Member
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    Potassium is one you don't want to supplement unless the doctor tells you to. Having too much in your blood stream can cause several other things to go out of whack in your system.
  • Thriceshy
    Thriceshy Posts: 707 Member
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    Hard to find a safe and available potassium supplement that's offered over the counter. However, if you hate bananas, you'll find that canned spinach, watermelon, dried fruits (especially peaches and apricots), and various other sources are easy to fit into a daily diet.

    Good luck!

    Edited to include: http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/food/potassium-foods.htm

    Kris
  • anna_lisa
    anna_lisa Posts: 486 Member
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    BE VERY CAREFUL OF TAKING A POTASSIUM SUPPLEMENT. to much potassium can be DEADLY and taking too much can be very dangerous.

    check with a dr. before taking a supplement. But you can find natural sources of potassium in food.

    This is part of the focus of my studies. I actively read and research information related to this topic
  • bluebird321
    bluebird321 Posts: 733 Member
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    I eat an avocado at breakfast since it has a lot more potassium than bananas without the sugar.

    @ebramlett. Thats good information about pottasium citrate. I haven't had problems with stones... yet.
  • LongLiveJen
    LongLiveJen Posts: 18 Member
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    raisins and orange juice also have good bit of potassium.
  • akunce
    akunce Posts: 29
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    kiwis and tomatoes are great sources of potassium. fresh is always better!
  • sarahsmom1
    sarahsmom1 Posts: 1,501 Member
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    I agree with check with your dr my husbands potassium went out of wack and he ended up on dialysis. Nothing to play with The average lifespan when you end up on dialysis is 6 years take it seriously if you think your low get blood work
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    If you're using this site to track your potassium, it is nowhere near accurate. Potassium is not required on food labels, so there are a ton of foods that have plenty of potassium in them that are listed as having ZERO in the database.
  • squishyjenn
    squishyjenn Posts: 245 Member
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    I'm allergic to bananas so I don't eat them. I'm pretty sure Greek Yogurt has a lot of potassium in it.
  • mfpchris
    mfpchris Posts: 279 Member
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    Interesting topic. I found this nice summary on the net
    Your body uses potassium to keep your nerves and muscles firing efficiently, and an adequate intake can blunt sodium’s effect on blood pressure. One 2009 study found that a 2:1 ratio of potassium to sodium could halve your risk of heart disease, and since the average American consumes about 3,400 milligrams of sodium each day, your goal should be 6,800 milligrams of daily potassium. You’re extremely unlikely to ever reach that mark—and never with bananas alone. One medium banana has 422 milligrams and 105 calories. Here are the sources that earn you roughly the same amount of potassium in fewer calories: * Potato, half a medium spud, 80 calories * Apricots, 5 whole fruit, 80 calories * Cantaloupe, 1 cup cubes, 55 calories * Broccoli, 1 full stalk, 50 calories * Sun-dried tomatoes, a quarter cup, 35 calories

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