Sport Potassium in diet

Sport Fitness
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sexanoe

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So ive been researching muscle fatigue and i read across that potassium deficiency may be the cause. But i also read that potassium deficiencies are rare. However running through some numbers of my relatively healthy daily diet shows im not getting enough potassium, even if i throw in an extra banana. Am i missing something or is it actually hard to hit 2000mg of potassium a day???
 
Any type of deficiency should be confirmed by your physician. Have the proper tests done to find out if you truly are potassium deficient. If you aren't, then something else is causing the fatigue. Also, overloading with potassium can have some negative effects, so be careful about taking in a lot of potassium before you have the proper testing done.
 
Thanks for your resonse, by deficiency i was referring to simply not consuming the recommended daily potassium amount. And the daily amount that ive seen as high as 4700mg seems impracticle when some of the richest potassium sources barely get you 500mg of it. So im confused, am i really supposed to be consuming that much or does our bodies naturally create some of it or something.
 
The recommended Adequate Intake of potassium is, you're right, 4700 mg and it looks as thought most people only get around half that on a daily basis. So, it doesn't look like it's that easy to get enough potassium each day. You can flip through a chapter on potassium here if you want (you don't need to buy the book :)):

Dietary Reference Intakes for Water, Potassium, Sodium, Chloride, and Sulfate

I also found a list of foods high in potassium:

raisins
prunes
apricots
dates
strawberries
bananas
watermelon
cantaloupe
citrus fruits
beets
greens
spinach
tomatoes
mushrooms
soy products
veggie burgers
peas
beans
turkey
fish
beef
salmon
cod

If you're eating a decent combination of some of these foods in a day, theoretically, you should be meeting the recommendations. I find sites like eatracker.ca to be very useful because you enter all your food and it gives you the nutritional breakdown of everything you eat, so you get a good idea of where you're at with each nutrient.

Hope that helps a bit more!
 
Oh ya, I was also gonna suggest taking a multivitamin if necessary, but then I looked at mine and there's only 10 mg of potassium. Other brands may have more, but I'm not sure how high they'll go!
 
Yep my 4 capsule multi gives a whooping 1% of potassium. And it looks like potassium supplements dont do much with a mere 100mg of potassium. Also a few good souces i didnt see in that list are potatoes, milk, and yogurt. Also Im not trying to claim anything but i did a preworkout shake last night of 1 cup milk, 1/4 cup yogurt, 1 banana, a few strawberries, and some whey and the forearm stiffness ive been getting from certain workouts was drastically reduced.
 
Hmmm... I know I replied to you on Friday, but not sure exactly what I said, since the post was lost... I'm pretty sure I said, if it works for you, keep doing it :)
 
Your self-diagnosis may be well off. It may not be a vitamin deficiency at all. You should get a physical. It could be an issue with your heart.
 
Fresh fruits and vegetables are high in potassium. If you are eating a varied diet high in fresh fruit and vegetables you should not be potassium deficient.
 
You can never go wrong with getting a good physical every so often (especially when you have concerns over intake). I'd say go get the test to know for sure.

Then, anything you can add to supplement it will help. I personally prefer to load on the veggies, but sometimes this is just cost prohibitive. A specific pill addressing the deficiency ( or a good multivitamin to address multiple ones) will help ya out.

Good luck.
 
I'd have to agree with getting the proper tests done if there is a concern. Also, I would lean towards getting an adequate intake of potassium through proper nutrition, before starting on any supplements.
 
K+ and heart

Please be careful with potassium; too much, even in supplement form, can stop your heart. A K+ deficiency is much less to worry about than a limpless, nonbeating heart. Ok, in all fairness, it doesn't technically stop it fasciculates. The normal and healthy coordinated pumping ceases and it simply quivers... see your doc; don't screw with supplements if you aren't aware of the actual problem.
 
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