fatigue? Powerless? Potassium deficiency? In addition to bananas, what other good things are low-carb and potassium-rich?

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Do you often experience cramps, fatigue, dizziness, weakness?

If it is accompanied by palpitations and irregular heart rhythm, or even low bone density and high blood pressure, then there is a high probability of a lack of Potassium too.

Most people get enough potassium naturally, but a low-carb diet can be deficient in potassium, because dehydration initially loses water and minerals.

There are also many potassium-containing foods that are high-carb, such as common fruits, apricots, bananas, kiwis, oranges, pineapples, and some vegetables, green leafy vegetables are okay, some Just a little higher in carbs like potatoes.

Low-carb or meat-only diets tend to avoid these high-carb foods, so how do you get enough potassium?

We can also find that the keto of many pure meats does not have potassium deficiency, so it is still related to the diet structure.

In fact, there are many low-carbon foods that are also rich in potassium. As long as you pay attention to supplementing these foods, you don’t have to worry about potassium deficiency. At the same time, you can easily low-carbon, let’s take a look. . ↓

The importance of potassium

Potassium is a vital mineral because it is necessary for many organs to function properly, such as the heart and kidneys.

→Sodium/Potassium Balance

As you may recall, we were taught about Sodium Potassium Balance in our high school biology. This is not only a key part of electrolyte balance, but also the mechanism by which blood pressure remains normal.

Potassium and sodium have opposite effects in the body, with high sodium intake increasing blood pressure, while high potassium intake can help relax blood vessels and excrete sodium while lowering blood pressure.

Balance of sodium and potassium is necessary to maintain normal physiological activities, and an imbalance can easily lead to chronic diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases.

In fact, we may often face a temporary sodium-potassium imbalance, such as strenuous exercise or high temperature sweating profusely, which can cause excessive potassium loss without causing any symptoms.

Temporary potassium deficiency can return to normal as long as you drink electrolytes or eat a meal, and long-term potassium deficiency can lead to disease.

→Problems caused by potassium deficiency

Potassium deficiency is often accompanied by high sodium, and the blood is maintained at high pressure for a long time, which leads to high blood pressure, heart disease, etc.; and high potassium is also very dangerous, and low blood pressure may lead to arrhythmia.

A diet high in sodium, low in potassium greatly increases the risk of heart disease. Studies have shown that dietary sodium-potassium ratios up to twice increase the risk of heart disease, and other risks by up to 50%.

Physicians recommend a low-sodium, high-potassium DASH diet to hypertensive patients, which has clinically reduced blood pressure, as well as the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, kidney disease, and gout.

A high-potassium DASH diet that includes fruits, vegetables, and dairy products, is rich in potassium, magnesium, calcium, fiber, and protein, and reduces sodium intake, and has recently been found to reduce markers of bone turnover .

This is another newly discovered auxiliary effect of potassium, which is to help preserve bone density. Scientists suspect it has something to do with the bicarbonate form of potassium, which buffers the acids that are metabolized from food.

There is a dietary theory “Sour Ash Hypothesis“, which refers to the long-term intake of large amounts of animal protein, as well as grains high in sulfate and phosphate, the decomposition of the body will produce acid.

A slight drop in blood pH, but still within the normal range, is not a cause for concern; however, it increases renal excretion of urine and takes away calcium, excessive calcium loss strong>It breaks down bones to increase calcium levels.

Unreabsorbed calcium is excreted in the urine and may form crystals leading to kidney stones, so potassium deficiency may increase both bone calcium loss and kidney stones risks of.

→What happens to a severe potassium deficiency

Potassium in the blood is excreted by the kidneys through the urine, and can also be lost through feces and sweat, so under normal circumstances, potassium is also lost every day, so you have to take some every day.

Fluid loss beyond normal levels, such as vomiting, diarrhea, and certain medications (such as diuretics), can cause a temporary potassium deficiency, a serious condition called

fluid loss strong>Hypokalemia.

Some hospitalized patients develop hypokalemia because they may be taking medicines that contain diuretics. Indigestion, diarrhea, and inflammatory bowel disease also predispose to hypokalemia, such as leaky gut.

Mild hypokalemia may cause arrhythmia, as well as severe muscle weakness.

Severe hypokalemia carries the risk of paralysis and respiratory failure, which can be more severe and even fatal.

You may be potassium deficient, how can you tell?

You may occasionally have symptoms similar to potassium deficiency, but you can’t judge accurately. You may wish to refer to the following signs and possible situations of potassium loss.

→Symptoms of potassium deficiency

In its primary role, potassium helps maintain normal fluid levels in cells.

Sodium is the opposite, maintaining normal fluid levels extracellular.

Potassium is present in all cells and has a wide range of effects, including regulating heartbeat rhythm, nerve impulses, muscle contractions, digestive health, and energy metabolism.

Meanwhile, potassium exists in the body as an ion with a small electrical charge that activates various cellular and nerve functions.

So there are many signs of potassium deficiency.

