.Dearest readers, as spring is the revival season, I bring you something very interesting! I have buried my nose in research material on vitamins, minerals and common deficiencies that can cause serious symptoms that mimic other diseases and health issues. Turns out, improper nutrition causes a lot of that and makes our lives miserable, sometimes permanently. You would think that in the First World of North America we couldn't be deficient in nutrients unless we choose to be, but sadly you'd be wrong to think that. As it turns out, based on my online research and talking to people, nearly all of us here are potassium deficient and it's wrecking our lives. So, without further ado, I would like to get into the importance of potassium, deficiency symptoms, and how to get enough of it daily. Now, keep in mind- I'm not a doctor, this isn't certified medical advice, but I know how to research and present my findings.
Potassium is the second most abundant mineral in our bodies and it's an important electrolyte. It has multiple roles in our system related to proper muscle, nervous system, glucose levels and more. As a result, potassium deficiency, which is experienced in North America due to decreasing soil levels of potassium, includes the following symptoms: confusion, brain fog, muscle cramps, twitching, irregular heart beat, anxiety, muscle weakness and more. All in all, it boils down to you lacking in your personal and work life regardless of how good or bad your diet and workout routines are, so long as your potassium levels are low! Over time, this deficiency can break you down to someone who feels so bad you hate your life overall.
How did we get to this? It's really due to three reasons right now. The first reason is that the potassium levels in the North American soil have been dropping over time. The US government measurements show a drastic decline between the early 1900's and today. This means that fruits, vegetables and meat that relies either directly on the soil or animal feed that grows from it is way lower in potassium than it used to be. The second reason is that, due to certain health conditions that mostly older people get, as well as the medication they tend to use, potassium supplements in North America have been limited to 100 mg per tablet. Reason number three is that most of the foods we eat in a day, almost regardless of the diet we pick, cannot get us to the government-recommended 4,700 mg of potassium. Do a Google search on best sources of it, see how much you can eat on a daily basis, and you'll see it's almost impossible. Therefore, potassium deficiency and the havoc that it wreaks on us are part misfortune, part engineered circumstance. For a great video on potassium, check out this video by Dr. Berg.
So, what can we do about this? It seems like a basic thing we could fix very quickly, but the government limits on potassium supplements make it quite difficult. Well, in spite of that, I found a solution. There is a salt alternative in most supermarkets called Nosalt. It's a salt alternative that consists of potassium chloride, which is basically potassium salt. a 1/4 tsp serving has 650,g of potassium! By comparison, a standard banana has 300mg, and a standard avocado has 500mg. Therefore, in order to reach the government recommended 4700 mg, Nosalt seems to be the easiest solution to do so. Personally, I just got it recently and I add it to food, measuring carefully so I don't overdo it on potassium. So far so good :)
Look, for a while now I have been convinced that, if something's up with your health and the doctors are not sure what it is, it's related to your diet, vitamin and mineral intake. Simple as that. It has certainly been the case or me, time and again. Look at your typical daily food intake, google the potassium content on it, and then you'll know how much more to supplement with. Once you've done that for a while, you may just notice your quality of life has improved significantly! I wish you all the best in your journey to figure it out.
Until next time, stay healthy :)
Potassium is the second most abundant mineral in our bodies and it's an important electrolyte. It has multiple roles in our system related to proper muscle, nervous system, glucose levels and more. As a result, potassium deficiency, which is experienced in North America due to decreasing soil levels of potassium, includes the following symptoms: confusion, brain fog, muscle cramps, twitching, irregular heart beat, anxiety, muscle weakness and more. All in all, it boils down to you lacking in your personal and work life regardless of how good or bad your diet and workout routines are, so long as your potassium levels are low! Over time, this deficiency can break you down to someone who feels so bad you hate your life overall.
How did we get to this? It's really due to three reasons right now. The first reason is that the potassium levels in the North American soil have been dropping over time. The US government measurements show a drastic decline between the early 1900's and today. This means that fruits, vegetables and meat that relies either directly on the soil or animal feed that grows from it is way lower in potassium than it used to be. The second reason is that, due to certain health conditions that mostly older people get, as well as the medication they tend to use, potassium supplements in North America have been limited to 100 mg per tablet. Reason number three is that most of the foods we eat in a day, almost regardless of the diet we pick, cannot get us to the government-recommended 4,700 mg of potassium. Do a Google search on best sources of it, see how much you can eat on a daily basis, and you'll see it's almost impossible. Therefore, potassium deficiency and the havoc that it wreaks on us are part misfortune, part engineered circumstance. For a great video on potassium, check out this video by Dr. Berg.
So, what can we do about this? It seems like a basic thing we could fix very quickly, but the government limits on potassium supplements make it quite difficult. Well, in spite of that, I found a solution. There is a salt alternative in most supermarkets called Nosalt. It's a salt alternative that consists of potassium chloride, which is basically potassium salt. a 1/4 tsp serving has 650,g of potassium! By comparison, a standard banana has 300mg, and a standard avocado has 500mg. Therefore, in order to reach the government recommended 4700 mg, Nosalt seems to be the easiest solution to do so. Personally, I just got it recently and I add it to food, measuring carefully so I don't overdo it on potassium. So far so good :)
Look, for a while now I have been convinced that, if something's up with your health and the doctors are not sure what it is, it's related to your diet, vitamin and mineral intake. Simple as that. It has certainly been the case or me, time and again. Look at your typical daily food intake, google the potassium content on it, and then you'll know how much more to supplement with. Once you've done that for a while, you may just notice your quality of life has improved significantly! I wish you all the best in your journey to figure it out.
Until next time, stay healthy :)