Fiber

On Fri, 24 Sep 2004 14:59:37 -0700, wrote:

On Fri, 24 Sep 2004, FOB wrote:

It takes several capsules to equal the volume of a heaping teaspoon of
powder which is the prescribed dose.

Speaking of capsule volume, what's the deal with potassium?! I looked at
FitDay, and they don't list an RDA for it (I'm averaging 1465mg). Looked
at the potassium sups at the store yesterday, and they say each cap is 3%
of RDA?! First of all, where are they getting the RDA (or conversely why
doesn't FitDay have it? Second, WTF are they doing expecting people to
eat an entire bottle of pills every three days to meet requirements??
KeS

The generally accepted daily values center around 3500 mg/day, but
there is no hard-and-fast single number. By law, however, any pill of
100 mg or more of elemental potassium requires a prescription. Note
that this is elemental potassium, you will find OTC pills available
with potassium compounds that have greater weight (potassium
gluconate, etc.) - but it is greater weight of "the other stuff", not
greater potassium. Prescription levels of potassium generally come in
a time-release form like "Slo-K, 800 mg".

The potassium in food is apparently much easier on your system than
the potassium found in pill form. You don't need a prescription to
buy a banana, which might have, say, 700 mg of potassium. You can buy
"Lite salt" (a 50-50 mix of sodium chloride and postassium chloride"
or even "No Salt" (pure potassium chloride) to boost your daily
potassium. I use the latter - some people find it a bit bitter or
metalic tasting, but I don't have a problem with it.

Almost no one is expected to get their daily potassium from pills -
you are expected to get it from your food. Those 99 mg pills provide
just a very small boost, the salts can provide a more significant
boost. You will see Slo-K supplements used in Optifast program
because you AREN'T getting potassium from your food in that program.
(I wouldn't be surprised to see other "modified fast" programs doing
the same, but I don't know for sure.)

On Fri, 24 Sep 2004 14:59:37 -0700, wrote:

On Fri, 24 Sep 2004, FOB wrote:

It takes several capsules to equal the volume of a heaping teaspoon of
powder which is the prescribed dose.

Speaking of capsule volume, what's the deal with potassium?! I looked at
FitDay, and they don't list an RDA for it (I'm averaging 1465mg). Looked
at the potassium sups at the store yesterday, and they say each cap is 3%
of RDA?! First of all, where are they getting the RDA (or conversely why
doesn't FitDay have it? Second, WTF are they doing expecting people to
eat an entire bottle of pills every three days to meet requirements??
KeS

The generally accepted daily values center around 3500 mg/day, but
there is no hard-and-fast single number. By law, however, any pill of
100 mg or more of elemental potassium requires a prescription. Note
that this is elemental potassium, you will find OTC pills available
with potassium compounds that have greater weight (potassium
gluconate, etc.) - but it is greater weight of "the other stuff", not
greater potassium. Prescription levels of potassium generally come in
a time-release form like "Slo-K, 800 mg".

The potassium in food is apparently much easier on your system than
the potassium found in pill form. You don't need a prescription to
buy a banana, which might have, say, 700 mg of potassium. You can buy
"Lite salt" (a 50-50 mix of sodium chloride and postassium chloride"
or even "No Salt" (pure potassium chloride) to boost your daily
potassium. I use the latter - some people find it a bit bitter or
metalic tasting, but I don't have a problem with it.

Almost no one is expected to get their daily potassium from pills -
you are expected to get it from your food. Those 99 mg pills provide
just a very small boost, the salts can provide a more significant
boost. You will see Slo-K supplements used in Optifast program
because you AREN'T getting potassium from your food in that program.
(I wouldn't be surprised to see other "modified fast" programs doing
the same, but I don't know for sure.)

wrote:

Speaking of capsule volume, what's the deal with potassium?! I looked at
FitDay, and they don't list an RDA for it (I'm averaging 1465mg). Looked
at the potassium sups at the store yesterday, and they say each cap is 3%
of RDA?!

Potassium fatally interacts with some old diuretic blood
pressure medications. The 99 mg level is safe with those
medications, but if you aren't on BP meds that means the
pills are essentially worthless.

Use sea salt (about 10% potassium chloride), lite salt
(about 50%) or salt substitute (about 100%). One teaspoon
of lite salt gives the same amount of potassium as a
dozen or more tablets.

jamie wrote:
jbuch wrote:

well, it is like this.

Take the fiber pill.... and say it has 10 grams of fiber (carbohydrate
not digested).


10 grams? That would be like swallowing a walnut in the shell, whole.


Sorry for the use of hypothetical.

I should have said:

"Take the fiber pill.... and say it has 1.0732 grams of fiber
(carbohydrate not digested)

I can see that this makes it ever so much clearer.

Thanks.

Jim

jamie wrote:
jbuch wrote:

well, it is like this.

Take the fiber pill.... and say it has 10 grams of fiber (carbohydrate
not digested).


10 grams? That would be like swallowing a walnut in the shell, whole.


Sorry for the use of hypothetical.

I should have said:

"Take the fiber pill.... and say it has 1.0732 grams of fiber
(carbohydrate not digested)

I can see that this makes it ever so much clearer.

Thanks.

Jim

On Sun, 26 Sep 2004 10:22:37 -0500, jbuch
wrote:

jamie wrote:
jbuch wrote:

well, it is like this.

Take the fiber pill.... and say it has 10 grams of fiber (carbohydrate
not digested).


10 grams? That would be like swallowing a walnut in the shell, whole.


Sorry for the use of hypothetical.

I should have said:

"Take the fiber pill.... and say it has 1.0732 grams of fiber
(carbohydrate not digested)

I can see that this makes it ever so much clearer.

Thanks.

Jim
The average fiber capsule contains 500 milligrams of fiber. A
tablespoon of fiber contains 5000 - 7000 milligrams of fiber. On
average it takes about 10 capsules to equal a tablespoon of fiber. So
one would have to swallow about 30 capsules daily to get the suggested
three tablespoons of fiber. Eating more fibrous vegetables changes
the equation, but many folks eschew the pleasure of their vegetables.
Happy swallowing.
Lee Rodgers
Lowcarb Retreat http://www.lowcarb.org
CHAT http://www.lowcarb.org/parachat.html
Low-Carb Connoisseur http://www.low-carb.com

On Sun, 26 Sep 2004 10:22:37 -0500, jbuch
wrote:

jamie wrote:
jbuch wrote:

well, it is like this.

Take the fiber pill.... and say it has 10 grams of fiber (carbohydrate
not digested).


10 grams? That would be like swallowing a walnut in the shell, whole.


Sorry for the use of hypothetical.

I should have said:

"Take the fiber pill.... and say it has 1.0732 grams of fiber
(carbohydrate not digested)

I can see that this makes it ever so much clearer.

Thanks.

Jim
The average fiber capsule contains 500 milligrams of fiber. A
tablespoon of fiber contains 5000 - 7000 milligrams of fiber. On
average it takes about 10 capsules to equal a tablespoon of fiber. So
one would have to swallow about 30 capsules daily to get the suggested
three tablespoons of fiber. Eating more fibrous vegetables changes
the equation, but many folks eschew the pleasure of their vegetables.
Happy swallowing.
Lee Rodgers
Lowcarb Retreat http://www.lowcarb.org
CHAT http://www.lowcarb.org/parachat.html
Low-Carb Connoisseur http://www.low-carb.com