Potassium/Vitamin K?

[corgimom]

My Potassium/Vitamin K intake is lower than it should be. I love bananas and eat them when I can, but I can't eat them every single day. I grocery shop once a week, and around here, bananas ripen very quickly and are yucky and over-ripe in a few days, so I only buy as many as I can eat in 3-4 days. Leaving me the rest of the week with no bananas.

What other foods are high in potassium/vitamin K that I can eat on days when I don't have any bananas around?

[sarah0404]

Vit K is found in cauliflowers, brussel sprouts, peas, beans, broccoli, watercress, asparagus and potatoes. I believe the body manufactures its on vit K your gut if you have the right kind of gut bacteria.

I'm not totally clued up on potassium so I can't help you there.

[corgimom]

Thanks! I like cauliflowers, peas, beans, broccoli, and asparagus (trying not to eat too much potato, but I like them, too), so this shouldn't be too bad.

Is it true that Vitamin K is passed through breastmilk? I read that somewhere. I am trying to increase my Vit K intake so that when we start to ttc and have our baby, I can skip the Vit K shot in the hospital without worry.

[Liquesce]

I'm curious how you determined you're short on potassium? I ask because it's in so much of what we eat that most diets that aren't severely calorie restricted should have enough. At any rate, nuts and dried fruits like raisins and currants are good sources, as are potatoes, apricots, tomatoes, mangoes, oranges, cucumbers, beets, squash ... pretty much "plants."

Vitamin K -- almost any dark leafy green is as far as I know really the best source.

[AJP]

There are different forms of vit. K. K1 is from plants, K2 is from animal foods (grassfed/pastured is higher in it), converted from K1 by the animal, and from bacterially-fermented foods (sauerkraut, kefir, natto, etc.). K2 is also what the bacteria in your gut make. I believe the two forms play different but related roles in the human body, with K2 being synergistic with vitamins A and D for bone and tooth health. Recent research indicates K2 is the "x-factor" studied by Weston Price. There was a very detailed article in the recent issue of Wise Traditions, the quarterly journal of the Weston A. Price Foundation, about K2. It's not posted on their website yet, but should be soon.

Green leafies are a good source for K1. I remember reading somewhere that freezing destroys K1 in plant foods, though, so fresh is best.

ETA: I just thought of something - are you writing it "potassium/vitamin K" as if they're the same substance? Potassium is a mineral, and its scientific symbol is "K", but vitamin K is different. The two aren't directly related.

[corgimom]

Originally Posted by Liquesce

I'm curious how you determined you're short on potassium?

Over on SparkPeople, I added K to my list of nutrients to track. I have heard that it isn't a big deal for you to skip the Vitamin K shot for your newborn as long as you get enough Vitamin K. Baby will get it from you through breastmilk. Not sure if this is true or not, but it's what I read. So I added it to my nutrient tracker now so that when we start to ttc, it will already be habit.

At SparkPeople, that line on my nutrient tracker currently looks like this (I added in the dates):

Potassium, K: 2000 - 3500 (daily goal) 2,573 (5/3) 1,990 (5/4) 1,062 (5/6) 1,820 (5/7) 1,640 (5/8) 837 (5/9) 751 (today)

Since they list it as "Potassium, K", I thought Potassium and Vitamin K were the same thing. *blush*

I got a C- in chemistry when I was in 10th grade (during the 1995-96 school year) and haven't taken any chemistry since. I didn't realize that Potassium's scientific symbol was K.

So I guess that means my potassium intake is not as high as it should be, but I still don't know about my Vitamin K intake, which is what I was trying to track in the first place.

[AJP]

There have been some good discussions about vit. K shots for newborns in the homebirth subforum, try searching for them over there. (Even if you don't have plans for a homebirth, it would be good to read about the perspective of those who question and investigate the validity of standard medical procedure.)

I can see why you'd think potassium and vit. K were the same, given how it's written on that nutrient tracker. I believe vit. K got its letter designation from the first letter of the word for 'coagulant' in the language of the person who identified it (German, I think), since it's related to the function of blood coagulation. Why potassium is "K", I have no idea.

There's a nutrient tracker at www.fitday.com, maybe it's more detailed than the one you're using and could help you figure out vit. K (I haven't used that site, just know people who think it's great).

[guestmama9916]

Raw cow's milk from grass fed cows is a source of vitamin K. Its a source of potassium as well. Its yummy and easy.

Kim

[corgimom]

Thanks!

I did a quick google search, and found an page written by someone who has decided to decline the Vit K shot for their second child. They included an article about Vitamin K...

I only read part of the article, but I came across this:
"those from mothers on anti-epileptic medications are at very high risk and need special attention."

I don't have epilepsy, but I do have a nerve injury disorder called trigeminal neuralgia. Basically, there is something wrong with the main nerve that runs down the right side of face that causes it to send pain signals to the brain for no reason. Anticonvulsants slow down the nervous system and are the only medication shown to help with the pain. Without a successful surgery, I will be on anticonvulsants for life. Only one surgery has been shown to be successful long term. All of the others are outpatient procedures that damage the nerve in some way so that it can't send pain signals. They are about 85% effective at stopping at least 50% of the pain, but they only last 2-5 years because the nerve repairs itself.

My child will already be at risk for birth defects because of the meds... and after reading this, I am scared not to give the Vit K shot. (apparently the brain hemhorrage that can injure/kill babies that didn't get the shot is caused by liver problems, and anticonvulsants are hard on the liver (I get blood work to check my liver functionevery few visits with my neurologist)

[corgimom]

Originally Posted by Liquesce

I'm curious how you determined you're short on potassium? I ask because it's in so much of what we eat that most diets that aren't severely calorie restricted should have enough.

Forgot to mention. Over at spark, I have my goal weight listed as 200 by December 4 (my birthday), so my daily calorie range is 1200 to 1500. Not sure if this counts as severely restricted or not, but thought I'd mention it.

[chelsmm]

As for the Vitamin K- alfalfa is a good source. Everything that I have read, however, states that the baby really only gets the benefits once he is nursing. It doesn't pass much through the placenta.

I am not sure if someone mentioned it, but oranges are a good source of potassium and folic acid, which is also important if you are going to ttc.