Foods with Potassium

Foods with Potassium. Potassium is a mineral that optimizes the alkaline balance of our bodily fluids. This electrolyte plays an important role in regulating our fluid levels, as too much bodily fluid will increase blood pressure.

Health Benefits of Potassium

Potassium deficiency-related health issues seem to affect developed countries most severely. As Pratt and Matthews note, in the developing world, where diets are rich in potassium and low in sodium, high blood pressure is virtually nonexistent.

Potassium also protects against the following health conditions: stroke, cardiac dysfunction, cardiac arrhythmias, kidney damage, osteoporosis, hypertension, high blood pressure.

Potassium also lowers the risk of developing Type II diabetes. In a six-year study of 84,360 American women, it was found that high potassium intake was closely correlated with a lowered risk of the incidence of diabetes mellitus.

Recommended Daily Intake

Optimally, our levels of potassium intake should be three to five times our levels of sodium intake. Though U.S. government guidelines recommend at least 4,700 mg of potassium daily, Pratt and Matthews recommend 8000 mg daily.

Foods Rich in Potassium

Here are some of the best sources of potassium:

Fruit: Oranges, Bananas, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Avocados, Pomegranate, Blackberries, Grapes

Vegetables: Potatos, Sweet potatoes, Lentils, Spinach, Lima beans, Tofu

Seafood: Clams, Oysters, Salmon

Nuts: Almonds, Peanuts, Walnuts

Foods that Contain Potassium

Here are more foods containing potassium: raisins, prunes, apricots, dates, bananas, beets, watermelon, citrus fruits, mushrooms, fish, turkey, cod.

Another way to increase your daily potassium intake is to go for unprocessed foods with potassium as far as possible. For example, whole-grain flour contains twice as much potassium as highly refined wheat flour.

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