sodium vs. potassium

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Warren_Carrol
Warren_Carrol Posts: 21 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm sure it's been covered here before, but I just wanted to share my "breakthrough"

my wife is Nurse in a cardiac functions clinic and therefore deals with people having congestive heart failure...one of the things that is a big warning sign is a large weight gain over a short period of time (5lbs over 1 or 2 days)
This is almost always caused by a high sodium diet and the body not being able to process it.

The key to help counteract sodium retention is....Potassium.

More or less (bear with me, I'm just a car guy trying to understand nurse stuff) sodium is a moisture sponge in your body and potassium is what wrings out that sponge.

The day I started to understand the relationship, I started to more consistantly lose weight (and understand why when I ate a crappy pizza, it took me a week to shake off the sodium)

needless to say, I now try to maintain as close to 1:1 ratio of sodium to potassium intake....it's not simple as sodium is much easier to come by in massive quantities, but with some research and practice, it's for sure possible.

happy fitnessing.

p.s. bananas aren't the sole source of potassium.....google that ****. :D
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Replies

  • s1lence
    s1lence Posts: 493
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    Interesting post. I'll do some research on this. If I come up with the same info that you've provided I'll try it out and pass it on to my mother-in-law who has a hard time with high sodium/ high blood pressure/ etc.
  • htalexander
    htalexander Posts: 81
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    Yes, really interesting..I would like to have a better understanding of this topic.. sodium was one of the biggest shockers to me when I joined the site..looking back I think there were several days times during my teens and college.. i probably ate 4 or 5 times the reccomended limit!! I'm trying my best to stay away from boxed and canned food and now I usually stay under my limit. so many people really don't look at sodium levels...but I'm trying to make an effort..we have a family member who I believe is in the first stages of heart failure..her feet are constantly swollen to abnormal sizes and her diet is, of course, high in sodium........
  • Warren_Carrol
    Warren_Carrol Posts: 21 Member
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    I'm trying to track down the medical report she sent me regarding it...when I find it I'll post it up.
  • tabulator32
    tabulator32 Posts: 701 Member
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    I HAVE HEARD THIS BEFORE!

    I heard this a few years ago and asked several doctors about it but they all shook their head and looked at me as if my eyebrows were on fire.

    I still think there must be some truth to this because it keeps coming up from time to time.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    Keeping my sodium/potassium ratio close to 1 helps A LOT with weight fluctuations and water retention. I learned all about this when my grandfather was in the Cardiac ICU for a month for congestive heart failure over the holidays last year.

    Red potatoes are VERY rich in potassium as are black beans, bananas, spinach, and starchy veggies (peas, yucca, etc.). Morton also makes a light table salt that is close to 1:1 sodium:potassium ratio.

    Tip for MFP: look for items without an asterisk beside them in the database. Those items in the database have potassium listed so you can track it better. Obviously, this doesn't work for all food items, but it works well for ensuring you hit your minimum potassium requirements.

    Magnesium is also important for electrolyte balance. Most foods rich in potassium are also magnesium rich. Look for dark starchy veggies and fruits.
  • autumnk921
    autumnk921 Posts: 1,376 Member
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    Thanks for sharing this and actually explaining it so that I can understand it....This helps me quite a bit....I have heard this before but it's never been really explained and I wasn't sure of the ratio amount until now either b/c these are two of the macros that I keep track of...Thanks again!! :)
  • Warren_Carrol
    Warren_Carrol Posts: 21 Member
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    http://health.msn.com/health-topics/osteoporosis/potassium-and-sodium-the-dynamic-duo


