Potassium Goal crazy hard even with right food/labelling

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Replies

  • gregc50
    gregc50 Posts: 47 Member
    What is up with members here being obsesses with potassiun?
    Potassium is present in most fruits and veggies, and potassium is well regulated in our body. As long as your you don't have any underlying health problems causing you to loose potassium you shouldn't worry about.

    Because the app says I don't eat enough fruits and veggies. My plate does not look like
    visual_en.png
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,598 Member
    gregcault wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    adding a bit of salt when cooking intensifies flavors and while that sounds possibly questionable
    Who questions salt/seasoning your food for cooking ! I can only imagine what Gordon Ramsay would say.

    No idea about the potassium salt for cooking, sounds weird though, maybe just use less salt.

    Isn't salt just an issue for the average person if you are not eating healthily? (Junk food/processed etc)

    I'm often over recommended salt levels via foods like raw sauerkraut, kim chi, miso, cheese . . . certainly processed, but not what I'd consider "junk" or (outside of the salt ;) ) "unhealthy". I do like salt unnaturally much, though. (BP is fine, BTW.)
  • sharondesfor935
    sharondesfor935 Posts: 89 Member
    edited April 2019
    What is up with members here being obsesses with potassiun?
    Potassium is present in most fruits and veggies, and potassium is well regulated in our body. As long as your you don't have any underlying health problems causing you to loose potassium you shouldn't worry about.

    I obsess over everything, Daisy. In fact, I'm so OCD I use Cronometer in addition to MFP so I can track my nutrients down to the individual amino acids. In my defense, A) I'm a nerd and I adore numbers and spreadsheets and graphs, and B ) I'm in the process of transitioning to a 80%-ish plant-based diet. Coming from a lifetime meat/starch/fat/junk food background, I'm having to learn "everything nutrition" from the ground up. It's been fun, actually.
  • Spadesheart
    Spadesheart Posts: 479 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    I don't see a reason to switch at this time, but out of curiosity, is cooking with the potassium salt a thing and does it work like salt or no? (I assume no.) I never add salt to cooked food, but I learned long ago that adding a bit of salt when cooking intensifies flavors and while that sounds possibly questionable I do find it makes a huge difference.

    I have tried straight potassium chloride and find it unpalatable: too bitter and with an odd aftertaste.

    I do cook with the 50/50 light salt blend as well as use it for my table salt, and can taste very little difference between it and regular iodized salt.

    That said, I'm not a good cook (just now learning how at age 58 😱), and do not have an educated food palate. Serious cooks and serious foodies may not like the light salt.

    I am a good cook; the difference in flavour is quite negligible with the half salt, other than the intensity of the saltiness isn't quite as strong, I'd say 80ish %. I'm sure it will bother someone, but calorie counting and maintaining nutrition is hard. Sometimes the concessions have to be made, and you do get used to them. This one is quite benign.

    I buy pure potassium salt and mix it 50/50 with table salt, ends up being quite a bit cheaper.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    I'm just gonna put this here, and I don't fully endorse it as apparently having too much potassium is dangerous and getting potassium this way is too easy.

    Artificial salt is pure potassium.

    I use half salt for my daily salt intake. Half salt is half table salt and half potassium. Just using that to get your daily teaspoon of salt adds 1300 mg of potassium. The difference in flavour is negligible.

    Not sure what product you're referring to when you talk about artificial salt, but if it were pure potassium -- well, it wouldn't be pure potassium anymore by the time you exposed it to air for a few seconds, because it would oxidize. And if you somehow managed to move it from a vacuum into your mouth before it could oxidize in the air, it would react with the water in the saliva in your mouth and literally burn you. Not just a sensation of burning, mind you, but actual flames.

    If it were pure potassium, why would they call it artificial salt? Potassium isn't a salt. It's an element. I can't imagine that it would taste remotely like salt before it started burning your taste buds. Potassium chloride is a salt. But it's only a little more than half potassium.

    This is a weird, loong response to semantics man. Obviously it's not explosive potassium, that kind of goes without saying.

    The ingredient exists, it's a simple Google search away.

    Ingredients include: SALT, POTASSIUM CHLORIDE, CALCIUM SILICATE, MAGNESIUM CARBONATE, SUGAR, POTASSIUM IODIDE.

    You said "artificial salt is pure potassium." The first ingredient in the product you're talking about is salt (sodium chloride). So not only is it not pure (elemental) potassium, it's not even pure potassium chloride. That's not semantics. It's just facts.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    gregcault wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    adding a bit of salt when cooking intensifies flavors and while that sounds possibly questionable
    Who questions salt/seasoning your food for cooking ! I can only imagine what Gordon Ramsay would say.

