I'm thinking I might need more potassium in my diet, but I'm not sure. Most foods don't list it on the nutrition label and my multivitamins only have a negligible amount. I looked at the potassium supplements at Eckerd and they only have 3% of your daily requirements. Does anybody here know anything about this stuff? I'm trying to decide if its worth popping the 3% pills every day or if I should just eat lots of bananas.

1/16/2006 7:47:25 PM

i went the bananas route growing up.... i grew really quick and get leg cramps all the time because of it.

1/16/2006 7:50:11 PM

Well bananas also have a lot of sugar. It might be worth it to pop the pills and have a banana a day.

1/16/2006 7:50:36 PM

fruit isnt bad becuase it has sugar. eat all the bananas you want.

1/16/2006 7:53:18 PM

please please be careful with the amount of potassium you ingest


its an important electrolyte true, but if you eat too much, or more than your kidneys can remove


it can be a very dangerous electrolyte...................it can cause arrythmias


if you eat a balanced diet you shouldnt need a supplement



if you are truly concerned with your potassium levels go talk to your dr and get lab values drawn



dont give yourself a heart attack just because you think you MIGHT need more K++

1/16/2006 8:36:04 PM

^thanks. Thats what i was hoping to hear. I guess that explains why the supplements only provide very small doses of the stuff.

1/17/2006 3:05:57 PM

you really dont need a ton of potassium in your system especially since too much can be bad. i was gonna second the kidney issue as well. i drink OJ and thats good enough for me.

1/17/2006 3:13:47 PM

bananas are a good source, but definitely not the best.

most fruits, vegetables, and grains are an excellent source of potassium.

check out the thread about muscle cramps (either this page, or page 2 of lounge) for tons of things which are a better source than bananas.

1/17/2006 6:16:01 PM

b a annas b a n a anas

1/18/2006 12:53:13 AM

bananas aren't the way to go.

Quote :

"# High Potassium (more than 300 mg potassium): # 1 cup milk (all kinds) # 1/2 cup orange juice # 1/2 cup prune juice # 1/2 cup tomato juice # 3/4 cup vegetable juice # 1/3 cup raisins # 1 cup watermelon cubes # 1/2 large avocado # 1/2 cup cooked dried peas, beans, or lentils # 1/2 cup mashed potato or 1 small potato # 1/2 cup pumpkin # 1/2 cup spinach # 1/2 cup tomato juice or 1 medium tomato # 1/2 cup tomato sauce # 1/2 cup winter squash # 1 small sweet potato #1 oz bitter chocolate"

1/18/2006 9:22:52 AM