Beyond The Banana: 11 Potassium Rich Food List? Potassium is a mineral that has the function of keeping electrolytes at the required level, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction. When we have less potassium, symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, irregular heartbeat, and more occur.
Together with sodium, calcium and magnesium form the group of the most important minerals and electrolytes for our body.
Experts at the University of Colorado point out that potassium helps cells function better. Knowing the basic values of potassium will help us maintain our overall health.
Why do we need to have enough potassium?
Consuming potassium reduces cellulite? Exactly because the main cause of cellulite is fluid retention. In our daily lives, we consume more sodium than potassium.
Sodium carries more nutrients into the cells, where potassium helps to remove unnecessary material from them.
If you ingest more potassium instead of sodium, it may reduce the appearance of cellulite.
Potassium helps to regulate blood pressure. In addition to lowering blood pressure, it also prevents the occurrence of heart arrhythmia.
The presence of a sufficient amount of potassium in the body reduces the amount of calcium that is lost through the urine, protects the bones from osteoporosis.
Research has found an interesting direct link between increased bone density and increased potassium intake in the diet.
Citrate and bicarbonate are two potassium salts found naturally in potassium-rich fruits and vegetables, and a recent study finds that these potassium salts can actually improve the health of your bones and protect osteoporosis.
A 2015 study by the University of Surrey published in the journal Osteoporosis International found that high consumption of potassium salts significantly reduced urinary excretion of acid and calcium.
Because potassium salts actually help the bones not to absorb acid and also maintain vital mineral contents.
So, by consuming potassium-rich fruits and vegetables, you can actually help preserve your bones and prevent serious bone health problems, such as osteoporosis.
Potassium also reduces the risk of kidney stones. Although potassium is not directly linked to cholesterol, potassium-rich foods help lower cholesterol in our body.
Many studies on potassium show that increased potassium intake, and reduced salt intake, significantly improve health.
Reduces the risk of stroke by 21%, as well as a lower chance of heart disease.
Potassium helps protect the blood vessels from oxidative disturbances and protect against the thickening of the blood vessels.
The daily dose of potassium by age
- Infants (0-6 months) – 400mg
- Babies (6-12 months) – 700mg
- Children (1-3 years) – 3 000mg
- Children (4-8 years) – 3 800mg
- Kids (9-13 years) – 4 500mg
- Teenagers (14-18 years) – 4 500mg
- Adults (19 years and older) – 4 700mg
The recommended daily dose of potassium for adults is about 4700 mg of potassium.
A higher dose than recommended may have an adverse effect, especially when supplements are used. Therefore, it is best to use potassium through natural sources.
Potassium rich food list
Tomato juice is on potassium rich food list
True, fresh tomato is also good, but tomato juice and puree are a better source of potassium.
For example, 1/4 cup tomato puree contains excellent 400 mg of potassium.
Practice consuming tomato and tomato juice in your daily diet, which will successfully supply sufficient potassium.
Beets leaf potassium source
When buying beets, many throw away fresh beetroot leaves.
That’s wrong, so you should not make that mistake after today’s message.
One beet leaf cup contains 644 mg of potassium.
Avocado
A very interesting study from 2013 published in the Journal Nutrition reveals epidemiological data from 2001 to 2008 describing the effects and benefits of consuming avocados on metabolic risk factors.
Researchers found that people who eat avocados tended to have a healthier diet overall, less likely to develop metabolic syndrome.
Spinach is also on potassium rich food list
There’s a reason why spinach is a feature of the cartoon “Popeye the Sailor”.
Spinach is a potassium-rich food. This vegetable is also a true detoxifier for the body to cleanse toxins and speed up all slowed metabolic processes.
Spinach also has the effect of strengthening hair, nails, and preserves and maintains the skin. Spinach preserves the health of the nervous system but also boosts and maintains the immune system.
Thanks to the high amounts of vitamins and potassium it contains, in 100g. spinach has really few calories, only 23 calories.
Salmon
Apart from the richness of potassium as well as vitamins, minerals, and protein, salmon is packed with omega-3 fatty acids that are great for our health.
The benefits of these essential fatty acids include reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
And while helping to reduce the symptoms of depression, high blood pressure, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, joint pain, and chronic ailments such as coronary heart disease.
Bananas are the main source of potassium rich food list
Bananas are high when it comes to potassium-rich foods.
For example, if you eat a medium-sized banana, you will eat about 400 mg of potassium.
Bananas are great for avoiding hunger.
Potato for more potassium
Sweet potatoes are high on the list along with bananas when it comes to potassium intake.
A medium-sized sweet potato contains an excellent 694 mg of potassium and only 131 calories.
Let’s not forget that sweet potatoes abound in both fiber and beta carotene.
Pomegranate and potassium for better health
Pomegranate is a delicious and crunchy fruit. Great source of fiber.
Except fiber in a glass of pomegranates has 410 mg potassium.
The season of the pomegranate is from October to January.
White beans offer a wealth of potassium
White beans are an extremely good solution for the intake of potassium, calcium, and iron.
As for potassium in half a serving, it has 502 mg of potassium.
The white beans composition helps to create hemoglobin, a protein that transports oxygen from the lungs to the tissues in our body.
The coconut water source of potassium
Coconut water is an excellent source of potassium.
From the liquid of a glass of coconut, we get 600 mg of potassium.
Milk and potassium
One cup of low-fat milk contains 382 mg of potassium.
If you do not like to drink too much milk, you can taste it with a hot chocolate supplement or consume it in another combination of your choice.
Potassium in orange juice
Orange juice is one of the healthiest supplements in your breakfast.
In a 3/4 cup of orange juice has 355 mg of potassium.
Risk groups for potassium deficiency
Although potassium can be easily replenished through diet, certain groups of people are more prone to the deficiency of this important and useful mineral.
Athletes
As athletes sweat more during physical activity, they automatically lose more potassium.
Athletes should pay particular attention to the daily intake of a sufficient amount of daily potassium.
People who drink alcohol
The more you drink alcohol, the more you expel fluids, which reduces the amount of potassium.
People taking certain medications
Medications that have a diuretic effect can easily contribute to the situation of hypokalaemia.
Lack of potassium can lead to:
- Fatigue
- Constipation
- Irritability
- Muscle cramps
- Weight gain
- Blood pressure problems
- Heart palpitations
- Cellulite
- Nausea
- Arthritis
- Abdominal cramps, bloating
- Abnormal psychological behavior, including depression, confusion
Tips for proper use of potassium rich food list
Be careful when cooking foods that contain potassium.
If you overdo it with cooking, you may lose up to 60 percent of the potassium in a particular food when cooking.
Do not boil vegetables in large quantities of water. Because then a large amount of potassium is lost in the vegetables.
Avoid processed foods containing potassium. As such foods contain very little potassium, unlike fresh unprocessed foods.
Final conclusion
In today’s article, we are convinced that potassium is undoubtedly an important part of our body’s healthy nutrition and health.
In addition to being a mineral, it is also an electrolyte. With its dual-action, potassium is excellent with many benefits to our health.
If we do not get enough potassium in the body, there are side effects and problems such as kidney, blood vessel problems, heart, muscle, and more.
Eat potassium-rich foods and help maintain good health.