    No idea about the potassium salt for cooking, sounds weird though, maybe just use less salt.

    Isn't salt just an issue for the average person if you are not eating healthily? (Junk food/processed etc)


    Like I said, I'm not worried about it for myself or planning to buy potassium salt, just curious if the potassium salt was also used for cooking and how it compared.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    What is up with members here being obsesses with potassiun?
    Potassium is present in most fruits and veggies, and potassium is well regulated in our body. As long as your you don't have any underlying health problems causing you to loose potassium you shouldn't worry about.

    I obsess over everything, Daisy. In fact, I'm so OCD I use Cronometer in addition to MFP so I can track my nutrients down to the individual amino acids. In my defense, A) I'm a nerd and I adore numbers and spreadsheets and graphs, and B ) I'm in the process of transitioning to a 80%-ish plant-based diet. Coming from a lifetime meat/starch/fat/junk food background, I'm having to learn "everything nutrition" from the ground up. It's been fun, actually.

    I love looking at all the nutrients on Cron too. It actually makes logging more fun.
  • Zinka61
    Zinka61 Posts: 563 Member
    I usually make or surpass the goal for potassium because I eat a lot of squash (even zucchini is high) and mushrooms, eggplant, and other random vegetables. From what I've read, potassium supplements are not the greatest solution, the RDA is too low, and despite doctors rarely mentioning it, potassium is important for many reasons, one big one being it can help keep blood pressure under control. I log for it using USDA entries when I am able to find them. I want to know I'm getting close at least. Just one quick overview: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-does-potassium-do#section7
  • Safari_Gal
    Safari_Gal Posts: 888 Member
    gregcault wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    Here's a day where I got over 5000 mg in about 1400 cal

    Seems the common theme I am missing the dubious tasting smoothies and root vegetables (other than potatoes which I switched to sweet tatties).

    Still I got 3200mg today so I'm happy.

    If you like avocados- half an avocado had 550mg!
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    Zinka61 wrote: »
    I usually make or surpass the goal for potassium because I eat a lot of squash (even zucchini is high) and mushrooms, eggplant, and other random vegetables. From what I've read, potassium supplements are not the greatest solution, the RDA is too low, and despite doctors rarely mentioning it, potassium is important for many reasons, one big one being it can help keep blood pressure under control. I log for it using USDA entries when I am able to find them. I want to know I'm getting close at least. Just one quick overview: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-does-potassium-do#section7

    Sufficient potassium is one of the ideas behind the DASH diet, which is focused on blood pressure, as well as being just generally healthy (fiber is another one).

    I find that when I eat lots of vegetables and a variety, which is my preference anyway, my potassium numbers are good.
  • ejbronte
    ejbronte Posts: 867 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    What is up with members here being obsesses with potassiun?
    Potassium is present in most fruits and veggies, and potassium is well regulated in our body. As long as your you don't have any underlying health problems causing you to loose potassium you shouldn't worry about.

    I obsess over everything, Daisy. In fact, I'm so OCD I use Cronometer in addition to MFP so I can track my nutrients down to the individual amino acids. In my defense, A) I'm a nerd and I adore numbers and spreadsheets and graphs, and B ) I'm in the process of transitioning to a 80%-ish plant-based diet. Coming from a lifetime meat/starch/fat/junk food background, I'm having to learn "everything nutrition" from the ground up. It's been fun, actually.

    I love looking at all the nutrients on Cron too. It actually makes logging more fun.

    I do too - always curious about what's going on!
  • ejbronte
    ejbronte Posts: 867 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    Zinka61 wrote: »
    I usually make or surpass the goal for potassium because I eat a lot of squash (even zucchini is high) and mushrooms, eggplant, and other random vegetables. From what I've read, potassium supplements are not the greatest solution, the RDA is too low, and despite doctors rarely mentioning it, potassium is important for many reasons, one big one being it can help keep blood pressure under control. I log for it using USDA entries when I am able to find them. I want to know I'm getting close at least. Just one quick overview: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-does-potassium-do#section7

    Sufficient potassium is one of the ideas behind the DASH diet, which is focused on blood pressure, as well as being just generally healthy (fiber is another one).

    I find that when I eat lots of vegetables and a variety, which is my preference anyway, my potassium numbers are good.

