I took a blood test recently & my primary Dr called me even though it was a Sat (results came in overnight). My potassium levels were high, over 6 millimoles per liter. The high end of a normal range is something like 5.2 I believe. He wanted me to come in a week later for a redo, & rattled off foods I should avoid till then. Top on the list, yup tomatoes. Haha I said, I've been eating as many as I could daily since they've been ripe. That means more than a month. Not only that, but I've also been snacking on dried apricots by the handful. No no no he said. Stop it, drink lots of water keep hydrated & call as soon as you notice symptoms like heart palpitations, nausea etc. Ok I'll stop but I feel fine right now.
I don't know about you all but I do gorge on tomatoes every summer. Salsas, pastas, ratatouille, marinades, sandwiches...raw, broiled, grilled, sauteed...cut, cubed, sliced, whole... I feel like there should be a song like "Hair" for tomatoes, remember that one?
Anyways long story short my 2nd blood test came back normal. I checked my past tests, they were all done during the non-tomato months. Note to myself: don't get tested mid summer & maybe just maybe tone it down a little with the tomatoes

Note to self: No blood tests until October.

Thanks for the heads up.

If my Dr. said no more tomatoes I’d be shopping a new Dr.!
Glad I had my K tested before any ripened

My mantra is moderation-in-all-things except when it comes to tomatoes - I eat them breakfast, lunch and dinner and as a snack in the yard. Good to know their might be some side effects. Those darn doctors spoil all our fun:(

You can't trust your doctor all the time.

I don’t have a doctor.

Just slow it down a bit on the tomatoes, apricots and spinach. Too much potassium can cause big problems with your heart.
I happen to need more potassium than most people and I ate so many that I ended up with an ulcer last year from all the acidity. The ulcer is gone now. I'm just waiting for some tomatoes to come in...

MissS wrote: ↑Mon Aug 05, 2024 9:00 pm
I happen to need more potassium than most people and I ate so many that I ended up with an ulcer last year from all the acidity. The ulcer is gone now. I'm just waiting for some tomatoes to come in...

I had Stage 5 Kidney failure about 10 years ago, gained 70 lbs. in less than 4 weeks all because of Statins. Rhabdomyolysis is real and dangerous. I'm at Stage 3 now and take the equivalent of one half bottle of OTC Potassium Tablets every day. Fortunately I can't eat enough tomatoes to make a difference.

I feel awful for you, that's one reason I grow so many, BLT's, chunked up, slices, any way but stewed. I chill them in the freezer for 5-10 min.

Apparently I have severe acid reflux and my doctor told me not to eat tomatoes. I tried to explain I'm an insane OCD tomato nut. He said maybe that's why this started. I decided to simply eat a Gaviscom as a chaser every time I eat tomatoes. I'm just not giving up tomatoes or growing them.

FatBeeFarm wrote: ↑Tue Aug 06, 2024 8:53 am Apparently I have severe acid reflux and my doctor told me not to eat tomatoes. I tried to explain I'm an insane OCD tomato nut. He said maybe that's why this started. I decided to simply eat a Gaviscom as a chaser every time I eat tomatoes. I'm just not giving up tomatoes or growing them.

That was my attitude to. I just can't go through summer without eating tomatoes. They are a necessity of life. The doctor had to give me some stronger medication. My ulcer healed pretty well over the winter. I did become anemic from it though and then needed a transfusion. The things I go through to enjoy some tomatoes...

Life is for living...that is how I feel.

I get burned out on tomatoes somewhat. I love them, but how many can any one person eat? Would anyone that had access to peak of the season high quality fresh garden tomatoes year around eat them every single day for the entire year? I wouldn’t. Wouldn’t anyone eventually say “uncle”?

Maybe food burnout like what happens to me with tomatoes is the body’s way of saying “you’ve had enough” time to find something else to eat with some different nutrients.

I do gorge on tomatoes somewhat when the tomatoes are at their very best, but I’m kind of glad the peak of the season is finite.

I get burned out on beef or chicken or watermelon or fish, I don’t see why tomatoes should be any different.

