some vitamin levels massive on cronometer

[anne from california]

I've been entering my daily food intake into Cronometer (the freebie version) and have been astonished at how high some of the values have soared--Vitamin A in the four-figure percentile, Vitamin K too (without even logging the K portion of my D3/K2 supplement). With the D3 portion logged, my Vitamin D percentage is in the four figures. I quit my multi, because I quickly could see that it wasn't helping enough in the areas that needed boosting (B12--which I've remedied with a methyl-cobalamin) and potassium (which I've not solved).

So my questions: Are these massive percentages okay? And does anyone have any great ideas on how to increase potassium without bananas? (I hate them, plus they seem like a sugar bomb.)

[slacker]

Anne, I don't use cronometer myself, but think it would be useful to share some specific examples of the food entries that are producing the vit A, K, and D levels. Something sounds off!

Here is one website that gives a list of foods with high potassium.

[Orangeblossom]

I've also noticed this and wondered if it was OK. With me, it is B12 which is always really high. I'm guessing that is Ok, but not sure!
I'm taking a supplement for some vitamins (from natural plant sources) and thinking of stopping this perhaps not sure. and also extra Vit K2, Vit D, and Methyl Folate.

Also very high Vits A, C, E and K. Here is a day when all those were quite high, are you eating the similar stuff I wonder? PS Avocados are pretty high in potassium.

I feel better knowing the excess vitamins are from food sources though.

PS Sorry it came out so long it was cut and paste from Cronometer. (have deleted this now as was huge!)

[floramaria]

I haven't used Cron-o-meter lately, but I do remember that when I was using it , I was surprised to see many vitamin levels in four digit range. I'll track today and see what the results are.

[anne from california]

Basically, two days ago I ate:
A smoothie w/hemp seeds, macadamia nuts, mixed berries and spinach
A salad with romaine, escarole, carrot, kalamata olives, radicchio, cabbage, jicama, cauliflower, olive oil
Broccolini, mixed greens/arugula with sprouts, small sweet potato, 3 oz chicken, olive oil
I also did B12 spray (I do this twice a week), plus my dailies: fish oil, curcumin, zinc, vit d

These were some of the numbers that rolled out:
Vitamin A: 2236%
Vitamin K: 1001%
Vitamin B12: 20,853%
Manganese: 243% (I saw someone somewhere in here questioning whether manganese should be so high.)

Any thoughts?

[Orangeblossom]

I know that some vitamins are water soluble and the body just gets rid of what it doesn't need, and some are fat soluble and the body can sometimes store these and get too much. I had the same thoughts recently although my levels are not as high. Your diet looks really nutrient rich though which must surely be a good thing, and it is from plant forms, not supplements.

I am not an expert, but I would guess it looks like you might not need extra B12 with those levels?

Also, i wonder are you getting the right amounts in grams if things are e.g. mixed in a salad? You must have to eat very large mounts of the veg etc to get such high reading? maybe could double check the amounts you are putting in, in terms of portions.

Fat soluble vitamins are A, D, E and K.

I found this article online which explains further.

http://extension.colostate.edu/topic-ar ... d-k-9-315/

[Julie G]

Waves, Anne! I fell down this same rabbit hole several years ago and was stunned to see the supposedly massive amounts (and a single deficit ) of vitamins and minerals I was getting through my diet. I even made the mistake of supplementing potassium as a result of my CRON-O-meter info with disastrous results. My blood pressure dropped precipitously and I spent a few weeks dangerously wobbling each time I stood up until I finally realized it was the supplemental potassium.

Keep in mind that CRON-O-meter is simply a rough tool. The levels you're ingesting are by no means reflective of your blood values. That process is governed by many factors. You can run blood work to see for yourself. Potassium, for instance, is very tightly regulated and my levels were perfectly in range prior to my supplementing. By relying on CRON-O-meter, I made the mistake of assuming a deficiency. Vitamin A is another great example. While your CRON-O-meter values are off-the-chart high due to using sweet potatoes in your diet, there's a good chance that your body is unable to convert the beta carotene to Vitamin A (especially if you're of European heritage) and you may actually be deficient.

Relax and enjoy your whole food diet. From an evolutionary perspective, humans have been enjoying extraordinarily high levels of nutrients for hundreds of thousands of years with no ill effects.

[anne from california]

Great info, Julie! Waves to you too! I'm so glad you said that about potassium--it seems so many of the high-potassium foods are also high-carb/high-glycemic, so I wasn't eager to go pounding down, say, a watermelon. I had a leg cramp last week (when I was ramping up my exercise routine) and thought, "Oh, no! It's that low potassium reading!" And ever since have been nervously awaiting the next leg cramp, with that low potassium reading blaring at me from Cronometer. (It hasn't happened.) I'm going to just let that go for now!

[Julie G]

{{{Anne}}} I've also experienced those leg cramps. They can be excruciating . I've even woken up with bruises all over the back of my calves. For me, this only happens when I'm traveling and attending workshops/conferences. I've learned to pack and carry my own salt in my purse (often not available on the road) so I can liberally supplement. As you probably know, potassium is an element of salt.

I'm unsure if you're transitioning/practicing a low carb approach (?) If so, you may want to consider upping your salt intake. As insulin levels drop, our kidneys begin excreting high levels of sodium and other electrolytes. Replenishing them is necessary to avoid "keto flu" Leg cramps are a common symptom. Also, look to your magnesium levels. They're closely linked with sodium, potassium, and calcium metabolism; and are also regulated by the kidney. Many folks are deficient. I take mega doses every evening to normalize/optimize my levels and enjoy the yummy relaxation effect in the evening. Dr. Bredesen recommends whole RBC levels between 5.2-6.5 mg/dl.

Just to offer yourself reassurance, you may want to ask your doc to test your sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium levels so you can see where you stand.

[anne from california]

Great recommendations, Julie. Any special kind of salt? I'm definitely transitioning to low carb--I've set my Cronometer ratios to 14P:18C:68F and have stuck to it pretty well, and will continue to tweak. A little low on calories on some days because I just wasn't hungry enough to eat more before I ran out of time before the fasting window, or my power walk went to an hour instead of a half and burned up some calories. I don't have a ketone meter. Calcium is another area I worry about because I have osteopenia (recently diagnosed), but I've heard conflicting info about whether calcium supplementation is appropriate. I just started (today!) a small bit of bioidentical estradiol and progesterone--really hoping it goes okay. My doc is starting me on a micro dose of estradiol--just a .025 patch--because I had a terrible reaction to bHRT (E2, E3, P and T) the first time I tried it, about a year ago. (My gyne believes the T might've been the culprit, or that the whole compounded thing was just too much too fast on a brain that had been getting, basically, nothing in the way of E, P or T--I tested under 20 in all three areas.) If this goes okay for a couple months, she'll move me up to a .0375, and by that time, it'll be about time for my appointment with Ann Hathaway (so excited!), and I'll get some levels done on everything and do some further fine-tuning. So in the meantime, trying to do well with dietary changes, some easy supplementation (D3, zinc, C, B12, mag, curcumin, fish oil), sleep optimization, fasting window, exercise and stress relief. So far so good--except for that vicious leg cramp.