    Same here, and I like vegetables and fruits. I do find that if I ignore meat for any real length of time, I get a headache, but one nice serving of meat (anywhere from 3 to 5 ounces) a day is all I need, and the protein builds up nicely from my other choices.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,598 Member
    Hearts of palm (canned in water), per 100g, 28 calories, 177mg potassium.

    https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/168569/nutrients
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    ejbronte wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    Zinka61 wrote: »
    I usually make or surpass the goal for potassium because I eat a lot of squash (even zucchini is high) and mushrooms, eggplant, and other random vegetables. From what I've read, potassium supplements are not the greatest solution, the RDA is too low, and despite doctors rarely mentioning it, potassium is important for many reasons, one big one being it can help keep blood pressure under control. I log for it using USDA entries when I am able to find them. I want to know I'm getting close at least. Just one quick overview: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-does-potassium-do#section7

    Sufficient potassium is one of the ideas behind the DASH diet, which is focused on blood pressure, as well as being just generally healthy (fiber is another one).

    I find that when I eat lots of vegetables and a variety, which is my preference anyway, my potassium numbers are good.

    Same here, and I like vegetables and fruits. I do find that if I ignore meat for any real length of time, I get a headache, but one nice serving of meat (anywhere from 3 to 5 ounces) a day is all I need, and the protein builds up nicely from my other choices.

    Yeah, I'm pretty much the same. I tend to have meat at one meal a day, not all days, but more often than not.
  • TrishSeren
    TrishSeren Posts: 587 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    gregcault wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    adding a bit of salt when cooking intensifies flavors and while that sounds possibly questionable
    Who questions salt/seasoning your food for cooking ! I can only imagine what Gordon Ramsay would say.

    No idea about the potassium salt for cooking, sounds weird though, maybe just use less salt.

    Isn't salt just an issue for the average person if you are not eating healthily? (Junk food/processed etc)

    I'm often over recommended salt levels via foods like raw sauerkraut, kim chi, miso, cheese . . . certainly processed, but not what I'd consider "junk" or (outside of the salt ;) ) "unhealthy". I do like salt unnaturally much, though. (BP is fine, BTW.)

    Oh my gosh same, I LOVE salt, I put it on nearly everything. BP is also fine, sometimes more on the low side.
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    Out of curiosity I have been looking at my nutrient levels since switching to a plant based diet because I was worried I would fall short on calcium but nope, no calcium problems.

    The one nutrient MFP has me lacking in is potassium despite the fact that I eat tons of produce, even more now than before. My labs always show my potassium to be perfectly normal so maybe I shouldn’t worry about it though.
  • ejbronte
    ejbronte Posts: 867 Member
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    Out of curiosity I have been looking at my nutrient levels since switching to a plant based diet because I was worried I would fall short on calcium but nope, no calcium problems.

    The one nutrient MFP has me lacking in is potassium despite the fact that I eat tons of produce, even more now than before. My labs always show my potassium to be perfectly normal so maybe I shouldn’t worry about it though.

    I find that this kind of thing is what "USDA" in the MYF database; Cronometer; and Nutritindata are for: often, the ingredient list on products don't include info on potassium. When that happens, I fall back on the info in one of the above sources, enter the potassium amount as a potassium pill, and keep track that way. You'd be pleasantly surprised...!
  • gregc50
    gregc50 Posts: 47 Member
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    Out of curiosity I have been looking at my nutrient levels since switching to a plant based diet
    The one nutrient MFP has me lacking in is potassium despite the fact that I eat tons of produce,

    Well to get to 3500 don't you need like 15 cups of spinach or something like that.
  • colleenphillips399
    colleenphillips399 Posts: 1 Member
    I'm glad I'm not the only person wondering about this - I never come anywhere near the RDA for potassium, but I'm not going to supplement because I take an ACE inhibitor for my hypertension, a class of drug that is known to cause high serum potassium levels in some people. Otherwise, I would probably just take a pill and not worry about it. No way I can eat that much potassium since I'm limiting myself to 1000 calories a day on my current diet. So I don't see a solution, at least not for me.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    I'm glad I'm not the only person wondering about this - I never come anywhere near the RDA for potassium, but I'm not going to supplement because I take an ACE inhibitor for my hypertension, a class of drug that is known to cause high serum potassium levels in some people. Otherwise, I would probably just take a pill and not worry about it. No way I can eat that much potassium since I'm limiting myself to 1000 calories a day on my current diet. So I don't see a solution, at least not for me.

    1000 calories is crazy low unless you are very short and sedentary. I would hope you are under a doctor's care to make sure you aren't hurting yourself and an RD to make sure your diet is getting you at least basic nutritional needs. Please take care of yourself.
  • sharondesfor935
    sharondesfor935 Posts: 89 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    I'm glad I'm not the only person wondering about this - I never come anywhere near the RDA for potassium, but I'm not going to supplement because I take an ACE inhibitor for my hypertension, a class of drug that is known to cause high serum potassium levels in some people. Otherwise, I would probably just take a pill and not worry about it. No way I can eat that much potassium since I'm limiting myself to 1000 calories a day on my current diet. So I don't see a solution, at least not for me.

