tracking potassium ?

Iammelting
Iammelting Posts: 64 Member
edited October 3 in Food and Nutrition
Can someone explain to me why you track your potassium ? ive never paid any attention to it or tracked it ever.

Replies

  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,019 Member
    Sodium / Potassium balance is more important, for many people, than just sodium levels.
  • dez_yaoichan
    dez_yaoichan Posts: 454
    i change up my settings every 2-3 weeks, just to learn more about the things i eat. right now i have potassium on my list. not really worried about it, but it is interesting
  • Enigmatica
    Enigmatica Posts: 879 Member
    As stated above, the balance between sodium and potassium is very important. It can affect your blood pressure, kidneys, water retention, and more. Lots of info out there but here's one I saved recently: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/potassium-000320.htm
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    Sodium and potassium have an intimate balance in your body processes. If you track sodium, tracking potassium should go right along with it. If you don't care about sodium, then it's likely you won't want to bother with potassium, though I'd still recommend it. Outside of the sodium/potassium relationship, here's a brief article on the function of potassium. http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/12820/1/The-Importance-of-Potassium.html :)

    Personally, I only ever visit MFP online for the forums, so think that the way the site apparently only lets you track X number of things is ridiculous. I use the phone app and see everything so I don't have to pick and choose. *shrug*
  • tolygal
    tolygal Posts: 602 Member
    OMG!!! I just changed what I see and I hardly get ANY potassium!!! This is terrible! But I'm very happy that I read this post, and I'm going to read more about it and chose more foods with potassium. Holy cow!!!
  • tolygal
    tolygal Posts: 602 Member
    Or maybe not all foods post the potassium level??? I just looked at my package of chicken (one of the sites posted mentioned chicken was a source of potassium), and there was nothing listed. I also checked my broccoli package and nothing there either. So maybe I am getting some LOL. I hope so!!
  • Iammelting
    Iammelting Posts: 64 Member
    I changed my settings and wow. If its correct I only get about 500-800 a day and it says i should be at 3500 . If my sodium is also much lower then maybe they balance ?

    I wonder.........ive had dizzyness and extreme fatigue and muscle weakness sometimes but I also have chrones so I just figured that was the way I was but maybe Im low in something........ Ill have to figure out what foods have potassium.
  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,019 Member
    Or maybe not all foods post the potassium level???

    This is something to keep in mind. In the U.S., at least, potassium is not required on packaging labels. I've gone in and "fixed" a few that I could (all natural peanut butter, 100% orange juice, etc) from USDA numbers, but a lot of packaged foods aren't going to show the real number.
  • Iammelting
    Iammelting Posts: 64 Member
    anyone know if canned pumpkin has any potassium ?
  • baisleac
    baisleac Posts: 2,019 Member
    From Livestrong.com
    Canned pumpkin is also high in potassium, copper and manganese. One cup supplies more than 15 percent of the recommended amount of manganese, 29 percent of copper and 25 percent of potassium. If you use unsalted canned pumpkin, it is low in sodium, with only 12 mg per cup. However, salted canned pumpkin is much higher, with 590 mg, which is 27 percent of the maximum recommended amount per day.
  • Iammelting
    Iammelting Posts: 64 Member
    thanks for the info. I wondered when MFP didnt add any potassium so I guess I get more than I thought its just not logging it accuratly.
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