Potassium Supplement
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roadkingmoj
Posts: 1 Member
How accurate is potassium from food numbers in MFP? My potassium from food shows me way below daily recommended levels. If I take supplement to make up difference it amounts to many pills due to FDA limits of around 100mg and the dangers of taking too much?
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Replies
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It's not accurate4
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At the moment, potassium is not required on food labels here in the US so many labels do not have this information. As the database is crowd sourced, users can only enter what's on the labels. So, usually potassium comes in much lower than what you're actually consuming.
I wouldn't supplement unless you're doctor has indicated you're deficient and need to.6 -
Consuming too much potassium can be very dangerous. You can end hospitalized or dead, that's why over the counter potassium supplements have such a low dose they're basically useless. You're much better off eating a varied diet and being mindful of including some potassium rich foods.4
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At the moment, potassium is not required on food labels here in the US so many labels do not have this information. As the database is crowd sourced, users can only enter what's on the labels. So, usually potassium comes in much lower than what you're actually consuming.
I wouldn't supplement unless you're doctor has indicated you're deficient and need to.
This.
If you're concerne, use a couple of typical days from your diary, and look up the foods in a more comprehensive nutrition database (USDA or Self, for example). Or, just Google "foods with potassium" or somesuch thing to find whether you're already getting some good sources that the database lists as zero potassium.
I'd bet you're in better shape than you think, especially if you're routinely eating a decent amount of fruits/veggies, certain fish/seafoods, yogurt, etc. Furthermore, even if you decide you're truly deficient, there are so many good food sources that it should be pretty easy to improve things in the context of normal eating.
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happytree923 wrote: »Consuming too much potassium can be very dangerous. You can end hospitalized or dead, that's why over the counter potassium supplements have such a low dose they're basically useless. You're much better off eating a varied diet and being mindful of including some potassium rich foods.
This.
If you like to season your food try Himalayan Pink Salt, I prefer it to bog standard table salt.
Himalayan Pink Salt info2 -
happytree923 wrote: »Consuming too much potassium can be very dangerous. You can end hospitalized or dead, that's why over the counter potassium supplements have such a low dose they're basically useless. You're much better off eating a varied diet and being mindful of including some potassium rich foods.
This.
If you like to season your food try Himalayan Pink Salt, I prefer it to bog standard table salt.
Himalayan Pink Salt info
How would adding something that is 98% sodium chloride, with trace amounts of potassium, fix a potassium deficiency, if indeed the OP suffers from one? Especially when sodium and potassium are essentially competitors, chemically speaking?3 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »happytree923 wrote: »Consuming too much potassium can be very dangerous. You can end hospitalized or dead, that's why over the counter potassium supplements have such a low dose they're basically useless. You're much better off eating a varied diet and being mindful of including some potassium rich foods.
This.
If you like to season your food try Himalayan Pink Salt, I prefer it to bog standard table salt.
Himalayan Pink Salt info
How would adding something that is 98% sodium chloride, with trace amounts of potassium, fix a potassium deficiency, if indeed the OP suffers from one? Especially when sodium and potassium are essentially competitors, chemically speaking?
Himalayan pink salt is one of the trendy woo scams making the rounds right now. Absolutely no benefits over regular salt. Unless one just finds the color pretty enough to not mind overpaying for it.
As you said, it makes no sense whatsoever for the OP. They would be better off using one of the salt substitutes on the market which use potassium chloride. And as was previously mentioned, MFP does not accurately track potassium because it’s not required to be listed on food labels and is often completely omitted from database entries here. So if OP is relying on the MFP database, they’re probably getting a lot more potassium than they think they are.2 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »happytree923 wrote: »Consuming too much potassium can be very dangerous. You can end hospitalized or dead, that's why over the counter potassium supplements have such a low dose they're basically useless. You're much better off eating a varied diet and being mindful of including some potassium rich foods.
This.
If you like to season your food try Himalayan Pink Salt, I prefer it to bog standard table salt.
Himalayan Pink Salt info
How would adding something that is 98% sodium chloride, with trace amounts of potassium, fix a potassium deficiency, if indeed the OP suffers from one? Especially when sodium and potassium are essentially competitors, chemically speaking?
Himalayan pink salt is one of the trendy woo scams making the rounds right now. Absolutely no benefits over regular salt. Unless one just finds the color pretty enough to not mind overpaying for it.
As you said, it makes no sense whatsoever for the OP. They would be better off using one of the salt substitutes on the market which use potassium chloride. And as was previously mentioned, MFP does not accurately track potassium because it’s not required to be listed on food labels and is often completely omitted from database entries here. So if OP is relying on the MFP database, they’re probably getting a lot more potassium than they think they are.
Yes, totally agree on all points. My questions were intended to be either Socratic or, failing that, rhetorical.
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Bananas and oranges are a good source of potassium and it only takes one/day. But like someone else said, you are probably just fine. For the most part I don't pay much attention to the 'allowable' levels of nutrients in the calorie counter.1
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »happytree923 wrote: »Consuming too much potassium can be very dangerous. You can end hospitalized or dead, that's why over the counter potassium supplements have such a low dose they're basically useless. You're much better off eating a varied diet and being mindful of including some potassium rich foods.
This.
If you like to season your food try Himalayan Pink Salt, I prefer it to bog standard table salt.
Himalayan Pink Salt info
How would adding something that is 98% sodium chloride, with trace amounts of potassium, fix a potassium deficiency, if indeed the OP suffers from one? Especially when sodium and potassium are essentially competitors, chemically speaking?
Himalayan pink salt is one of the trendy woo scams making the rounds right now. Absolutely no benefits over regular salt. Unless one just finds the color pretty enough to not mind overpaying for it.
As you said, it makes no sense whatsoever for the OP. They would be better off using one of the salt substitutes on the market which use potassium chloride. And as was previously mentioned, MFP does not accurately track potassium because it’s not required to be listed on food labels and is often completely omitted from database entries here. So if OP is relying on the MFP database, they’re probably getting a lot more potassium than they think they are.
Yes, totally agree on all points. My questions were intended to be either Socratic or, failing that, rhetorical.
I figured as much. I was just answering for the benefit of those reading along.
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »happytree923 wrote: »Consuming too much potassium can be very dangerous. You can end hospitalized or dead, that's why over the counter potassium supplements have such a low dose they're basically useless. You're much better off eating a varied diet and being mindful of including some potassium rich foods.
This.
If you like to season your food try Himalayan Pink Salt, I prefer it to bog standard table salt.
Himalayan Pink Salt info
How would adding something that is 98% sodium chloride, with trace amounts of potassium, fix a potassium deficiency, if indeed the OP suffers from one? Especially when sodium and potassium are essentially competitors, chemically speaking?
Himalayan pink salt is one of the trendy woo scams making the rounds right now. Absolutely no benefits over regular salt. Unless one just finds the color pretty enough to not mind overpaying for it.
As you said, it makes no sense whatsoever for the OP. They would be better off using one of the salt substitutes on the market which use potassium chloride. And as was previously mentioned, MFP does not accurately track potassium because it’s not required to be listed on food labels and is often completely omitted from database entries here. So if OP is relying on the MFP database, they’re probably getting a lot more potassium than they think they are.
Yes, totally agree on all points. My questions were intended to be either Socratic or, failing that, rhetorical.
Please yourselves and be happy with your bog standard sodium chloride that has anti-caking agents added then!
I will stick with HPS, it comes from a natural source...it is not expensive and is good for making up re-hydration drinks!
Peace!4
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