    1000 calories is crazy low unless you are very short and sedentary. I would hope you are under a doctor's care to make sure you aren't hurting yourself and an RD to make sure your diet is getting you at least basic nutritional needs. Please take care of yourself.

    Ah, Kimny, your concern is lovely, but once you get over the age of 50, 1000 calories just isn't so low anymore.

    I don't know Colleen's age, so I'll use myself as an example. At my age of 58, my weight of 121, and my height of 5'2", my BMR is 1078. Thankfully, I've reached maintenance now, but while I was losing the weight, I was definitely consuming well under 1000 net calories daily.

    It's definitely doable, though you try not to hold those kinds of intake numbers too long because there is definitely some careful skimping on nutrients. You cover all your essential amino acids, but you don't get any extra protein. You cover your omega 3 needs, but let the omega 6 go short a few days a week. You supplement with multivitamins and calcium. You prioritize your iron RDI over potassium.

    In the end, we can only be as careful as we have the knowledge to be, assuming we care enough to worry about it. But in all honesty, I believe that we on MFP are probably far more careful about our nutrient intake than the average person. By definition, we care enough to log every bite we take. MFP puts a fair number of the major nutrients front and center on the Nutrition tab. If you're checking your net calories and your macros, you can't help but see your nutrient log nestled between them.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    I'm glad I'm not the only person wondering about this - I never come anywhere near the RDA for potassium, but I'm not going to supplement because I take an ACE inhibitor for my hypertension, a class of drug that is known to cause high serum potassium levels in some people. Otherwise, I would probably just take a pill and not worry about it. No way I can eat that much potassium since I'm limiting myself to 1000 calories a day on my current diet. So I don't see a solution, at least not for me.

    1000 calories is crazy low unless you are very short and sedentary. I would hope you are under a doctor's care to make sure you aren't hurting yourself and an RD to make sure your diet is getting you at least basic nutritional needs. Please take care of yourself.

    Ah, Kimny, your concern is lovely, but once you get over the age of 50, 1000 calories just isn't so low anymore.

    I don't know Colleen's age, so I'll use myself as an example. At my age of 58, my weight of 121, and my height of 5'2", my BMR is 1078. Thankfully, I've reached maintenance now, but while I was losing the weight, I was definitely consuming well under 1000 net calories daily.

    It's definitely doable, though you try not to hold those kinds of intake numbers too long because there is definitely some careful skimping on nutrients. You cover all your essential amino acids, but you don't get any extra protein. You cover your omega 3 needs, but let the omega 6 go short a few days a week. You supplement with multivitamins and calcium. You prioritize your iron RDI over potassium.

    In the end, we can only be as careful as we have the knowledge to be, assuming we care enough to worry about it. But in all honesty, I believe that we on MFP are probably far more careful about our nutrient intake than the average person. By definition, we care enough to log every bite we take. MFP puts a fair number of the major nutrients front and center on the Nutrition tab. If you're checking your net calories and your macros, you can't help but see your nutrient log nestled between them.

    Obviously I cannot speak to your personal circumstances, but it is not in any way normal to have to eat that little to lose weight. You need a deficit from your TDEE to lose weight, not your BMR. I'm 46 so not that far from 50 and there are lots of women here over 50 who lost weight eating the calories MFP gave them.

    While it might have worked out fine for you, I'll reiterate again that no one should be eating well under 1000 calories without a doctor's supervision. Especially as so many of the posters here are younger women, imho it's important to be clear that the vast majority of us don't have to eat such small amounts to lose weight.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    I'm glad I'm not the only person wondering about this - I never come anywhere near the RDA for potassium, but I'm not going to supplement because I take an ACE inhibitor for my hypertension, a class of drug that is known to cause high serum potassium levels in some people. Otherwise, I would probably just take a pill and not worry about it. No way I can eat that much potassium since I'm limiting myself to 1000 calories a day on my current diet. So I don't see a solution, at least not for me.

    1000 calories is crazy low unless you are very short and sedentary. I would hope you are under a doctor's care to make sure you aren't hurting yourself and an RD to make sure your diet is getting you at least basic nutritional needs. Please take care of yourself.

    Ah, Kimny, your concern is lovely, but once you get over the age of 50, 1000 calories just isn't so low anymore.

    I don't know Colleen's age, so I'll use myself as an example. At my age of 58, my weight of 121, and my height of 5'2", my BMR is 1078. Thankfully, I've reached maintenance now, but while I was losing the weight, I was definitely consuming well under 1000 net calories daily.

