Getting RDA of minerals

[mryar]

Like baking a cake, one ingredient out of proportion and results won't be optimal.

Dietary mineral - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1. Potassium. In quite a few foods, potassium gluconate powder available

2. Chlorine. Quick search says only source in sufficient quantity is table salt (NaCl). This would be a good source if there was 1:1 ratio with the sodium RDA, but RDA states sodium must be lower, so how does one get Cl without the Na (in sufficient qty)?

3. Sodium. Table salt

4. Calcium. In many things, pills available.

5. Phosphorus? Where does this come from? Lecithin seems to have it, as do some foods. Not many food sources have decent qty however.

The rest I'm not worried about as a multivitamin has them covered (Mg and Zn have their own pills as well). I was shocked at how much potassium we're supposed to intake. How do most people get their RDA of phosphorus?

Thoughts?

 

[Zyglamail]

You missed the 2 most important ones Magnesium and zinc!

 

[kagenical]

Do NOT take potassium powder. A large dose of non-dietary, elemental potassium can cause heart arrhythmia and other cardiac issues to surface.

Basically though, we get enough sodium in our foods... The more the better for the exerting athlete IMHO (up to 5g per day). If you eat any processed foods, eggwhites (100mg sodium each) or prepare lean meats the way most do, trust me, you don't need more sodium.

The real issue, as you mentioned, is potassium. You should consume at least a 2:1 ratio of potassium to sodium to obtain the optimal electrolyte balance. There are many potassium powerhouses out there. Normal sized English (seedless) Cucumbers contain about 500mg at only 80kcal or so. MOST green vegetables are very high in potassium. The brand of skim milk I purchase has 450mg potassium per cup, so drinking a liter of that a day (only 380kcal and 44g protein) gets me well over a gram. A secret here is to buy "potassium salt replacement". This is a potassium product, that tastes like salt, but contains all potassium and no sodium. A 1/4tsp adds 600mg potassium to a dish, but the same disclaimer as above, taking more than 1/4tsp, ESPECIALLY outside of meal-time, is a recipe for a cardiac event.

A single can of tuna has half your daily phosphorus. All fish is high in phosphorus actually. I eat a can of tuna, a filet of tilapia, and a filet of salmon (near) daily. I know this covers me to 100% of my RDI, and there are trace amounts in most meats as well.

Chlorine is easy too - you need very, very little of it, and it's provided in most tap waters.

Zinc is found in shellfish, or as I prefer, a 50mg pill of chelated zinc (very important to get your minerals chelated for best absorption).

Wanna know my secret to proper micronutrient nutrition? Vegetables. Yeah. I love meat, I eat pounds of it a day, but vegetables are where the actual nutrition is at. Select good, bright/deeply colored veggies, and eat as much plant matter as you do meat - and you'll be well on your way to hitting your RDI's. Meat is for protein and fats, and not much else. Balance is key in everything.

And finally, take your pills separately. Never take more than 1 elemental pill in a 2 hour window. Many elements fight for the same uptake pathways (zinc prevents copper, calcium prevents magnesium, phosphorus prevents zinc, Sodium prevents potassium, Iron prevents manganese and cobalt etc.)!