How Much Potassium Required On Atkins Diet?

Adults generally require between 2,500 mg and 4,700 mg of potassium daily to maintain optimum bodily fluid balance and muscle function. Dieters following the low-carbohydrate Atkins plan have reason to be concerned about potassium intake because they eschew some of the richest natural sources of potassium, such as bananas, citrus fruits, tomatoes and potatoes -- especially in the first and strictest phase of the Atkins plan, a 14-day period known as induction.

Atkins Theory

According to Dr. Robert Atkins' diet, which he first published in the 1970s, the body will burn fat preferentially when deprived of carbohydrates. Your body stores carbohydrates in the form of glycogen in the liver and muscles, and will burn through its reserves in about two days if its carb supply is drastically reduced. The purpose of the induction phase on Atkins -- during which practitioners consume no more than 20 g carbohydrate per day -- is to exhaust the body's glycogen and force it to switch to lipolysis, or fat-burning, for its energy needs.

Diuresis and Potassium

You likely will experience significant water weight loss in the first few days of following the Atkins induction regimen. Each gram of glycogen your body consumes releases an additional 4 g of water, according to Mayo Clinic. Dr. Atkins notes in his book "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution" that his diet is a particularly effective diuretic and that much of the weight lost in the first few days is likely water. That water carries with it electrolytes such as sodium, potassium and calcium. Hot weather; caffeine and alcohol consumption; and physical exertion can exacerbate water and electrolyte loss.

Cramps

Atkins dieters in the induction phase commonly complain of leg cramps, a side effect directly related to potassium loss associated with Atkins diuresis. Dr. Atkins recommends that dieters drink a minimum of eight 8 oz. glasses of water daily to replace lost fluids and to use a multivitamin and mineral supplement to maintain proper electrolyte levels. In the event that an over-the-counter supplement does not alleviate leg cramps or you suffer additional symptoms of low potassium such as fatigue, constipation or heartbeat irregularities, you should see your doctor, who may prescribe a potassium supplement more potent than the 99 mg doses available in the U.S. at the time of publication.

Dietary Supplementation

You can bolster your potassium intake by consuming high-potassium foods in addition to commercial supplements while following Atkins. During the two-week induction phase, you may consume foods such as one-half avocado per day and liberal amounts of kale, spinach and beet greens. Atkins recommends that dieters who feel particularly poorly during the first few days of induction -- a condition colloquially known as "induction flu" -- increase their intake of greens and nuts or temporarily increase overall carbohydrate consumption until they feel better, then scale down to induction levels over several days or weeks.