Not meeting Potassium and other nutrient goals

Saiti
Saiti Posts: 4
in Food and Nutrition
I've been paying close attention to my nutrient goals lately and noticed that I'm not getting enough Potassium, Calcium, or Iron for the day, not by a little but by a lot. Let me break it down I'm "allotted" 3500mg of Potassium and usually don't get to 500 on most days and my Calcium and Iron fluctuate from day to day, high one day low the next. I try to eat a broad spectrum of fruits, veggies and other foods to help me meet the goals but it seems real hard to get close. What I'm trying to find out is, are there any fruits or veggies that combine some of these to help me out more, because I know these are particularly important nutrients I need. Thanks for the help in advance :).
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Replies

  • AReasor
    AReasor Posts: 355 Member
    You could always add a multivitamin to your daily diet. :smile:
  • wiegert51
    wiegert51 Posts: 6
    I hear ya, can't even get close on Potassium! Same with Iron and Calcium!
  • Athena98501
    Athena98501 Posts: 716 Member
    You could always add a multivitamin to your daily diet. :smile:

    This could help, but most multivitamins have very little potassium. You would get a fair amount from meat, or milk. Avocados are apparently the ultimate source for potassium, though.
  • Saiti
    Saiti Posts: 4
    I used to take a multivitamin before I was pregnant and a little after wards but start to get really bad leg cramps. My Dr. told me to stop taking it because it sounded like I was getting too much of certain vitamins and minerals and to just eat more of a variety of fruits and veggies to get what I needed.
  • morgansmom02
    morgansmom02 Posts: 1,131 Member
    Potatoes and bananas
  • brandij72
    brandij72 Posts: 5
    Having a problem with potassium as well...bought a suppliment but would have to take way more than the bottle states to make a dent in it.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    One good way to get potassium in is low sodium v8.

    Another one is beet greens. Pretty low calorie.
  • Sharyn913
    Sharyn913 Posts: 777 Member
    You may actually be getting more than you think. A lot of the food in the data base is input by other users. A lot of people get lazy when inputting and simply do calories alone, and some go through the measures of calories, fat, protein, carbs, etc but do not include vitamins and such. So if you select a food from the database, chances are it doesn't always include those. Coconut water is a good source of potassium, as well as a banana!
  • ericachristie85
    ericachristie85 Posts: 69 Member
    Without seeing your diary it is hard to tell why. But potassium levels can only be increased by really increasing your fruit and veg intake. So packaged foods will not provide nearly enough. Also alot of foods in the database dont include potassium levels, I find I have to hunt through them to find ones that have these nutrients accounted for.
  • 2moonNback
    2moonNback Posts: 61 Member
    I was really lacking on Potassium, Calcium, and Iron also so I added a meal called "Vitamins" and started tracking my vitamins and supplements and I found with adding my vitamins and supplements I am good most days on my Iron and Calcium but I am still lacking in my potassium. So I am eating yogurt for breakfast and trying to add lots of veggies to other meals....
  • itgeekwoman
    itgeekwoman Posts: 804 Member
    I eat red peppers for a multitude of reasons. I eat lots of Dark leafy green veggies. You are welcome to look at my food diary if you add as a friend. I'm balanced rather well in my nutrients as I'm seeing a nutritionist that focuses on ensuring that I get all of my daily requirements from food and not supplements.
  • rrrbecca11
    rrrbecca11 Posts: 477
    I get around 4,000 mg of potassium a day. Heavy on tomatoes, v8 juice, avocados, bananas, dried apricots, etc. Most veggies have a fair amount. You will find that not all database entries here at MFP have the potassium listed. :( We need about twice as much potassium as sodium to make the cellular pump work to flush out toxins and regulate body fluids...including blood pressure. Look here for nutrient values of food: http://nutritiondata.self.com/ Just enter to food name in the search bar to get a detailed breakdown.
  • TanzaMarie
    TanzaMarie Posts: 94 Member
    I am always low on potassium and sodium...I'm on average 1/3% short of my potassium goal and about 25% short with sodium. I take a multi vitamin, but I've been trying to figure out how to get more of the nutrients as well. I feel better knowing that there are a lot of others with a similar problem.
  • dellrio
    dellrio Posts: 131 Member
    Potassium is very hard to get to the daily goal - I watch it closely because of the benefits of sufficient potassium. To up my potassium intake I drink 1 (12oz) glass of "Simply Orange with Mango" each morning. One serving has 450mg of potassium. I also eat at least 1 banana a day that has about 400mg.
  • miss_missa07
    miss_missa07 Posts: 170
    Just as a heads-up, a lot of food packages do not list potassium in their nutrition facts, so the amounts for some foods never get added. You are probably getting more potassium than you think.
  • linnealavell
    linnealavell Posts: 10
    Try incorporating spinach, white beans (lima and kidney beans too), soybeans, clams and potatoes in your diet. All are high in potassium. Beets, soybeans, potatoes, black-eyed peas and artichokes are high is iron. Almonds, spinach, okra, oranges, broccoli, sesame seeds and celery are high in calcium.

