# dietary potassium **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 10, 2014, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dietary-potassium/692745 "2014-07-10T05:36:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![needtoknow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f9ae1b/32.png) [@needtoknow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needtoknow)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dietary-potassium/692745/1 "2014-07-10T05:36:38Z")
If the USRDA of potassium is between 4 and 5 grams, depending on who you ask ([Potassium in diet: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002413.htm) says 4.7grams per day), why are most vitamin pills missing potassium, and the stores carry tablets of only 1% to 2% of RDA? The highest i have seen is 200mg online, and to get just one gram means eating 5 tablets throughout the day. What is with this oversight? I recall getting salt tablets every day when working outside in hot climates, but no one else remembers them, or sells them anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dietary-potassium/692745/2 "2014-07-10T08:32:02Z")
Potassium is one of the most commonplace micronutrients around. A simple “meat and potatoes” meal (or a banana, or kiwi fruit etc. etc.) yields loads of potassium, so there’s little need for it in supplementation form. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dietary-potassium/692745/3 "2014-07-10T08:34:40Z")
You’d also want a dose of sodium with it, and in the correct ratio, so that would make your vitamin pill simply full of salt. You’d think that you were paying 30 cents just for a bit of salt. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dietary-potassium/692745/4 "2014-07-10T09:30:03Z")
As with iron, potassium is problematic in high and concentrated doses because of potential toxicity. The most significant potential risk is hyperkalemia which is potentially lethal; I believe concentrated doses also have a significant effect of local GI irritation. You might notice relatively weak concentrations of potassium in sport drinks, and for the same reason. ---
**Author:** ![needtoknow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f9ae1b/32.png) [@needtoknow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needtoknow)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dietary-potassium/692745/5 "2014-07-10T13:29:40Z")
Some people’s diet simply isn’t that good. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dietary-potassium/692745/6 "2014-07-10T15:37:06Z")
Just for the record, Kazakhstan does not, in fact, have the greatest potassium production, nor do other countries have inferior potassium. (One of the top potassium producers in the world is Utah, in fact.) ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dietary-potassium/692745/7 "2014-07-10T15:38:38Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > A simple “meat and potatoes” meal (or a banana, or kiwi fruit etc. etc.) yields loads of potassium, Is it the meat that provides most of the potassium, or the potatoes? Or do the two contain similar amounts? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dietary-potassium/692745/8 "2014-07-10T15:54:51Z")
> [@needtoknow](#): > > Some people’s diet simply isn’t that good. If their diet is so poor that it’s potassium deficient, they’ve got bigger problems than potassium deficiency to attend to. ---
**Author:** ![needtoknow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f9ae1b/32.png) [@needtoknow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needtoknow)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dietary-potassium/692745/9 "2014-07-10T15:56:53Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > Is it the meat that provides most of the potassium, or the potatoes? Or do the two contain similar amounts? Much like iodine, it depends on what it absorbed, or ate, from the soil. Some “healthy” foods (plants and animals) will readily absorb arsenic ([Arsenic - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsenic#Occurrence_in_drinking_water)), which is allegedly bad for you. Some foods grown in soil poor in iodine ([Iodine - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodine#Deficiency)) contain no iodine, regardless of what nutritionists say, so the usa gov “recommended” that “table salt” be iodized, or at least that sea salt be not de-iodised (most resturant salt is found to contain no iodine, because it’s cheaper). ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dietary-potassium/692745/10 "2014-07-10T15:57:11Z")
According to the [USDA](http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/12354500/Data/Beef/Retail_Beef_Cuts02.pdf), 4 oz of beef will have 200-400 mg of potassium. Another [site](http://www.milkfacts.info/Nutrition%20Facts/Nutrient%20Content.htm) says there are 349-382 mg of potassium in one 8 oz glass of cow milk. One 64 gram soyburger (Morningstar Farms Grillers), [according to the manufacturer](https://images.kglobalservices.com/www.morningstarfarms.com/en_us/productitemnutrition/kic-331/kicproductimage-108443_108443-06929_2898956910.gif), has a whopping 3500 mg of potassium. ---
**Author:** ![needtoknow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f9ae1b/32.png) [@needtoknow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needtoknow)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dietary-potassium/692745/11 "2014-07-10T16:02:34Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > If their diet is so poor that it’s potassium deficient, they’ve got bigger problems than potassium deficiency to attend to. Speaking only for myself, this is true. But that’s another topic, a problem no one is willing to help with, so i am not bothering to start it. It’s rather annoying that a problem which should be trivial to solve, getting alternate sources of potassium into a diet, is also not getting any help. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dietary-potassium/692745/12 "2014-07-10T16:03:26Z")
The human kidney has a very good ability to conserve potassium. Reduce the potassium intake, and the kidney will decrease the potassium output in the urine. It is extremely rare to get a significant potassium deficiency from a low potassium diet alone. Some other drug/medication use or disease process is going on at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dietary-potassium/692745/13 "2014-07-10T16:07:15Z")
> [@needtoknow](#): > > Speaking only for myself, this is true. But that’s another topic, a problem no one is willing to help with, so i am not bothering to start it. It’s rather annoying that a problem which should be trivial to solve, getting alternate sources of potassium into a diet, is also not getting any help. For those people who need potassium supplementation, it’s readily available as potassium chloride or potassium bicarbonate. Standard doses those those will provide for any deficiency due to disease or in the very rare case, dietary deficiency. ---
