Potassium Potency!
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, CSSD
If you were to pick up a can of green beans at the market, you could easily flip it over to find out how much sodium it contains. But potassium is another story. The Dietary Guidelines recommend taking in no more than 2,300 mg of sodium and at least 4,700 mg of potassium daily. But with potassium, how do you know if you’re anywhere near 4,700 mg (unlike sodium, it's not required to appear on the label)? And why is potassium so important anyway?
Well, potassium helps nerves and muscles function properly, helps maintain the body’s pH level, and helps control blood pressure. In fact, potassium offsets the effect of sodium on blood pressure.
But potassium should come from food, not supplements. That’s because taking in too much potassium (from concentrated supplements) can lead to an irregular heart beat and even heart attack. Fortunately, it’s nearly impossible to get too much from food. The trick is not getting too little!
Here’s a list of high potassium foods – compare the mg per serving to the 4,700 recommended per day. How does your intake stack up?
Potatoes, baked – 1 medium - 1081 mg
Lima beans – 1 cup – 955 mg
Tomato sauce, canned – 1 cup – 909 mg
Winter squash – 1 cup – 896 mg
Prunes, dried – 1 cup – 828 mg
Spinach, cooked – 1 cup – 839 mg
Bananas, fresh – 1 cup sliced – 594 mg
Yogurt plain, skim – 1 cup – 579 mg
Raisins – 1/2 cup – 545 mg
Beets, cooked – 1 cup – 519 mg
Brussels sprouts, cooked – 1 cup – 504 mg
Orange juice – 1 cup – 496 mg
Cantaloupe – 1 cup – 494 mg
Melon, honeydew – 1 cup – 461 mg
Milk, fat free or skim – 1 cup – 407 mg
Apricots, dried – 10 – 407 mg
Nectarines – 1 medium – 288 mg
Dates, dried – 5 – 271 mg
Figs, dried – 2 – 271 mg
Kiwi, raw – 1 medium – 252 mg
Oranges – 1 medium – 237 mg
Pears, fresh – 1 medium – 208 mg
Peanuts dry roasted, unsalted – 1/4 cup – 187 mg
P.S. If you’ve been told to follow a low potassium diet for medical reasons, check out Andrea Giancoli’s post from her blog the Family Fork.
photo courtesy of National Cancer Institute
16 Comments:
At Wed Apr 25, 05:43:00 AM 2007,
Anonymous said…
I was worried that if i ate 5 bananas daily i would overdose on potassium, thank you for putting my fears asside. Thank you for saving my life as i am a self-confessed banana addict. If my coursework gets the better of me i will remember that it is easier to overdose on potatoes. xxx
At Tue May 22, 04:54:00 PM 2007,
Anonymous said…
Why is the potassium in mineral supplements such a low percentage of the recommended intake? Most manufactured vitamins and mineral products show higher percentages of MDR for other elements.
At Tue May 29, 10:53:00 AM 2007,
Tara Gidus, MS, RD, CSSD, LD/N said…
Potassium in supplement form can be dangerous and can lead to heart problems like irregular heart beat. Stick with taking your multivitamin which contains just a little bit and get the rest through food. It is really difficult to overdose (for healthy people) through food. If you have kidney disease then that is a different story and you need to watch the potassium in food, too. Check with your doctor before you take additional potassium supplement.
At Wed Jun 20, 09:52:00 AM 2007,
Anonymous said…
I am on a glutein free diet and I eat alot of frutes and vegtables. I need to know if I should watch my potassium levles because everything that is glutein free has potassium in them. and i was wondering if their where any ways of getting rid of some the extra potassium. other than Sodum?
At Wed Jun 20, 12:26:00 PM 2007,
Tara Gidus, MS, RD, CSSD, LD/N said…
I understand your concern with the Gluten Free products, but it is really very difficult to get too much potassium from food. We worry about getting too much from supplements, but even fortified foods like you are eating should not lead to an overdose of potassium in your diet.
At Thu Aug 09, 02:08:00 PM 2007,
Anonymous said…
Can someone please tell me how many mEq's of K+ there are in 550 mg of Potassium gluconate?????
Thanks.
At Mon Aug 20, 01:08:00 PM 2007,
Anonymous said…
Omigosh! I wish I had your addiction. I can't STAND bananas, and eating one a day nearly gags me. But I'm doing it. ^__^
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At Wed Apr 25, 05:43:00 AM 2007, Anonymous said…
I was worried that if i ate 5 bananas daily i would overdose on potassium, thank you for putting my fears asside. Thank you for saving my life as i am a self-confessed banana addict. If my coursework gets the better of me i will remember that it is easier to overdose on potatoes. xxx
At Fri Aug 31, 06:00:00 PM 2007,
Anonymous said…
My daughter is 22 years old and she eats two full cantaloupes a day and a small plate of lettuce and tomatoes with sugar free/calorie free balsamic dressing, a vegan protein shake 55 calories and drinks decaf coffee with 4 packs of sugar and 3 packs of equal. Also, some watermelon. That's it everyday. Could she get potassium overdose. She had pains in her upper stomach, dark stool unusual one big clump, fever 101.1 pains in her legs, tired and chills or is it just the flu?
At Tue Sep 04, 10:36:00 AM 2007,
Tara Gidus, MS, RD, CSSD, LD/N said…
For anonymous who asked about potassium gluconate: It is the form of potassium that is taken in supplement form. I have not seen it as mEq's, only as grams or mg. The RDA is 4.7 grams of potassium for adult males and females.
At Tue Sep 04, 10:40:00 AM 2007,
Tara Gidus, MS, RD, CSSD, LD/N said…
For anonymous who asked about her 22 year old daughter: It is very rare to overdose on potassium from food sources only unless you have a kidney problem. Check out this info on hyperkalemia (high potassium in the blood). http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001179.htm
Please make an appointment with her physician to evaluate the symptoms (fever, chills, stomach pain, dark stool, etc.). He or she will be able to additional testing to see where the problem is coming from. Also, I hope she is eating more than what you just wrote (and you only listed the high potassium foods) because that is not enough food and not well-balanced. She may be at risk for an eating disorder.
At Sat Nov 10, 02:58:00 PM 2007,
Anonymous said…
What about the affects of bulimia on potassium? Could inducing vomiting once a day be enough to endanger your health from lower potassium levels?
At Tue Nov 13, 06:39:00 PM 2007,
Tara Gidus, MS, RD, CSSD, LD/N said…
Response to Anonymous about bulimia: Yes, throwing up can absolutely throw off your potassium balance, causing dehydration and a whole host of other problems. Please see a physician if you are concerned that you are imbalanced.
At Sat Dec 08, 01:18:00 PM 2007,
Anonymous said…
My 10 month old son took 3 tablets of 9 GRAMS potassium gluconate? How do you know how much is too much? and how much is a normal supplement?
At Fri Apr 04, 10:57:00 AM 2008,
Anonymous said…
I have high blood pressure and am taking meds that make my potassium low. Can low potassium also make me very fatigued and my neck ache in the front.
At Sat Apr 12, 03:47:00 AM 2008,
Anonymous said…
Sudden increase in potassium- The only medication I am on is Wellbutrin. Does anyone know if that could cause high potassium?
At Sat Apr 12, 03:49:00 AM 2008,
Anonymous said…
Could Wellbutrin cause a sudden rise in potassium levels in the body?
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