Potassium salt substitute - is it any good?

custerca1
custerca1 Posts: 1 Member
edited April 2021 in Food and Nutrition
Hi all, new to mfp so I'm figuring out all the ways I can improve my diet. One thing I've identified is that I don't eat enough potassium. I like salty foods so I knew coming into this that reducing sodium would be a challenge, too. So while I've identified foods that are higher in potassium, I'm curious about these potassium salt substitutes - maybe kill two birds with one stone here. Interested if anyone out there has gone down this same road and found them to be worthwhile replacements? If so, any particular brand you recommend? Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,826 Member
    The brands probably vary from one country to another - I use LoSalt. It tastes a bit different when you taste it pure, but the difference is not really noticeable in dishes, not to me and my BF anyway.
  • BarbaraHelen2013
    BarbaraHelen2013 Posts: 1,940 Member
    Also be aware that there are many, many incomplete entries in the database. Some items will only have calories, some will go as far as listing the protein, fat and carbohydrates (the macros), some may have some of the vitamins and minerals (the micros) but not all of them because food labelling laws differ around the world.

    All that to say that just because you look low on a specific micro (like potassium) according to your MFP numbers, it isn’t necessarily the case.
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    It tastes the same as regular salt to me.
  • queanmum
    queanmum Posts: 28 Member
    The only accurate way to check your potassium is with a blood test. If your serum potassium is normal, between 3.5 and 5.5, you're doing something right. The thing is a potassium level that is out of range can cause cardiac arrythmias which could be dangerous. Please be careful.
  • Justin_7272
    Justin_7272 Posts: 341 Member
    I'm a salt fiend and used NuSalt regularly for quite a while; if I went back to a salt-substitute it would be my go-to.
  • ExistingFish
    ExistingFish Posts: 1,259 Member
    I have used Morton Lite Salt, it tastes like salt to me.
  • joyanna2016
    joyanna2016 Posts: 323 Member
    My story - I started tracking nutrients on MFP about 2 months before my yearly labwork appointment. Noticed I was always severely lacking in potassium. Yet, my potassium was fine at that appointment. Still I was a little worried about it though since I had only been dieting a couple months. I then dieted for a whole year and never, ever came close to hitting the potassium goal for any day. After a whole year of that, guess what?, my potassium was fine at my next labwork appointment. My advice, don't worry about it and definitely be careful purposefully supplementing your intake of it cause that can be dangerous.