Hidden Pitfalls in Your Fat Burning Plan: Potassium

Many fitness conscious people today focus their dietary plan on a higher intake of proteins from lean sources, such as chicken, and low carbohydrates. Combing this with a daily hard workout in the gym, they expect to see results – fat burning and lean muscle building. However, sometimes no matter how hard they try, they just don’t see results. Even though they are working out hard, doing cardio and eating as they think they should, they are not gaining muscle, do not notice a significant fat loss and see reoccurring health problems and injury!


Something must be missing. It is important to look at all the important elements of you diet to ensure that you are meeting your body’s daily needs.
Potassium is a good example. Though many sources say that most people do not experience a lack of potassium in their diets because it is found in such a wide variety of food sources, it is also one that can be overlooked by the most fitness-conscious people. If you are consuming a diet which gets your lean protein from poultry and is low in carbohydrates, dairy and fruits, you may not be getting enough potassium.


Potassium is an important element in our diet because:


* A diet low in potassium and high in sodium may be one of the factors that lead to high blood pressure.
* Athletes involved in hard exercise may require larger quantities of potassium-rich foods.
* Potassium is found in meats, milk, fruits and vegetables.


Potassium, along with calcium, is an electrolyte utilized in the nervous system, muscle function, fluid balance and heart, kidney and adrenal functions. A deficiency in potassium can result in weakness, fatigue and heart problems.

These are all huge road blocks in our fat burning and muscle building plans.

Some recommendable potassium-rich foods are:
Fish, such as tuna and flounder
Avocado
Cantaloupe
Dried Fruits (be careful of the sugar so use only as a supplement!)
Kiwi
Lima beans
Nuts
Spinach
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes
Wheat Bran
Yogurt and Milk products


If you are noticing your energy levels are declining, check to see if you are getting enough potassium in your diet. It is important to periodically check our dietary plans to make sure we are on track in all areas!


For more information on fitness and nutrition, pay a visit to Chris Keith anytime!