Atkins Diet: Hypokalemia -- Do you need a banana?

[cfoster3406]

Kent. every time i start doing the Atkins I urinate all night and when I get up my heart beat is irregular and I feel very weak to the point that I cant function. Ive tried a glass of tomato juice and it doesnt work that great. Im no trying to go over my carbs so what do I do?

[bowulf]

@cfoster3406 You are on the right video. Your electrolytes are low, so you need to replenish them (likely both sodium and potassium which this video deals with).  You can supplement both with Lite-Salt (half sodium / half potassium), which is what this video recommends. Add a half tsp of Lite-Salt to your food, or drink 2 cups of chicken broth. Or you can try broccoli which has as much potassium as a banana.

[TPD605]

Thanks Kent. This was very informative. I was in the hospital twice for my heart going into severe A-Fib due to potassium levels being extemely low. I sweat a lot, partially because I am overweight and partially because I am a police officer wearing a lot of gear. Both times it happened when I was chasing suspects. I was worried about this diet not being sufficient in potassium.

[bowulf]

@TPD605 I think with the addition of Lite-Salt or No-Salt you should be fine. It is a cheap and easy way to ensure you have enough of this mineral. Meat like I said in the video has as much as bananas, but it doesn;t hurt to ensure you get enough and ensure your electrolytes stay in balance.

[Psychologizer]

You do not need to exercise while under ketosis, some doctors say you can exercise but you really do not have to. Losing 300 more calories a day by jogging under ketosis, is it worth the risk? Your probably losing tons more just through ketosis.

[bowulf]

@Psychologizer You are missing the point of the exercise. While the exercise may or may not help lose weight, what it is necessary for is preservation of muscle mass and increasing one's overall level of fitness. Losing weight while awesome is not the sole goal of Atkins. Becoming more fit and healthy (which includes being at a reasonable weight) is.

There are plenty of thin unfit people with poor heart health. Exercising gets your heart healthier, body fat% better, and endurance longer.

[bowulf]

@Psychologizer Check out my Exercise is Non-Negotiable video for more thoughts on why exercise is still needed.

[Psychologizer]

@bowulf Dr. Poon metabolic clinic helps hundreds of people, including me, exercise is optional. Lost 70 pounds of fat in 14 weeks with keto, don't wanna see that video.

[bowulf]

@Psychologizer That's fine - you're on a different journey with different rules than I am, so best of luck.

For me, I wanted to be sure once I hit my goal weight that I was not only thin but also fit. If I had not exercised, I know for myself I would not be as healthy as I am today. If Dr. Poon has different thoughts on how to be thin and fit, certainly follow them.

[Jewelofclovis]

Is Spam okay to eat?..Love your videos!

[bowulf]

@Jewelofclovis Its ingredients are:

Pork with Ham, Salt, Water, Modified Potato Starch, Sugar, Sodium Nitrite.

For Induction, no - no added sugars or starches. Even after Induction, having a processed meat item with added sugars is not advised.

[fantapants182]

ahhhh, i see now

[bowulf]

@fantapants182 great - glad I could help.

[Alaskansonya]

Great information in the video and comments section. I have been suffering from leg cramps for a long time. In fact, I know when I will show a weight loss on the scale by the severity of leg cramps each night. It does not matter what diet I am on, even the grand WWatchers causes me to get them at night. I do eat leafy greens, avocado, meat, etc each day. And I have tried the supplement of Potassium and Magnesium Aspartate 250 mg, with no results.

I will give the salt a shot! Thanks! :)

[bowulf]

Wow that is a pretty unique weight loss indicator. If it's as simple as just changing salt, I thought I would be foolish not to change. It's good to have your addition to the talk.

[Alaskansonya]

Thanks! :) Yeah, the only relief I get from the cramps is actually to stop losing weight, sad to say. So, I decided to take the good with the bad and deal with the cramps! lol I also get headaches when I need to eat, rather than hunger pains on this woe. I listen to my body more now and when I feel head-achy, I know I need to eat. When I get leg cramps, I know I am losing weight. I know also, that if I do not eat enough vegies I get a headache too. I try to balance it all. Thanks again!

[LowCarbOrator]

Hypokalemia may be a problem for us Atkins fans. Here's why. An 8-oz steak has 862 mg of potassium, so a person on Induction, to meet the 4,000 mg potassium requirement, would need to eat 4 1/2 steaks. However, 8 oz of cooked spinach has 1057 gm of potassium (& only 9 carbs), so there's a chunk of potassium right there!

[LowCarbOrator]

On Atkins, the emphasis tends to be on protein (although fat is fine as well). I like meat but I simply cannot eat too much of it at one time. So, vegetables have been an important part of my induction... but low-carb ones. 8 oz of cooked mustard greens is only 5 gm of carbs (458 gm potas.) and with several pats of butter is delicious. (Remember: eating fat does NOT make us fat... it's the carbs that make us fat).

[bowulf]

Remember the focus is like you said is on Fat not necessarily lean proteins as protein can be converted in glucose and cause the insulin reaction. There is certainly a wide wealth of vegetables available on Induction -- things like Broccoli, Cauliflower, mushrooms were are K rich.

