Health Benefits of Potassium

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