Potassium Rich Foods and
Health Benefits of Potassium
Potassium rich foods are found in plant as well as animal foods and there are numerous food sources of potassium to choose from to easily reach the Potassium RDA.
The health benefits of potassium make it one of the most important electrolyte minerals needed by your body to function correctly.
Luckily, there are lots of food sources of potassium that are also potassium rich foods and no one should have a problem including this mineral into their diet.
The Potassium RDA can be obtained by eating a balanced diet that includes foods from the various food groups. Eating three well balanced meals a day should do it for most adults.
Find out why this mineral is so important to the well being of your body - Everyday! Get some important facts on potassium to help you stay in-balance.
Health Benefits of Potassium
- Helps conduct nerve impulses
- Maintains fluid & electrolyte balance
- Helps stabilize blood sugar levels
- Regulates acidity in body
- Important for memory & learning
- Relieves stress & anxiety
- Helps relieve migraine headaches
- Important for muscle contraction
- Helps to build muscles
- Helps relieve muscle cramping
- Important for metabolizing protein
- Important for metabolizing carbohydrates
- Important for heart health
- Normalizes blood pressure
- Assists kidneys in waste removal
- Helps prevent kidney stones
Learn about the symptoms of a potassium deficiency as well as some of the reasons that create a low potassium level and learn what the symptoms of high potassium are as well as the reasons for developing this serious health problem.
Rich Food Sources of Potassium
Fruit:
Dried Apricots, Dried Figs, Bananas, Orange Juice, Plums, Prune Juice, Raisins, Watermelon, Honeydew Melon, Grapefruit, Cantaloupe, Nectarines, Peaches, Tomatoes, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Apples, Plantain
Vegetables:
Spinach, Kale, Potatoes, Mushrooms, Zucchini, Pumpkin, Parsnips, Acorn Squash, Asparagus, Beets, Brussel Sprouts, Dandelion Greens, Collard Greens, Sweet Potatoes, Swiss Chard, Carrot Juice, Celery
Fish:
Salmon, Sardines, Cod, Red Snapper, Halibut
Animal Protein:
Chicken, Beef, Pork, Veal
Dairy:
Milk, Low Fat Milk, Yogurt, Low Fat Yogurt, Dried Skim Milk, Dried Whole Milk, Chocolate Milk, Buttermilk
Nuts & Seeds:
Almonds, Dessicated Coconut, Pistachio, Brazil Nuts, Hemp Seeds, Sesame Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Pecans, Sunflower Seeds
Chocolate:
Cocoa or Cacao Powder, Chocolate Nibs, Chocolate Bars
Legumes:
Peanuts, Dried Peas, Lentils, Cow Peas, Chickpeas or Garbanzo, Lima Beans, Kidney Beans, Lentils, Black Beans, Pinto Beans, Cashews, Soy
Grains:
Wheatgerm, Wheat Bran
Dried Herbs:
Dried Oregano, Dried Tarragon, Dried Chervil, Dried Parsley, Dried Dill
Spices:
Chili Powder, Curry Powder, Turmeric, Ground Ginger Powder
Sweeteners:
Molasses
Algaes:
Spirulina
These are potassium rich foods that you can add to your diet to meet your individual potassium needs. Most fruits, vegetables, nuts, meats, legumes, and fish are considered good food sources of potassium.
Find out what foods are considered the best sources of potassium and are considered high potassium food. This list includes both plant and animal sources.
A Potassium RDA
1 to 3 years..............3000 mg.
4 to 8 years..............3800 mg.
9 to 13 years.............4000 to 4500 mg.
14+ years.................4700 mg.
Potassium is found inside your cells and works very closely with sodium which is found on the outside of your cells.
It's important to keep a balance with potassium and minerals like sodium to ensure proper functioning of your cells.
Potassium that's found inside your cells helps to balance the sodium on the outside of your cells. This helps maintain the right pressure and water balance in your body.
If either one of these minerals is too high or too low, dehydration may occur in your body.
Generally most Americans do not consume too much potassium rich foods, but extreme diets like the Raw Vegan Diet may actually give your body too much potassium.
Balance is key - as usual!
Supplemental sources of potassium include information on potassium supplements as well as the foods that have a high potassium content, and contain low amounts of sodium.
As you can see potassium rich foods can be easily found and added to your diet. It is probably best to give your body a variety of these types of foods as your body needs a variety of nutrients everyday.
Go to What is Potassium?
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