DriftlessRoots wrote: ↑Mon Aug 05, 2024 5:28 pm If my Dr. said no more tomatoes I’d be shopping a new Dr.!
Glad I had my K tested before any ripened

My Kidney Dr. has a scale that weighs 8 lbs. heavy. The lady in front of me stepped off the scale and told the nurse: "That's it, I'm done" and turned around and walked out. The scale still weighs 8 lbs. heavy and that's been at least 2 years ago.

Unlimited tomatoes for me, my potassium levels are super low.

If I had good garden tomatoes year round I could eat a BLT everyday and not get burnt out.

Vanman wrote: ↑Tue Aug 06, 2024 10:44 am If I had good garden tomatoes year round I could eat a BLT everyday and not get burnt out.

I couldn’t eat bacon every day let alone tomatoes. Bacon is great, but not every day great.

Coffee is everyday great. Water, everyday great. That’s about it for me on the every day stuff.

karstopography wrote: ↑Tue Aug 06, 2024 10:12 am I get burned out on tomatoes somewhat. I love them, but how many can any one person eat? Would anyone that had access to peak of the season high quality fresh garden tomatoes year around eat them every single day for the entire year? I wouldn’t. Wouldn’t anyone eventually say “uncle”?

If I could grow tomatoes year round I would eat tomatoes year round. Not a fan at all of cardboard tomatoes or even greenhouse tomatoes. When my tomatoes die, I die just a tiny bit along with them. I am the same way with Pork Steak.

Brenda will eat a cardboard tomato and think it's the greatest thing on earth. She weighs 150 lbs. and 5 days a week she's at the gym, hour on the bike, hour on the treadmill and two hours of Zumba, whatever that is. She was mighty upset when the Dr. classified her as obese. She is still mad.

Would I like access to great fresh tomatoes year around, absolutely, yes I would. I’ve taken measures, with mixed results, to extend my fresh high quality garden tomato season as much as possible. Store commodity tomatoes work on a sandwich or burger even if I know how inferior they are. Only prime, in season, garden tomatoes get the royal treatment and that’s sliced and sprinkled with a bit of salt and consumed without any other distractions. Could I magically transport a perfectly ripe, ripened in late May or early June, Dester, Pruden’s Purple, Red Barn, or Brandywine Cowlick’s into December I would do that in a heartbeat. Just one for December would be wonderful.

karstopography wrote: ↑Tue Aug 06, 2024 11:12 am

Vanman wrote: ↑Tue Aug 06, 2024 10:44 am If I had good garden tomatoes year round I could eat a BLT everyday and not get burnt out.

I couldn’t eat bacon every day let alone tomatoes. Bacon is great, but not every day great.

Coffee is everyday great. Water, everyday great. That’s about it for me on the every day stuff.

There's no need to get all sacrilegious about one of the greatest products ever invented by man. I keep 20 lbs. of bacon or more in the freezer at all time. Bacon and eggs for breakfast is almost an everyday occurrence for me, Brenda eats like a bird.

Ken4230 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 06, 2024 11:17 am

karstopography wrote: ↑Tue Aug 06, 2024 10:12 am I get burned out on tomatoes somewhat. I love them, but how many can any one person eat? Would anyone that had access to peak of the season high quality fresh garden tomatoes year around eat them every single day for the entire year? I wouldn’t. Wouldn’t anyone eventually say “uncle”?

If I could grow tomatoes year round I would eat tomatoes year round. Not a fan at all of cardboard tomatoes or even greenhouse tomatoes. When my tomatoes die, I die just a tiny bit along with them. I am the same way with Pork Steak.

Brenda will eat a cardboard tomato and think it's the greatest thing on earth. She weighs 150 lbs. and 5 days a week she's at the gym, hour on the bike, hour on the treadmill and two hours of Zumba, whatever that is. She was mighty upset when the Dr. classified her as obese. She is still mad.

Charcoal grilled pork steak with Gunpowder seasoning and Cavender's is wonderful. Had some Sunday.
Bacon everyday would work, coffee not everyday.

@Vanman I buy a twin pack of Boston Butts and have the butcher slice them 3/4" to 1" for me, 1/2" for Brenda.
Then in a iron skillet for 3 or 4 hours. I prefer this to the grill. Onions sliced thin on a mandolin, smoked paprika, minced garlic and course ground black pepper.