    A daily multi-vitamin will also help.
  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
    Potassium's a weird one. It's found in a lot of foods, but not even mentioned on the label because it's not a requirement. You don't have to try very hard to get all the potassium you need in a day, though. Eat a single banana with your breakfast, and along with whatever you're getting from other foods, you're probably already there.
  • Kara_xxx
    Kara_xxx Posts: 635 Member
    It's not helped by the fact that a lot of people enter stuff on the food database without adding all the info.

    The other day I came across pork with zero protein... :huh:

    Potassium is EVEN worse... :grumble:
  • Ilovejacks
    Ilovejacks Posts: 153 Member
    I used to take a multivitamin before I was pregnant and a little after wards but start to get really bad leg cramps. My Dr. told me to stop taking it because it sounded like I was getting too much of certain vitamins and minerals and to just eat more of a variety of fruits and veggies to get what I needed.
    You can get a prescription for high dose of Potassium from Dr.All my levels are low too so, i have to take horse pills for potass.,calcium.
  • Athena98501
    Athena98501 Posts: 716 Member
    I am always low on potassium and sodium...I'm on average 1/3% short of my potassium goal and about 25% short with sodium. I take a multi vitamin, but I've been trying to figure out how to get more of the nutrients as well. I feel better knowing that there are a lot of others with a similar problem.

    Sodium isn't something you need to try to get more of. 500mg is all we need, the 2500 is an upper limit recommendation.
  • Phaedra2014
    Phaedra2014 Posts: 1,254 Member
    Bananas, avocados, tomatoes, leafy greens, legumes. Eat fresh foods every day. Actually, a banana a day should take care of your daily potassium requirements.
  • TubbsMcGee
    TubbsMcGee Posts: 1,058 Member
    I have to take a potassium prescription, which I hate. So I like to try and get as much naturally as possible.
    Coconut water, potatoes, bananas, homemade fresh squeezed juices...

    Sometimes it can be hard to track, as a lot of packaging doesn't list their mg's of potassium.

    I'm also anemic, but can't stomach iron pills or red meat, so I take prenatal vitamins.
  • sondrawolfe
    sondrawolfe Posts: 30 Member
    As others have said, not many foods added get all the nutrition input.

    Here is a list of Top 10 Sources of Potassium:

    http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-potassium.php
  • TArnold2012
    TArnold2012 Posts: 929 Member
    Leg cramps usually means low potassium.
    Potassium = tomatoes, potatoes, cantaloupe, lean pork loin, fresh peaches, banana, yogurt, cherries (high carb though), corn, cucumbers, chicken, squash, spinach

    Also many do not know that if you are having trouble with bloating that by eating 2 -3 times potassium than sodium it will help control the bloating. I track both for this reason.
  • Saiti
    Saiti Posts: 4
    Wow, I've learned a lot from all of you thank you so much, I didn't know half the fruits and vegetables listed had Calcium or Potassium in them. I will definitely be adding quite a few of these to my daily intake from now on.
  • mtinta2000
    mtinta2000 Posts: 7
    It is very simple. For potassium, bananas. I add them to fruit smoothies, and to my cereal (very good with Special K.). One of the staples of my diet is Spinach - it has all the nutrients you say you are lacking. I use it in salads, sandwiches, add some to my smoothies and sometimes to rice. Spinach is good with everything! I don't cook it usually, I eat it raw instead of lettuce. Tomatoes are also good. I find smoothies are a good way to catch up on the nutrients I need. I blend in the morning banana, seasonal fruits, spinach carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, some walnuts or almonds, a teaspoon of organic coconut oil, plain Greek yogurt, and almond milk. If I am going to the gym I add a little bit of protein powder.
    This works very well for me to get all the nutrients, but you have to find your own combination according to what you like. For example, instead of bananas, how about raisins?
  • Saiti
    Saiti Posts: 4
    I would have never thought to add vegetables such as spinach and tomatoes to a fruit smoothie very interesting. I'm gonna have to give that one a try.
  • TurningBackTheHandsOfTime
    TurningBackTheHandsOfTime Posts: 47 Member
    Go Bananas! They are a great source of potassium! :happy:
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    Spinach. High in potassium,calcium, iron, vitamin c, and vitamin a. Decent amounts of protein and fiber, no fat, very low sugar, low in sodium.

    It's like someone asked "what does the typical American diet need added to it to make it perfect?" and put the answer in green leaves.

    I like bananas, too, but for three times the calories and ten times the sugar you get half the potassium.

    My favorite way to have spinach is to cook chicken or some lean meat in a frypan with a little olive oil, then throw a BUNCH of spinach on it and cook it down.
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
    You may actually be getting more than you think. A lot of the food in the data base is input by other users. A lot of people get lazy when inputting and simply do calories alone, and some go through the measures of calories, fat, protein, carbs, etc but do not include vitamins and such. So if you select a food from the database, chances are it doesn't always include those. Coconut water is a good source of potassium, as well as a banana!

    I wouldn't blame it on user laziness. The FDA doesn't require manufacturers to put potassium levels on food labels, so the data is not available for many items.

    That is why you can't believe the potassium levels MFP tells you. Even potassium-rich foods are listed with 0% RDA of potassium because the FDA doesn't require it on labels in the USA.

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