Too much potassium from food?

[Ippodrom47]

Hi! Male, 31, no history of kidney decease or diabetes. Lately I've been eating lots of bananas, avocados and potatoes, along with other stuff like poultry, a bit of dairy and buckwheat. By "a lot" a mean an awful lot, like 3-4 bananas a day, 1-2 avocados and potato pancakes (or small pies, we call them "zrazy") at every meal. I noticed I would get extremely lethargic, irritable and anxious (including tachycardia) after meals, especially when having more bananas or potatoes. I would also experience frequent urination and numbness in the legs at night. My blood test showed my potassium level to be at 5,3 (normal range 3,6-5,1). Sodium and chloride were both normal. Such the blood draw was in a fasted state, it means it gets even higher after a meal when all the potassium is absorbed into the bloodstream, which can explain my symptoms. Is it even possible to consume too much potassium from a diet?
P.S. Checked my previous blood tests over a couple of years - each time my potassium was high, such as 5 or 5.2. Can it be I have naturally high levels and should watch my intake?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Tim Lundeen]

You might try stopping all avocados for 4-5 days and see how you do, especially see if your tachycardia stops. Avocados make a sugar called mannoheptulose, which lowers insulin and raises blood glucose, can really mess up your metabolism. They are not a health food, imo. We eat them, but rarely, maybe a half a small avocado every few months. Also get a blood glucose meter and check fasting glucose, do a day or two of checking every hour. You want fasting glucose to be 83 (80-86 due to meter resolution), peaks to be no more than 140 for short periods; ideally peaks are 120 or less.

 

[Ippodrom47]

You might try stopping all avocados for 4-5 days and see how you do, especially see if your tachycardia stops. Avocados make a sugar called mannoheptulose, which lowers insulin and raises blood glucose, can really mess up your metabolism. They are not a health food, imo. We eat them, but rarely, maybe a half a small avocado every few months. Also get a blood glucose meter and check fasting glucose, do a day or two of checking every hour. You want fasting glucose to be 83 (80-86 due to meter resolution), peaks to be no more than 140 for short periods; ideally peaks are 120 or less.

Hi! Thanks for your reply! You know, I've noticed that my blood sugar is a bit higher after a meal if it contains avocadoes. Can it be due to said sugar? I guess, eating an avocado each and every day is not a particularly healthy practice, if that's the case.

 

[Tim Lundeen]

Hi! Thanks for your reply! You know, I've noticed that my blood sugar is a bit higher after a meal if it contains avocadoes. Can it be due to said sugar? I guess, eating an avocado each and every day is not a particularly healthy practice, if that's the case.

That's been our experience. Fasting blood glucose also higher for several days.

 

[Missenger]

Avocados, raw, all commercial varieties Nutrition Facts & Calories

nutritiondata.self.com

Avocados, raw, all commercial varieties Nutrition Facts & Calories​

Amounts Per Selected Serving (1 avocado, 200ish g)
%DV
Total Fat 29.5 g 45%
Saturated Fat 4.3g 21%
Monounsaturated Fat 19.7g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3.7g
Total Omega-3 fatty acids 221 mg
Total Omega-6 fatty acids 3396mg

Three grams of pufas would easily spike glucose if you ate more than one.

 

[LA]

Avocados make me sick to my stomach and Dr. Peat does not recommend them

Vegetables, etc. —Who Defines Food?

. . . Animal proteins, and fruits, because they contain the lowest levels of toxins, should form the basis of the diet. Not all fruits, of course, are perfectly safe--avocados, for example, contain so much unsaturated fat that they can be carcinogenic and hepatotoxic.

The antitumor effect of the olive-oil diet was connected to its content of monounsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic and palmitic acids. The promotive tumorigenic effects of other high-fat diets (avocado, soybeans) were associated with high content of some polyunsaturated fatty acids (linoleic and alpha-linolenic).

© Ray Peat 2006. All Rights Reserved. www.RayPeat.com
Ray Peat

Vegetables, etc.—Who Defines Food?

Ray Peat

raypeat.com

 

[Missenger]

The biggest thing is that normal 'authentic' olive oil isn't too far off from avocados, 1.5g pufas per tbsp is still pretty high, better to keep it to a teaspoon a day at best if people think they need a specific monosaturated fat from olive oil.

 

[Dr. B]

The biggest thing is that normal 'authentic' olive oil isn't too far off from avocados, 1.5g pufas per tbsp is still pretty high, better to keep it to a teaspoon a day at best if people think they need a specific monosaturated fat from olive oil.

Yeah the fatty acid profile is similar.
Ray has said its an antioxidant in olive oil responsible for the anti cancer effects. he may be referring to oleupurein thats supposedly the primary antioxidant in it and supplement extracts of that are sold online.
somehow avocado oil has a much higher smoke point than olive oil? so cooking etc sites say its better for cooking with? whereas olive oil is better consumed raw and unheated. i wonder what causes the higher smoke point since both are so similar in terms of the MUFA, SFA and PUFA content.
but additionally it seems olive oil has the unique antioxidants and antibacterial effects that avocado oil lacks. isnt avocado oil much pricier than even the extra virgin olive oils.
what about olive leaf extract? this product by island nutrition on amazon seems good, specifically from spanish olive trees. they mention how most olive products on market are from chinese olive trees which are a different species.
a 500mg capsule of olive leaf extract apparently has the same oleupurein and other nutrients present in 1/3 liter of extra virgin olive oil which is around 10oz, so like 1.25 cups olive oil. im not sure what the side effects could be of olive leaf extract though.