Then again Atkins Induction only has to be 14 days long, and if people are having problems with potassium intake on Induction, they should be migrating onto OWL. Leg cramps was one of the sign posts Dr. A gave us.

[LowCarbOrator]

On the "Insulin Index", beef, surprisingly, elicits the same insulin reaction as does brown rice. I was amazed to learn that, but there was a study done in Australia that shows that. Fat, however, is simply eaten in small quantities, hence less need for insulin, and is an excellent choice. Again, the French with their buttery sauces --- they found the right mix of some meat with a fat-based sauce. (In fact, I'm having some steak with a beefy, buttery sauce right now.)

[bowulf]

I am not entirely convinced on the Insulin Index as gospel yet. There are few journal articles reporting it, and they all seem to come from the same group of authors. Now gluconeogenesis can certainly cause the protein to convert to glucose and thereby cause an insulin release, but to the same rate as oatmeal or brown rice?

That just doesn't make logical sense. I am still keeping an open mind, but my initial reaction is fat in foods are the one things that can't cause that insulin rush.

[LowCarbOrator]

The problem is that is literally ONE study. That's it (although there's another they're working on). I agree that one study is not enough to be definitive; however, it does make me interested. Good news about the meat, though. The original study used very lean meat and very lean fish, so I assume that a fattier cut would give a lower insulin index score. Also, they tested only about 30 foods, most of whose insulin index agreed with the glycemic index (makes sense), but not all.

[bowulf]

But I agree some people take a positive and make extremes out of it like having no vegetables or staying Induction after seeing issues. It is possible to mess anything up without being informed.  I am hoping by posting these videos at least people are thinking about these things now...

[LowCarbOrator]

You nailed it! When I first started induction, I had thought maybe I'll just go zero-carb (some people do); however, that just doesn't work for me, due to the BOREDOM factor. But with effort, I found that I can have veggies - no, not unlimited - but have them nonetheless. Indian food is very Atkins-friendly, as lots of spinach, eggplant, etc (dump the rice). Induction is only challenging because our whole country is used to burgers, fries & cokes (well, I guess the meat's okay).

[bowulf]

Indian food is one thing I have always been curious on eating. What food should I order when I visit a restaurant other than sans the rice?

[LowCarbOrator]

I only know a few things, but I love a dish called *saag*, which is spinach & mustard greens (boiled), then spices and butter are added. Yum! Anything they make with eggplant is delicious too. I am not an okra fan, so I don't order it. I just avoid the rice, the "naan" (flat bread - to die for), and desserts. Just order stuff mild, as otherwise, it could be insanely hot (spicy). Do you live in a large city?

[bowulf]

I live near Des Moines, Iowa, so we have at least 3 or 4 decent Indian restaurants. Trying a new ethnic food is a bit intimidating as trying to figure out a new restaurant carb-friendliness on top of a whole new menu option. I might try one that has a buffet option that way I might have an option on seeing the food before I pick it.

I am really however looking forward to my trip to Florida on Friday. We get to go to a Brazilian steakhouse again, which is a treat for us.

[LowCarbOrator]

Going to get away from the cold, huh? Hope you have a great time in FL.

[bowulf]

There is however nothing wrong with eating a cup of spinach on Induction. Here is one example: Breakfast: 4 oz ground beef 495mg, 1 cup of Salad Veggies ~100mg. 1 TBS Salsa 50mg, 1 oz cheese 50mg Total - 700mg Lunch: Chicken Salad (1.5 cups) - 537 mg, 1 cup mushrooms - 500mg, 1 oz cheese 50mg Total - 1087mg Dinner: 12 oz of Sirloin Steak - 1485 mg, 1 cup of Spinach - 882mg, 1 oz cheese - 50 mg Total-2417mg Day Total-4204mg

[molodoychelovek]

I find all this discussion is total nonsense. All the food over there in nature created for us by God to eat them all. Best diet is balanced whole food diet.

[bowulf]

But the whole question is who determines the apppropriate "balance." I mean I still eat foods from all the major food groups -- just restricting some like grains and sugary fruits (like oranges and bananas). So while we may be free to eat of all the foods in creation, he doesn't necessarily tell us how much to eat of them.

[molodoychelovek]

There is no straight formula to define balanced diet, I meant balanced diet eating foods from all the major food groups like you do. Just watching what you eat you can easily have an idea about that. My challenge to the people who eats nothing but vegetable or nothing but banana nothing but low carb. That makes me crazy.

[bigusdikus0]

dairy has potassium too. how does he know he was low in potassium? maybe he was just adjusting to a new diet and working out too hard. i read the atkins diet is good for losing weight but for gaining muscle you need more carbs. if youre trying to lose weight u should probly just do more cardio and work out longer not so vigorously.

[bowulf]

He had blood work done by a doctor. Like I suggest in most of my exercise-related video, you simply have to be cognizant of electrolyte lost and address them. I have personally been fine working out on Atkins, but I am going for strength and performance not necessarily muscle size. Since the original post, Iz is back to working out and is doing really well on Atkins.