Includes: Extreme fatigue, constipation, nausea or vomiting, etc.; abnormal muscle contractions can cause muscle cramps, weakness, muscle weakness, and joint pain.

People with the above symptoms, as well as chronic indigestion, cognitive decline, frequent fatigue, weakened immunity, and frequent heart discomfort, it is necessary to go to the hospital to check the blood potassium level.

→Who is prone to potassium deficiency?

Maybe you notice signs of potassium deficiency, check to see if you are potassium deficiency.

Potassium is found in many foods, so in general, potassium deficiency is rarely the result of low food intake. Loss is usually caused by excessive discharge.

Such as profuse sweating in the heat or exercise, excessive sweating on a regular basis, or excessive sweating.

Taking diuretics for certain medical conditions, such as heart disease or high blood pressure; frequent diarrhea, vomiting, or inflammatory bowel disease.

Smoking, alcohol abuse, and antibiotic medications can also cause potassium loss.

Another reason is magnesium deficiency, because the kidneys need magnesium to help reabsorb potassium, which is usually supplemented with magnesium and potassium, and there is a special magnesium-potassium complex. Supplements.

What are some low-carb and potassium-rich foods?

A hard truth: Potassium appears to be a carb-unfriendly mineral.

→Foods rich in potassium, high in carbohydrates

Let’s start with the potassium-rich foods, most notably bananas.

Bananas are high in potassium (average 422 mg), but bananas are also very high in sugar, which can lead to carbs.

The same goes for other foods, including potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, squash, and fruits like apricots, pomegranates, and citrus.

This is especially the case with beans, white kidney beans (1,004 mg), green beans (955 mg), peas, chickpeas, soybeans, and peanuts that are high in potassium Very high, but not low in carbs.

Soybeans are another point, people with higher food sensitivities may be intolerant, and people with leaky gut should not eat gluten and beans, even for potassium supplementation .

→Potassium supplementation is still low-carb, what can I eat?

So, what should I do if I want to be low-carb and need potassium supplements? Don’t worry, there’s a lot more to eat.

Avocados are one of the best potassium-rich foods, with an average of 1,067 mg, and avocados are not only low in carbs, but also high in high-quality fats.

Salmon is also high in potassium, with an average of 772 mg per half slice. In addition to potassium, vitamins, minerals and protein, salmon is also rich in health-promoting omega-3 fatty acids.

The benefits of omega-3 go without saying, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant, improve heart health, reduce depression, high blood pressure, joint pain and eczema, and more.

Not only salmon, but other fish such as sardines, shellfish, are higher in potassium than bananas, and rich in vitamin B12, selenium and vitamin D, it can be said In terms of nutrition, it kills fruits such as bananas.

Not all high-potassium vegetables are high in carbs, and leafy vegetables are generally low in carbs, including spinach, cilantro, parsnips, tomatoes, etc. Unfortunately, some The oxalic acid is high, let’s pass the water.

Low-carb fruits are also good, such as grapefruit.

Too much potassium supplementation, possible side effects

If you don’t have potassium deficiency, you can skip potassium supplements first. There are some risks in supplementing too much potassium.

→Hyperkalemia

Too much potassium can cause hyperkalemia, a mild condition similar to low blood pressure, such as tingling in the extremities, muscle weakness, irregular heartbeat and even coma.

Severe conditions include muscle weakness or paralysis, difficulty breathing, abnormal heart conduction, and arrhythmias. In extreme cases, hyperkalemia can even be paralyzing and fatal.

Certain diseases have their own risk of hyperkalemia, such as kidney disease.

Kidney disease prevents potassium from being excreted, and potassium builds up in the blood, which in turn acts on the kidneys, making kidney disease worse.

There are diseases that do not themselves raise potassium levels, but drugs that treat these conditions may affect them, such as chemotherapy drugs, angiotensin receptor blockers, and potassium supplements.

So if you want to increase your potassium level with supplements, you must increase the amount slowly, and don’t eat too much.

People with kidney disease, diabetes, or prolonged exercise are at higher risk for hyperkalemia and take potassium supplements or high-potassium foods instead. cause a greater burden on the body.

Key Thin Dragon Says

There are many risks of potassium deficiency, fatigue and weakness, rapid heartbeat, problems with bone density, severe diarrhea, vomiting, etc.

So getting enough potassium is key, and if you search for potassium-rich foods, you’ll find that most of them are high-carb.

Therefore, if you adhere to low-carb or fasting keto, there is also potassium deficiency. You can usually eat more low-carb and potassium-containing foods.

If you only eat animal meats, such as eggs, poultry, and meats such as pork and beef, potassium may not be enough, so you should add some fish and some rich in potassium in moderation fruits and vegetables.

For example, the above-mentioned avocado, salmon, tuna, as well as shellfish and clams are all high in potassium.

Of course, both low and high potassium levels can cause some problems and possibly some risks.

So, we try to maintain potassium balance.

Ketogenic partners are generally more prone to low potassium, often because of sudden reduction in carbohydrates, dehydration leading to loss of minerals, and long-term eating only meat, resulting in insufficient potassium.