**Author:** ![needtoknow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f9ae1b/32.png) [@needtoknow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needtoknow)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dietary-potassium/692745/14 "2014-07-10T16:45:56Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > For those people who need potassium supplementation, it’s readily available as potassium chloride or potassium bicarbonate. Standard doses those those will provide for any deficiency due to disease or in the very rare case, dietary deficiency. Pill prices for usefull doses are astronomical. Bags of 50 lbs used for water softening and other purposes are cheap, but there’s no data for purity or concentration, ergo no data for gram-sized human dosing. If your sources are affordable (to me), and not thru a medical system, what must i do to get you to divulge them? ---
**Author:** ![needtoknow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f9ae1b/32.png) [@needtoknow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needtoknow)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dietary-potassium/692745/15 "2014-07-10T16:50:13Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > The human kidney has a very good ability to conserve potassium. Reduce the potassium intake, and the kidney will decrease the potassium output in the urine. It is extremely rare to get a significant potassium deficiency from a low potassium diet alone. Some other drug/medication use or disease process is going on at the same time. It’s a long story filled with abuse of power, bigotry, and stupidity, but i found that not eating any veggies or fruits or meat for years can cause problems. While you have made some astute observations in this thread, you aren’t forthcoming in _useable_ data, so i have no reason to elaborate the cause of the cause of the symptoms. I am only asking for how _i_ can get potassium into my diet. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dietary-potassium/692745/16 "2014-07-10T16:56:13Z")
Salt substitutes contain 50 to 65 meq of potassium per level teaspoon, which is over 3 grams of potassium chloride. Quite cheap, especially at Sam’s Club or Costco. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dietary-potassium/692745/17 "2014-07-10T18:46:51Z")
> [@needtoknow](#): > > … i found that not eating any veggies or fruits or meat for years can cause problems. … Something that many have previously suspected … The average American does not get the RDA for potassium and no doubt those who do are, on average, much healthier than those who do not. Not likely because of the potassium but because a diet high in potassium is usually one that contains lots of veggies, fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts, and suchlike. Shocking these diets are associated with good health outcomes. The vast vast vast majority of those who do not are not likely to become potassium deficient and a potassium supplement is not going to help them much, if at all. Moreover (as pointed out) taking one comes at some risk as high potassium is very dangerous. As noted by the Master, that [salt substitute can kill you.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1364/can-salt-substitute-kill-you) > [@](#): > > You don’t have to swallow a whole lot of potassium chloride, as a salt substitute or otherwise, to have big-time problems. As pointed out, actually becoming potassium deficient takes serious effort, a _very_ restricted diet (such as is the result of some sorts of mental illness) and/or particular medicines or diseases. There are many many foods, real foods, that are reasonable potassium sources. One large baked potato by itself has over 1.6 gm. For whatever reason you seem to be on a very very restrictive nutrition plan. Fine. Your business. Allowed [any of these](http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/appendixb.htm)? FWIW I would advise AGAINST taking spoonfuls of salt substitute as an alternative to real dietary sources. Heck, drink a few cups of coconut water a day even. Each cup has about 600 mg each right there. But finding a way to do it with real foods is by far better. ---
**Author:** ![needtoknow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f9ae1b/32.png) [@needtoknow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needtoknow)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dietary-potassium/692745/18 "2014-07-10T19:24:31Z")
Dseid, thanks for your sarcasm. It’s a long involved story, but having a 1/4 acre veggie garden on my 12 acres in a rural area set me back many thousands of dollars in court fights. I no longer have a garden, and i stay clear of anything related to gardens, their produce, or growing plants in the ground. I didn’t ask anyone for a list of good food, and i bought Cecil’s book decades ago (and read it). Qadgop, i ran across the Mortons Lite Salt containing potassium last nite, still have no price on it. Walmart’s online search is brain dead, but they may have it in a local store, i shall try to get there later today. If not in the store, i’ll order it online, and simply use as a regular table salt. The stores you mention all require some form of sponsored membership, or at least they did last time i tried to buy there. Ebay has oddly been no help (but there’s a remarkable amount of false advertising!). The words people use to advertise potassium products isn’t helpful, the “salt substitute” is still salt, and “Lite Salt” tells me it’s low calorie. I also discovered last night the local Home Depot sells potassium in their pool dept, but no clue to translating it to a gram of dietary potassium, probably a real iffy and dangerous endeavor. They also sell acid and peroxide for etching pcbs in the pool department! Anyhow, i believe this topic is settled, thanks for replying. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dietary-potassium/692745/19 "2014-07-10T19:30:04Z")
Many food manufacturers will list nutritional information, including potassium content, on their websites. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2014, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dietary-potassium/692745/20 "2014-07-10T19:42:41Z")
> [@needtoknow](#): > > I no longer have a garden, and i stay clear of anything related to gardens, their produce, or growing plants in the ground. I didn’t ask anyone for a list of good food, and i bought Cecil’s book decades ago (and read it). > > Anyhow, i believe this topic is settled, thanks for replying. Doesn’t sound like you’ve come to the correct position with “settled.” Good luck. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dietary-potassium/692745.md?page=2)