Does it bother you that you don't get near enough potassium in your diet?

[Road Runner]

Most people don't.  

I have been having unusual muscle cramps the last few days.  I think it is due to a lack of potassium.   

[petitepedal ★]

Before Covid...when I was working out a lot more...I kept cramping...legs mostly...started taking potassium afte a hard workout...it helped.

[Road Runner]

Potassium is hard to get in large amounts through supplements.  Or at least it used to be.  I bought some several years ago and the percentage of the RDA it provided was very small.  

[Parsnip Totin Jack ★]

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas, beets, avocados, salmon, lima beans, swiss chard, acorn squash, etc. all have good amounts of potassium. Eat better, feel better. 

[Kzoo]

no

[maddmaxx ★]

Not at all.  Because I take losartan as a BP control I have to be careful not to get too much.  That's a shame because for years I had a banana for breakfast.

[Randomguy]

This is apparently what you'd look like if you had low potassium levels:

[Longjohn ★]

31 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

Not at all.  Because I take losartan as a BP control I have to be careful not to get too much.  That's a shame because for years I had a banana for breakfast.

I don’t take losartan but my doctors told me to avoid a lot of potassium.

[JerrySTL ★]

I use Morton Lite Salt which has half the sodium and a lot of potassium instead.  A serving has 10% of the recommended daily value of potassium. Of course there's a few medical conditions where you don't want a lot of potassium. @Parr8hed could explain that very well.

[maddmaxx ★]

9 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

I don’t take losartan but my doctors told me to avoid a lot of potassium.

Having too much potassium in your blood can be dangerous. Potassium affects the way your heart's muscles work. When you have too much potassium, your heart may beat irregularly, which in the worst cases, can cause heart attack

[Longjohn ★]

16 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

Having too much potassium in your blood can be dangerous. Potassium affects the way your heart's muscles work. When you have too much potassium, your heart may beat irregularly, which in the worst cases, can cause heart attack

All of those vegetables that old#7 listed are my favorites. 

[Road Runner]

Spinach is also good.  I am putting a ton of spinach in my salad tonight.  I don't want to have another night like last night with all the cramping and such.  No fun.

[Road Runner]

24 minutes ago, maddmaxx said:

Having too much potassium in your blood can be dangerous. 

I don't think many people eating regular diets are in much danger of having too much potassium.  Not if the recommended daily allowance means anything.

[maddmaxx ★]

8 hours ago, Road Runner said:

I don't think many people eating regular diets are in much danger of having too much potassium.  Not if the recommended daily allowance means anything.

That's why I made that statement about having to take medication like Losartan.  It has little to do with "regular" diets.  You have to deal with context when choosing a diet.  There are several medications similar to Losartan than have become pretty common in our society.  The do not always come with a warning unless you are careful to dig into the side effects of what has been prescribed to you.  Understanding your medication is on you, not others.

[Parr8hed]

8 hours ago, JerrySTL said:

I use Morton Lite Salt which has half the sodium and a lot of potassium instead.  A serving has 10% of the recommended daily value of potassium. Of course there's a few medical conditions where you don't want a lot of potassium. @Parr8hed could explain that very well.

I spend the majority of my work life trying to get potassium and extra fluid out of people that shouldn't eat it as much.  

[Razors Edge ★]

14 hours ago, Road Runner said:

I have been having unusual muscle cramps the last few days.

I get a foot cramp about once or twice a year when laying in bed.  That's a mother-effer!  I have to stretch it out for about a minute for it to go away.

Are you doing something different? Like exercising harder or more often? Dehydrated?  Something else?

[Road Runner]

4 hours ago, maddmaxx said:

They do not always come with a warning unless you are careful to dig into the side effects of what has been prescribed to you.  Understanding your medication is on you, not others.

I disagree.  Your pharmacy should provide you with a brochure containing detailed dosing instructions and all the possible drug side effects.  My pharmacy includes this information every time a medication is filled or refilled.  

[donkpow]

3 minutes ago, Road Runner said:

I disagree.  Your pharmacy should provide you with a brochure containing detailed dosing instructions and all the possible drug side effects.  My pharmacy includes this information every time a medication is filled or refilled.  

Agreed. It is a standard form and every one is identical for each of your drugs. It's actually called a disclaimer.

[MickinMD ★]

Most people get too much sodium and too little potassium.

I use Morton Lite Salt: half sodium salt (sodium chloride) and half potassium salt (potassium chloride) and still iodized to provide needed iodine.  It tastes the same as regular table salt (sodium chloride) works exactly the same, using the same measurement sizes, as regular table salt in baking bread and in other recipes.

I also tried 100% potassium chloride salts, but they have an acrid, slightly burning taste to them.  50% is low enough to not notice any difference.

[MickinMD ★]

14 hours ago, maddmaxx said:

Not at all.  Because I take losartan as a BP control I have to be careful not to get too much.  That's a shame because for years I had a banana for breakfast.

I take 100 mg Losartan and 25 mg HCTZ (diuretic: makes you pee).  It used to be in one pill but now I take the losartan in the AM and the HCTZ in the PM (when I'm going to be home for the evening) and that's allowed me to not have to watch my sodium though, as I mentioned earlier here, I use Morton Lite Salt (50% as much sodium as regular table salt).

Losartan is converted by the liver into a chemical that attaches itself to a percentage of one enzyme that the body uses to convert angiotensin I to angiotensin II: blocking the part of the enzyme's surface that catalyzes the conversion, reducing the amount of angiotensin II formed.  Angiotensin II causes the blood vessels to constrict.  By having less constriction, the blood pressure is lower.

Sodium causes the body to retain water, putting pressure on the blood vessels.  So the HCTZ acts to keep the retained water in the body at a better level by eliminating some of it.

[Square Wheels]

eat food, not too much, mostly plants

[Razors Edge ★]

11 hours ago, Square Wheels said:

eat food, not too much, mostly plants

HEY!!! DON'T SIMPLIFY IMPORTANT STUFF LIKE THIS!!!!

But, yeah, what Mike said.

[maddmaxx ★]

On 4/20/2021 at 10:16 AM, Road Runner said:

I disagree.  Your pharmacy should provide you with a brochure containing detailed dosing instructions and all the possible drug side effects.  My pharmacy includes this information every time a medication is filled or refilled.  

This is the normal warning for Losartan.  I contains a warning if you demonstrate the symptoms of high potassium levels but does not advise anything about foods to avoid or not do much of.  That's on the patient to figure out.  There is an online site that advises against bananas however and that's where my lightbulb went on.

high potassium level--nausea, weakness, tingly feeling, chest pain, irregular heartbeats, loss of movement; or

kidney problems--little or no urination, rapid weight gain, painful or difficult urination, swelling in your hands, feet, or ankles.

[MickinMD ★]

My potassium's right where it should be.  My blood glucose was high - I get a "dawn surge" - even after a 10 hour fast before the blood test.