Can I Eat This? (But it's not quite what you think)
June 1, 2011 9:13 AM Subscribe
If the nutritional information on an item of food does not list the amount of potassium per serving, is it safe to assume that it's not a high amount?
I know that potassium is not required to be declared on a nutritional label, but some items do anyway (this product, for example) - in that case, the potassium amount is fairly high.
Can I safely assume that if potassium's not specifically listed on the label, that it doesn't have a large amount?
(I've been told to avoid potassium due to medication I am currently taking.)
I know that potassium is not required to be declared on a nutritional label, but some items do anyway (this product, for example) - in that case, the potassium amount is fairly high.
Can I safely assume that if potassium's not specifically listed on the label, that it doesn't have a large amount?
(I've been told to avoid potassium due to medication I am currently taking.)
Potassium isn't one of the required disclosures, so I would look at the nutrient database, or try googling the product to see if it's website has full disclosure. I know my mom googled and found lists of foods high in Vitamin K to avoid when she was on medication.
posted by ldthomps at 10:25 AM on June 1, 2011
posted by ldthomps at 10:25 AM on June 1, 2011
As I'm on dialysis, potassium is a huge issue for me. You can find lists of foods categorized into low, medium, and high amounts of potassium, and you can look up most generic foods in the USDA database Wordwoman linked.
As far as processed foods go, if the potassium isn't listed in the nutrition facts, the best you can do it look at the ingredients and guess where the food overall falls in the potassium spectrum. Potassium isn't required on nutrition labels, so a food could be low or high and you wouldn't know without further investigation. Some manufacturers will be happy to provide you with more exact numbers, assuming they did the testing in the first place, if you contact them.
Another thing you might not've been told - avoid salt substitutes and most "low sodium" products. These days they tend to replace some of the sodium with salt substitute, potassium chloride, which tastes salty and doesn't have any sodium, but it can be a huge source of potassium. Check ingredient lists.
Good luck, it can be hard work sometimes.
posted by WasabiFlux at 10:35 AM on June 1, 2011
As far as processed foods go, if the potassium isn't listed in the nutrition facts, the best you can do it look at the ingredients and guess where the food overall falls in the potassium spectrum. Potassium isn't required on nutrition labels, so a food could be low or high and you wouldn't know without further investigation. Some manufacturers will be happy to provide you with more exact numbers, assuming they did the testing in the first place, if you contact them.
Another thing you might not've been told - avoid salt substitutes and most "low sodium" products. These days they tend to replace some of the sodium with salt substitute, potassium chloride, which tastes salty and doesn't have any sodium, but it can be a huge source of potassium. Check ingredient lists.
Good luck, it can be hard work sometimes.
posted by WasabiFlux at 10:35 AM on June 1, 2011
I find CRON-o-Meter to be faster than, and at least as complete as, web-based nutrition lookups.
posted by Earl the Polliwog at 2:30 PM on June 1, 2011
posted by Earl the Polliwog at 2:30 PM on June 1, 2011
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posted by Wordwoman at 9:57 AM on June 1, 2011 [2 favorites]