Overall, potassium helps your muscles contract, regulates your body
fluids, helps maintain healthy blood sugar and blood pressure levels, transmits
nerve impulses and plays a big role in maintaining overall cardiovascular
health.
Muscle contraction
Potassium is required for the regular contraction and relaxation of
muscles. Most of the potassium in the body is concentrated in the muscle cells.
Also, as your heart is a muscle, potassium helps maintain a regular heartbeat.
- Electrolyte
Potassium is a key electrolyte, which helps your cells (specifically
nerve, heart and muscle cells) transmit electrical impulses that control things
like muscle contraction and transmission of information in your brain.
Electrolytes like potassium are found within bodily fluids, including urine,
blood and sweat, and regulated by your kidneys. Maintaining a proper
electrolyte balance is critically important to maintain a functioning body.
- Blood pressure and blood sugar
Potassium plays an important role in maintaining healthy blood pressure
and healthy blood sugar levels in the body. A drop in potassium can negatively
affect both of these key indicators of overall health.
- Bone health
A 2015 study published in Osteoporosis International found that a high
consumption of potassium salts significantly decreases the urinary excretion of
both acid and calcium. Thus the dietary potassium helps bones avoid
reabsorbing acid while maintaining vital mineral content.
If you are eating a healthy diet loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables,
whole grains and nuts, you are likely covering your daily need for potassium (about 4,700 mg for adults). Squash,
potatoes, spinach, avocados, beans, bananas, Brussels sprout, broccoli, etc.,
are all rich sources of natural potassium that can be easily added to your diet
to fill in any gaps.
Potassium-Rich foods include the
following:
Avocado: An average avocado = about 1,000 mg of potassium
Winter Squash: One cup of cooked squash = nearly about 900 mg of potassium
Sweet potato: One medium-sized baked sweet potato = about 700 mg of potassium
Potato: One medium-sized baked potato (with skin on) = about 600 mg of
potassium
White beans: A half cup of cooked beans = about 600 mg of potassium
Halibut: Just 3 ounces of cooked halibut = about 500 mg of potassium
Broccoli: One cup of cooked broccoli = about 450 mg of potassium
Cantaloupe: One cup of cantaloupe = about 430 mg of potassium
Banana: One medium, ripe banana = about 420 mg of potassium
Pork tenderloin: 3 ounces of cooked pork tenderloin = about 380 mg of potassium
Lentils: One half cup of cooked lentils = about 360 mg of potassium
Salmon: 3 ounces of cooked salmon = about 320 mg of potassium
Pistachios: One ounce of dry roasted pistachios = about 300 mg of potassium
Raisins: A quarter cup of raisins = 250 mg of potassium
Chicken: 3 ounces of chicken breast = about 220 mg of potassium
While outright potassium deficiency is rare, low potassium levels can
bring on the following symptoms:
- Muscle weakness
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Irregular heartbeat
- Mood changes
- Constipation
- Nausea and vomiting