    a good article that explains it in a way I can understand.
  • dougii
    dougii Posts: 678 Member
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    spinach, swiss chard, kale - all very high in potassium. all very good for you!
  • goldfinger88
    goldfinger88 Posts: 686 Member
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    Very helpful information. Thanks for sharing. A very good, tasty source of potassium is coconut water. Has even more than bananas. Also, potassium helps blood pressure regulation.
  • katy84o
    katy84o Posts: 744 Member
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    I have known for a while that potassium helps with sodium(not really how it works but it helps), but the sponge description was great! I track my sodium and potassium and I try to get more potassium every day. That doesn't always happen, so on those days I'll drink loads of water. Once I started tracking my potassium, (and by looking in friends diaries) I have started to consume a lot of fruit. All fruit (not just bananas, you're totally right on that) have a ton of potassium. Coffee too! One of the many great reasons to start my day off with a cup of potassium.. wait.. I mean coffee. :)
  • kbairdphillips
    kbairdphillips Posts: 275 Member
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    Great post! Bump
  • Enigmatica
    Enigmatica Posts: 879 Member
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    I've been working on sodium/potassium ratio for several years now. My doctor recommended aiming for twice as much potassium as sodium in my diet - and to get it from FOOD not from supplements. There are quite a few articles online about it but here's one I saved: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/potassium-000320.htm
  • Dudagarcia
    Dudagarcia Posts: 849 Member
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    I found out the other day that I'm low in potassium my legs hurt and I'm feeling tired and toes tingle some was told I'm not having enough sodium either. I'm taking potassium tablets and having a bannana daily and I always eat spinach. How could I have gotten low on potassium? I'm having trouble with cardio did it the other day but today I hurt. Any advise?
  • Lipstickcherry
    Lipstickcherry Posts: 122 Member
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    I am on 2 hbp meds and I need more potassium, my doctor told me. This explains a lot! My mom brought up coconut water to me. I might look into that. Kales chips are good too.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
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    I found out the other day that I'm low in potassium my legs hurt and I'm feeling tired and toes tingle some was told I'm not having enough sodium either. I'm taking potassium tablets and having a bannana daily and I always eat spinach. How could I have gotten low on potassium? I'm having trouble with cardio did it the other day but today I hurt. Any advise?

    Are you tracking your potassium or just assuming you're getting enough? Try to track it for a few days and see if you are still short. If so, try to eat more bananas, red potatoes, black beans, etc.
  • enivedlliw
    enivedlliw Posts: 8
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    Just a warning... Potassium can be a real problem in excess quantities. Too much or too little potassium can cause fatal heart arrhythmia. Be careful with Salt Substitutes that replace Sodium with Potassium. Also, don't get an idea to mega dose with Potassium supplements to offset Sodium intake. Keep in mind there are certain medicines that can cause the body to conserve Potassium, such as ACE Inhibitors (a common family of Blood Pressure medicines). If you are taking an ACEI, they come with the instruction to monitor Potassium levels and avoid too much Potassium in the diet. I think if your source for micronutrients is food and not supplements it will be a safer bet. For example, magnesium supplements will give you diarrhea :(

    My bottom line here is that consuming your RDA for Sodium and Potassium (and any other micro or macronutrient), eating your recommended amount of calories and exercising responsibly is all you need to lose weight. Things can get dangerous when you mess around with your electrolytes. Keep it simple...
  • sherryjohnson2012
    sherryjohnson2012 Posts: 102 Member
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    the best suggestion is talk to your DR. I take both a diretic (laxis) and Potassium 2x a day perscribed by my DR. read my profile and you'll see why its important to consult your Dr. about these sort of questions!
  • dawnmarie57
    dawnmarie57 Posts: 53 Member
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    Thanks for the info and the link Warren. I've been decreasing my sodium intake and have been eating more fruits and veggies. I'll have to track it and see if I'm actually getting the daily required intake of potassium. I'm interested to see if it makes a difference in my BP. Interesting link. Thanks again:)
  • Dudagarcia
    Dudagarcia Posts: 849 Member
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    I will thank u so much u see I thought it was shin splints but it continued saw my homeopathic dietician got on tablets and having a banana daily and onega 3 but for I'm calling my dr office and getting in there tomorrow. Again thanks for the good advice :)
  • ABQsheila
    ABQsheila Posts: 46 Member
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    Great sources of potassium:

    avocados, cantaloupe and honeydew melons, tomatoes especially concentrated sauces like marinara, beets and beet greens, sweet potatoes and winter squash, oranges and orange juice, russet potatoes with the skin, mangos and papaya, raisins, dried apricots, halibut, salmon, tuna, old fashioned molasses

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