Potassium there seems to be no consensus

(Chris Kornelsen) #1

So ever since starting to research keto and low carb electrolytes have always been confusing for me. Some doctors say more potassium than sodium. Some say less. Everyone seems to agree on 4500mg ish. I tried to it that with veggies and made myself sick. I now have been carnivore for 1 week and I’m wondering where you get potassium. Tristan on youtube says in lb kf beef jts 1400mg. When I search on google it says 0mg. So I’m confused with where this mineral is supposed to naturally come from

(Bob M) #2

I’m not carnivore, but the only time I take any potassium is when I’m fasting. Otherwise, I don’t take it unless I get cramps, but then it’s impossible to know whether it’s salt, Mg, K, etc., so I usually hedge my bets and take all of them. :grinning:

I do eat plants, but not many of them.

(Central Florida Bob ) #3

Your first mistake is believing Google. :grin: Especially if it’s near the top, where people selling Search Engine Optimization get things put. A quick search looking a little farther down shows the usual answer is about 400 to 450 mg in 100 grams (right around 4oz), depending on exact cut and so on:
http://www.dietandfitnesstoday.com/potassium-in-beef.php
If you eat a pound of beef (steak), that’s right around 1600mg, which is close to Tristan’s value.

Dr. Peter Ballerstedt (the Ruminant biologist who lectures on this) says that the budget to track down the amount of every nutrient in food usually just isn’t there, so at some point in the past someone just decided to study plants, and not meats for potassium. They don’t find potassium in meat because they don’t look!

(Bob M) #4

Like vitamin C, which they just assumed wasn’t there.

(Central Florida Bob ) #5

You got it.

I closed that too quickly to add that I checked the USDA database for “beef, ribeye” and it specifies 100g of the lean beef only - fat separated, and it’s in line with the 400mg of 100 g. Specifically, 383 mg in 100g of ribeye.
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/174703/nutrients

(Full Metal KETO AF) #6

The RDAs are estimates that apply to a diet based on high carbohydrates. Sometimes they just flat out guessed. For instance you need more magnesium and vitamin C eating a carb heavy diet compared to a KETO or Carnivore diet. I have been eating very little vegetables since July, sometimes just a jalapeño or some cauliflower or broccoli (those are low potassium vegetables), some days nothing. I have lab work for kidney function regularly and my potassium is on the high end of the scale. If you’re consuming enough salt then magnesium and potassium are properly regulated and levels are kept at adequate levels. At least that’s what many say should happen and that’s what my lab work reflects concerning potassium… :cowboy_hat_face:

(Full Metal KETO AF) #7

Do you eat cheese still? It contains significant amounts of potassium.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #8

Another thing to bear in mind is that keeping salt intake in the proper range helps your body regulate potassium, magnesium, and calcium. If you’re getting enough salt, you probably don’t need to supplement your intake of any of the others.

Also, potassium is risky to mess around with, because both hypo- and hyper-kalaemia can be deadly. Unless you have a medical reason to supplement, probably not best to risk it. At least, consult with your physician.

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #9

I take a daily supplement but I have been advised by my dr to do so because of a BP med I take. I get my blood K concentration measured every 6 months. I NEVER tell people to take K supplements. It is dangerous or can be.

#10

I get all my potassium from food and it usually is around 1500-2000mg a day. Tried supplementing some time back to get that “recommended dose” and that backfired terribly so I stopped that immediately.

I find that as long as my salt intake is adequate, the potassium I get from food (minum 1500mg a day, thanks to my daily avocado) is adequate