    It's definitely doable, though you try not to hold those kinds of intake numbers too long because there is definitely some careful skimping on nutrients. You cover all your essential amino acids, but you don't get any extra protein. You cover your omega 3 needs, but let the omega 6 go short a few days a week. You supplement with multivitamins and calcium. You prioritize your iron RDI over potassium.

    In the end, we can only be as careful as we have the knowledge to be, assuming we care enough to worry about it. But in all honesty, I believe that we on MFP are probably far more careful about our nutrient intake than the average person. By definition, we care enough to log every bite we take. MFP puts a fair number of the major nutrients front and center on the Nutrition tab. If you're checking your net calories and your macros, you can't help but see your nutrient log nestled between them.

    As Kimny said, I can't speak to your specific situation, but often when people think they need to go so low on their calories to lose weight, it's because they are not far from their goal weight, perhaps even already a healthy weight and just trying to lose "vanity pounds," and yet are still trying to lose a pound a week, rather than dialing it back to a half pound a week, or possibly even less, if you're short.

    For someone with a BMR of 1078, their TDEE even if they're sedentary is going to be around 1300 or 1350 (I've seen both 1.2 and 1.25 as the sedentary factor), so they would still be losing weight at 1200 kcal, albeit slowly.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,598 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    I'm glad I'm not the only person wondering about this - I never come anywhere near the RDA for potassium, but I'm not going to supplement because I take an ACE inhibitor for my hypertension, a class of drug that is known to cause high serum potassium levels in some people. Otherwise, I would probably just take a pill and not worry about it. No way I can eat that much potassium since I'm limiting myself to 1000 calories a day on my current diet. So I don't see a solution, at least not for me.

    1000 calories is crazy low unless you are very short and sedentary. I would hope you are under a doctor's care to make sure you aren't hurting yourself and an RD to make sure your diet is getting you at least basic nutritional needs. Please take care of yourself.

    Ah, Kimny, your concern is lovely, but once you get over the age of 50, 1000 calories just isn't so low anymore.

    I don't know Colleen's age, so I'll use myself as an example. At my age of 58, my weight of 121, and my height of 5'2", my BMR is 1078. Thankfully, I've reached maintenance now, but while I was losing the weight, I was definitely consuming well under 1000 net calories daily.

    It's definitely doable, though you try not to hold those kinds of intake numbers too long because there is definitely some careful skimping on nutrients. You cover all your essential amino acids, but you don't get any extra protein. You cover your omega 3 needs, but let the omega 6 go short a few days a week. You supplement with multivitamins and calcium. You prioritize your iron RDI over potassium.

    In the end, we can only be as careful as we have the knowledge to be, assuming we care enough to worry about it. But in all honesty, I believe that we on MFP are probably far more careful about our nutrient intake than the average person. By definition, we care enough to log every bite we take. MFP puts a fair number of the major nutrients front and center on the Nutrition tab. If you're checking your net calories and your macros, you can't help but see your nutrient log nestled between them.

    And it's not purely an age thing, either . . . lest others believe it to be.

    I'm not much taller than you (5'5"), retired/ sedentary outside of intentional exercise, and 1200 plus all exercise calories had me losing way too fast at age 59, plus hypothyroid.

    It's true that some people have low TDEEs, and they may need to eat surprisingly few calories to lose at what's still a sensibly moderate rate. Very few able-bodied people of normal stature need go below 1200.

    Don't try to generalize it to an "all older women . . ." thing. I'm 63 now, at a healthy weight, and 1200 gross calories would put me in a hospital in about 8 months, if I were stupid enough (and committed enough) to stick to it.
  • poisonesse
    poisonesse Posts: 573 Member
    edited May 2019
    Ok, just saying... I NEVER worry, or even try to count, my potassium ... and yet when I have my regular blood testing, I always come in at the high end of the potassium scale. So personally? I don't worry about it, at all! If you're normally low on it, then yeah, might be good to keep track of it. If not? Forget it and worry about those micros you can;/need to control. ;-)

    As for older women needing less calories? I call BS! lol I'll be 68 in two months, just reach my goal weight, and did it eating MORE than MFP gives me. They set me at 1200 calories a day, and that worked for me when I had a lot of weight to lose. As I got closer to goal (within about 30 pounds) I stalled for months and was told to try upping the calories. Seemed counterproductive, but I did it. I now have myself set for 1300 calories a day, I NEVER eat all of my exercise calories (though I will use an extra 100-200 if I eat a high calorie meal) and it's what got me to goal and under. Again... just saying. lol
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