[DianeDi]

Potassium is found abundantly in many foods, and is especially easy to obtain in fruits and vegetables. Excellent sources of potassium include chard, crimini mushrooms, and spinach Daily value examples; Swiss chard 28% Lima beans 27% Yam 26% Soybeans 26% Avocado 25% Spinach 24% Pinto 23% Papaya 22% Lentils 21% Potassium is involved in the storage of carbohydrates for use by muscles as fuel.

[DianeDi]

Very good sources of potassium also include fennel, kale, mustard greens, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, winter squash, blackstrap molasses, eggplant, cantaloupe, and tomatoes.

Good sources of potassium include parsley, cucumber, bell pepper, turmeric, apricots, ginger root, strawberries, avocado, banana, tuna, halibut, cauliflower and cabbage.

A vegan diet would never have you potassium deficient.

[bowulf]

I am wondering why you would believe an Atkins Diet would be any different. All the things you listed are acceptable on Atkins. Some in different phases than others; however some of them would not be on a vegan diet LIKE TUNA and HALIBUT.

Of course, BEEF has more potassium per Calorie than does tuna. I personally had plenty of K tonight in cabbage and pork, but if others are forced to take supplements, it would be no different than some taking b12.

[bowulf]

Swiss chard 28%

Avocado 25%

Spinach 24%

All acceptable on Induction.  Here's more Induction acceptable ones:

fennel, kale, mustard greens, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, winter squash, blackstrap molasses, eggplant, and tomatoes.

Finally more:

parsley, cucumber, bell pepper,turmeric, apricots, ginger root, avocado, tuna, halibut, cauliflower and cabbage...

It's hard to shake a stick and not hit an Induction acceptable Potassium source.

[bowulf]

Some were even mentioned in the video if you had watched it.

[rpgjko]

Can't you just take multi-vitamins to get your potassium? Great vid :)

[bowulf]

Unfortunately the amount in a multi-vitamin is so low (100mg compared to your daily needs 4000-5000mg) that it isn't effective in treating low Potassium. Since making this video, I have switched to Morton's salt-lite product, which has 325mg of Potassium per 1/4th tsp.

[healthyfitmom]

I suffer from leg cramps since starting Atkins. They come on very suddenly in the worst times.. Like driving! Oh they are so painful. I looked at supplements and they are only 90mg. A cup of black tea has has about that much potassium in it. Other foods that have over 1 gram are avocados, salmon. Coconut water has around 700mg. Coconut water has 14gm carbs but it stops leg cramps within seconds. I do eat bananas and potatoes occasionally now.

[bowulf]

Ouch, that would suck. You might check out the salt-lite product I talked about in other comments. It has 325mg in just 1/4 tsp. I haven't tried coconut water yet as cure either. It's all about finding out what works for you.

[ANGIEfromAtoZ]

i used to have leg cramps before low carb lol ive never heard of this before thanks kent

[bowulf]

You and me both, Angie! I had no idea going into this video and researching it the mental effects of low potassium. It's nice when I learn something new and prove once again that I need to keep researching and reading.

[Slim4Iife]

Some people can take potassium caps. I had to do that in the begining of my low carb plan. Great informative video!

[bowulf]

Thanks for watching, Mari!

[yelserp2]

Thanks for all the info!

[TinFoilChefDotCom]

I've actually been prescribed a potassium supplement (Klor-Con). What I haven't been able to find out is how it's dosage (10meq) converts to mg. Would you have any idea what the conversion is?

[bowulf]

Thanks to Google...

mEq is used to denote an amount of a solute in a liter of solvent (i.e. the blood). For instance, potassium (K) is often measured as mEq/L or mEq/dL.

10 mEq is equivalent to 750 mg, USP. -See related link: DailyMed.

[TinFoilChefDotCom]

Thanks, my searching skills *must* be off. I've wasted a lot of time trying to find that and came up with zip.

[kwallace1908]

i had to be prescribed potassium by my MD...My levels were very low!

[bowulf]

Did your doctor say it was diet related, activity related, or due to a medical condition?

[kwallace1908]

Gosh...MD didn't say! I had been on Atkins for about a month! My blood work came back and she put me on them! Latest blood work said that My potassium levels were normal though, but I still take them! I feel so much better now! Lots more energy!

[spamllpitdept]

Great video as usual. Adding potassium to my diet has made Atkins A LOT more pleasant. The problem with multivitamins and pills are that they only come in 100mg concentrations or lower ... which is almost nothing. NOW makes a salt substitute called "Potassium Chloride Powder" ... as the name suggests it's KCl instead of NaCl like normal table salt. I use it interchangeably with salt and gives me tons of potassium. I also mix it into drinks as part of a low-carb Gatorade substitute.

[spamllpitdept]

ps- It costs only $2.50 at amazon

[bowulf]

The mental side of potassium intake honestly has taken me by surprise. It was mentioned to me in another video, and I can still remember my irritability when I first started. I am wondering now if some of those symptoms could not have been low potassium related.

Perhaps a new recommendation of mine will be either an electrolyte drink or a similar thing as above. Morton makes a salt-lite product that is 50-50 real salt and KCl.