Does Atkins recommend Potassium supplements?
 

It depends....
 

I take lots of extra potassium but I'm outside regularly, in NC, and sweat. My food intake won't keep up with my sweat. I've never had a bladder problem from taking potassium.

It's not a required supplement on a daily basis; I let crampy twitchy legs tell me when I need it.

I don't take Potassium Supplements and my Serum Potassium is within the normal range. I get plenty of Potassium from Meats and Fruits. Both are chock full of it. In fact, a serving of steak (juices thrown out) has as much Potassium as the uqiquitous Banana. If you keep the fatty juices and eat them with the meat, the Steak is richer in Potassium. Most fruits, including LC Ones, are high in Potassium also. There is no reason that anyone eating plenty of Meat should be short of Potassium. The only way I could see it as a problem is if you are doing Atkins as a Vegetarian. I believe Atkins recomended supplements out of an abundence of caution. Probably the same reason he includes B12 in his Multivitamin...while a serving of steak has 1/3 of your B12. BTW, the government definition of a "serving" of steak is very little. In fact, it's about half the size of the smallest steak I've ever seen, 1/3 of an average sirloin, and as little as 1/5 of a good-size T-Bone.

Thanks Guys,

Does that mean we don't have to take supplements if we have a protien at every meal?

Kranti

Atkins does recomend suppliments, in fact he recomends getting a prescription since over the counter pottassium suppliments are so light.

Not everyone needs them though. Do you use fitday? If you don't, get an account and just use it for a few days. Under the reports link there is one for "Am I meeting my nutriconal needs" Click on that and see how much pottassium and other nutrients you get from foods. Include suppliments your taking under custom foods and add those in, being sure your not gettting massive amounts of certain nutrients.

Find lists of high potassium low carb foods, and add those into your diet instead of supplimentation. Most green veggies such as broccoli and spinich are high in it if I remember. The body can process nutrients from food better then it can suppliments, plus foods have ratios of nutrients that help the effect or absorbtion. There are also many undiscovered nutrients or ones that can't be reproduced in a lab. Think of how recently antioxidents made the news.

Watch for leg cramps, dizzyness, or other signs that you may be low on potassium/calcium/magnesium. If you have none of these and are eating high pottassium foods, then there is no need to force down more pills then you need :)

I think that Dr. Atkins' books say that if a person uses "No SALT" on their food, that should be enough potassium supplement for Induction. The PPP people recommnend the 99 mcg tablets for the early phases of their plans.
Anyone taking ACE Inhibitors should NOT take any form of potassium supplement.