Atkins Diet: Hypokalemia — Do you need a banana?
One of my good friends on the Atkins Diet, Izaboutime, talked to me regarding a scare he had. He was following the diet religiously and working out fiendishly in the gym. In that time, he sweated the potassium of his body and put himself into a hypokalemic state. He thought he was having a heart attack. The post script to his tale is he found out what it was and wanted to be sure others knew as well. That was why this video was created.
Hypokalemia
https://health.google.com/health/ref/Hypokalemia
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002413.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypokalemia
What is Potassium Good for?
* important for neuron (brain and nerve) functioning
* maintaining osmotic and pH balance – electrolyte
* fluid balance
* heart, kidney and adrenal functions
* preventing muscle contraction
Recommended daily intake of over 4-5,000mg.
Is it a common problem?
Biochemical abnormalities of the ketogenic diet in children.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1940242/?tool=pmcentrez
This study discovered serum levels of sodium, potassium, and calcium were similarly unaltered in humans consuming a ketogenic diet.
What causes a hypokalemia?
* Diuretics, Stimulant Laxatives or Eating Disorders (Bulimia)
* Excessive Sweating / Extreme exercise
* Diarrhea
* Diseases that affect the kidney’s ability to retain potassium (for example, Cushing syndrome)
* Surgical procedures to shorten the intestines where Potassium is absorbed
* Extremely rarely poor diet
In the case of Atkins or most diets, the initial state is diuretic with the loss of glycogen which can temporarily influence electrolyte levels. This is one of the reasons, Dr. Atkins recommends eating potassium rich foods like the ones mentioned in the video, being on guard for leg cramps, and if present, talking with your doctor about a Potassium supplement.
Potassium Rich Foods:
* 4 oz beef (sirloin) 495 mg
* 4 oz grilled salmon 480 mg
* 1 cup chopped chicken breast meat 358 mg
* 1 4 oz pork chop (boneless) 514 mg
* 1 cup cooked chopped broccoli 458 mg
* ½ avocado 436 mg
* 1 medium banana 422 mg
* ½ cup cooked spinach 420 mg
* 1 cup raw cauliflower 303 mg
Duration : 0:10:38
Tagged with: atkins banana • Atkins diet • banana atkins diet • Bowulf • Deficiency • Diets • Hypokalemia • ideal diet in hypokalemia • ketogenic • low carb • potassium • Risk • TDI bread bananas
Filed under: Atkins diet
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@Psychologizer …
@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.
Thanks Kent. This …
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.
@TPD605 I think …
@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 …
@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.
@Psychologizer …
@Psychologizer Check out my Exercise is Non-Negotiable video for more thoughts on why exercise is still needed.
@bowulf Dr. Poon …
@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.
@fantapants182 …
@fantapants182 great – glad I could help.
Is Spam okay to eat …
Is Spam okay to eat?..Love your videos!
@Jewelofclovis Its …
@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.
You do not need to …
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.
Wow that is a …
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.
Thanks!
Yeah, … 
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!
Thanks!
ahhhh, i see now
ahhhh, i see now
I only know a few …
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?
Going to get away …
Going to get away from the cold, huh? Hope you have a great time in FL.
I live near Des …
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.
Great information …
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!
I am not entirely …
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.
Indian food is one …
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?
The problem is that …
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.
But I agree some …
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…
You nailed it! …
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).
On the “Insulin …
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.)
There is no …
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.
Remember the focus …
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.