Speakout
Registered: 06/22/07
Posts: 2
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| | 06/22/07 at 05:53 PM | Reply with quote | #1 |
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I've been reading about Potassium. According to the US Govt (http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/chapter2.htm) we should be getting over 4000 mg of potassium in our daily diet. Most days I get 3000 or less, all from the foods I eat, since my multivitamin has no potassium in it. I looked at the vitamins today and the health food store and noticed that potassium supplements have only 99mg in them.
I feel my diet is pretty good, and my other levels seem right in line with the recommended guidelines, except for potassium. I can strive to increase potassium rich foods including black beans, yogurt, etc, but I'm wondering how realistic that 4000mg figure is. How important is potassium?
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deemccaffrey
Registered: 05/21/06
Posts: 559
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| | 06/23/07 at 03:49 AM | Reply with quote | #2 |
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WOW!!! What an awesome question!
Let me first start with "How important is potassium?"
Extremely. Potassium is the most important dietary electrolyte, and it is responsible for the maintenance of many body functions. It is a well-established fact that a diet low in potassium and high in sodium is associated with high blood pressure. Aside from maintaining blood pressure, potassium is important for a healthy nervous system and a regular heart rythm. It helps prevent stroke, aids in proper muscle contraction, and works with sodium to control the body's water balance. Potassium regulates the transfer of nutrients through cell membranes. It also regulates kidney and adrenal function.
The average American is deficient in potassium and exessive in the consumption of sodium. Excessive consumption of salt coupled with low levels of dietary potassium greatly stresses the kidneys' ability to maintain proper fluid volume.
Most Americans have a potassium-to-sodium ratio of less than 1:2 in their diets. This means that most people ingest twice as much sodium as potassium. Researchers recommend a dietary potassium-to-sodium ratio of greater than 5:1 for health maintenance. This is ten times higher than the average intake of potassium. However, even this may not be optimal. A natural diet rich in fruits and vegetables can produce a potassium-to-sodium ratio greater than 100:1, as most fruits and vegetables themselves have a potassium-to-sodium ratio of at least 50:1.
Signs of potassium deficiency include abnormally dry skin, acne, chills, constipation, depression, insatiable thirst, glucose intolerance, high cholesterol, insomnia, and salt retention, among others.
As to whether the 4000 mg per day of potassium is realistic, I say yes, absolutely. In fact, it's essential. If you are only getting 3000 mg per day from your diet, then you are not choosing enough high potassium foods. Taking a supplement is not your answer. To help you out a little bit, I have a sample menu that I devised to show you how easy it is to get 5000 mg or more of potassium in your daily diet.
Breakfast Potassium
1 cup plain fat free yogurt 579 mg
1 medium Banana 451 mg
1/2 cup Raspberries 94 mg
Lunch
Vegetarian chili consisting of:
1/4 cup tomato paste 610.5 mg
1/2 cup tomato sauce 525.5 mg
1/4 cup kidney beans 125 mg
1/4 cup pinto beans 74 mg
1/4 cup onion 63 mg
1/4 cup bell pepper 44 mg
1 clove garlic 12 mg
2 cups Romaine Lettuce 324 mg
1 stalk raw celery, sliced 114 mg
1 raw carrot, sliced 178 mg
1/4 medium avocado 274.25 mg
1/2 medium tomato, sliced 127 mg
Snack
1/4 canteloupe 412.5 mg
1/4 cup raw cashews 187 mg
Dinner
3 ounces broiled Halibut 490 mg
1/2 cup sauteed spinach 419 mg
4 spears of asparagus 279 mg
1/2 cup steamed broccoli 127 mg
Grand total for the Day 5509.75 mg Potassium
This menu also contains: 1026 calories, 65.7 grams protein, 151.96 grams carbohydrates, 25.24 grams fat, and 37.52 grams of fiber!!! It also has 1094.8 mg sodium.
The potassium-to-sodium ratio for this day would be 5509.75 to 1094.8, or more simply, 5:1.
(Values obtained using Nutridata Diet Balancer Software and Medical Nutrition from MARZ, 2nd edition)
__________________
Dee McCaffrey
http://www.processedfreeliving.org |
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littlgrn
Registered: 02/19/07
Posts: 21
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| | 06/24/07 at 11:02 PM | Reply with quote | #3 |
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| speaking of potassium- we recently started using a potassium based product instead of salt for our water softener- what are your thoughts on that? I don't have any idea how much intake of potassium I'm getting per day but I drink a lot of tap water. |
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deemccaffrey
Registered: 05/21/06
Posts: 559
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| | 06/25/07 at 09:42 PM | Reply with quote | #4 |
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While soft water is great for preventing mineral build up in appliances and on bathroom fixtures, and making your skin and hair feel better after showering-- Soft water is neither healthy nor desirable for drinking! It doesn't have to do with the amount of potassium in your water, but rather the amount of heavy metals that end up in the water due to the softening.
Water is a universal solvent. Most materials, especially metals, are partially soluble in water. If that water is heated or softened it becomes much more aggressive at leaching metals from water lines. A soft water is aggressive at leaching metals (like lead) from your lines and faucets. Most faucets are solid brass (with a relatively high lead content) and are chrome plated. This means that if you have soft water, there is a great chance that your initial drawing of cold water will have a higher lead content than normal. Hot or warm water from the tap should never be used for cooking, shortcuts, drinking water, beverages, or infant formula as it could be higher in heavy metals like lead!
There is no benefit to drinking water softened with potassium chloride if the trade off is that you also take in toxic amounts of lead and copper.
To avoid drinking the softened water, a separate cold water line and faucet can be installed which bypasses the water softener. This allows for drinking and cooking with unsoftened cold water, while the rest of the house's plumbing can utilize the soft water.
__________________
Dee McCaffrey
http://www.processedfreeliving.org |
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