Posted on 01/27/2021 11:02:01 AM PST by Red Badger
Potassium is an important nutrient for many body processes. Bananas are a well-known source of potassium, but many other foods contain just as much — if not more — of this nutrient.
Potassium is an electrolyte that helps regulate fluid and blood levels in the body. Many fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of potassium. Meat, milk, yogurt, and nuts are also good sources.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a diet high in potassium and low in sodium — an electrolyte in table salt and processed foods — can lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
The adequate intake (AI) of potassium for adults is currently 3,400 milligrams (mg) per day for men and 2,600 mg for women.
According to the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), the daily value (DV) of potassium — the daily intake that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommend — will increase to 4,700 mg in January 2020.
Bananas contain 422 mg of potassium per medium fruit. In this article, we take a look at other good sources of potassium according to the ODS and the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
1. Dried apricots
Dried apricots are a good source of iron, antioxidants, and potassium. Several dried fruits are high in potassium. Apricots are a bright orange fruit that people may eat either fresh or dried.
Half a cup of dried apricots contains 1,101 mg of potassium. These fruits also provide other key nutrients, such as iron and antioxidants.
When purchasing dried apricots, a person should look for those that contain no added sugar. They can eat dried apricots as a snack or add them to salads or main meals.
2. Potatoes
Potatoes are an excellent source of potassium. Baked potatoes with the skin still on are the best option, as much of a potato’s potassium is in the skin.
One medium baked potato with skin contains 941 mg of potassium. By eating a baked potato with salt-free seasoning, a person can avoid extra sodium.
French fries are usually lacking in nutrients and contain added fat from oil and the frying process, making them a less healthful option. Fries also typically contain high amounts of sodium, which can counteract the benefits of potassium.
3. Leafy greens
Leafy greens are some of the most nutritious foods available. One study found that eating a serving per day of leafy green vegetables may help slow age-related cognitive decline.
Leafy green vegetables are low in calories and contain many vitamins and minerals. Most also provide a good amount of potassium. For instance:
A cup of cooked Swiss chard contains 962 mg of potassium. A cup of cooked amaranth leaves contains 846 mg. A cup of cooked spinach contains up to 838 mg.
4. Lentils
Lentils contain potassium, fiber, and protein. Lentils are a small, round legume. They contain plenty of fiber and are also rich in protein.
One cup of cooked lentils contains 731 mg of potassium.
Lentils make a good addition to soups or stews. People looking for a quicker option can use canned rather than dried lentils. However, it is important to rinse canned lentils well before use to remove any sodium.
5. Prunes and prune juice
Prunes are dried plums. Due to their high fiber content and other chemical properties, many people use prunes or prune juice to help relieve constipation. Juice companies usually make prune juice by adding water back into the prunes, cooking them, and then filtering out the solids.
There are 707 mg of potassium in one cup of canned prune juice, while half a cup of dried prunes contains 699 mg.
6. Tomato puree or juice
Fresh tomatoes offer several health benefits. To get more potassium, though, it is best to use concentrated tomato products, such as tomato puree or tomato juice.
Half a cup of tomato puree contains 549 mg of potassium, and a cup of tomato juice contains 527 mg.
Fresh tomatoes also contain potassium, with one medium raw tomato containing 292 mg.
People often use tomato puree in cooking, for example, adding it to pasta sauces. Canned or bottled tomato juice is also suitable to use in many recipes, or people can drink it.
7. Certain fruit and vegetable juices
Some varieties of juice contain high amounts of potassium. However, many health organizations recommend that people avoid juices with added sugar. Whole fruit contains more fiber than juice and often more nutrients as well.
Still, 100% juice can be part of a healthy diet in limited amounts, according to the American Heart Association and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
The following juices are high in potassium, containing the following amounts per cup:
carrot juice (canned): 689 mg passion fruit juice: 687 mg pomegranate juice: 533 mg orange juice (fresh): 496 mg vegetable juice (canned): 468 mg tangerine juice (fresh): 440 mg
8. Raisins
Raisins are another type of dried fruit that is high in potassium. Raisins are a popular snack food.
Half a cup of raisins contains 618 mg of potassium.
For the most healthful type, opt for raisins that contain only dried grapes with no added sugar, coatings, or other ingredients.
9. Beans
Beans come in many sizes, shapes, and colors. Most contain a high amount of fiber, some protein, and a good dose of potassium.
Kidney beans are red, kidney-shaped legumes that people often use in soups, chili, or as a side dish of baked beans.
A cup of canned kidney beans contains 607 mg of potassium.
Many other beans are also high in potassium. The amounts per half cup serving are as follows:
adzuki beans: 612 mg white (cannellini) beans: 595 mg lima beans: 478 mg great northern beans: 460 mg black beans: 401 mg canned refried beans: 380 mg navy beans: 354 mg
10. Milk and yogurt
People typically think of dairy products, such as milk and yogurt, as being rich sources of calcium. However, some dairy products are also a good way to add more potassium to the diet.
Studies suggest that in the United States, milk is the top source of potassium among adults. A cup of 1% milk contains 366 mg.
Many people also get their potassium from tea and coffee. An 8-ounce (oz) cup of brewed black coffee contains 116 mg of potassium, which would classify it as a low potassium food, but adding creamers and milk raises the potassium content considerably.
Other dairy products also contain potassium. For instance, one cup of plain nonfat yogurt contains up to 579 mg.
11. Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes are rich in potassium. Sweet potatoes have orange flesh and a sweeter flavor than white potatoes. Their orange color means that they provide more beta carotene than other potatoes, but they also contain potassium.
A baked sweet potato with the skin still on contains 542 mg of potassium.
For the most healthful option, a person should eat baked or microwaved sweet potatoes without added sugar. It is also best to avoid canned sweet potatoes that the manufacturers have packaged in syrup.
12. Seafood
Fish and shellfish contain heart-healthy omega-3 fats. The American Heart Association recommend eating fish (particularly fatty fish) at least twice a week. Certain types of seafood are also good sources of potassium.
Wild Atlantic salmon and clams lead the way with 534 mg of potassium per 3-oz serving.
The same serving size of other types of seafood high in potassium offers:
mackerel: up to 474 mg halibut: 449 mg snapper: 444 mg rainbow trout: up to 383 mg
13. Avocado
Avocado is a buttery fruit that contains a variety of nutrients, including heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and vitamins C, E, and K. Avocados also contain nearly 5 grams of fiber in half a cup.
Avocados are a good source of potassium, providing 364 mg in a half-cup serving.
People can eat avocados raw in salads, as dips, or on toast. They also work well in cooked meals, such as pasta dishes.
What about potassium supplements?
Some people may wonder about using supplements to boost their potassium intake. Only a few studies have investigated the effects of potassium supplements, and some suggest that the body can absorb potassium as well from supplements as it can from food.
However, the ODS say that in many dietary supplements, manufacturers limit the amount of potassium to 99 mg — only about 3% of a person’s DV — due to safety concerns about drugs that contain potassium.
People with kidney problems should be cautious about consuming too much potassium, as this can lead to hyperkalemia, or high levels of potassium in the blood.
Potassium from food, however, does not cause harm in healthy people who have normal kidney function. When the kidneys are functioning well, any excess potassium from food dissolves in water and leaves the body in the urine.
Summary
If a person eats a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and legumes, they should get enough potassium in their diet. It is beneficial to balance this by eating low amounts of high sodium foods, such as processed foods and fast food.
This dietary approach can not only help keep potassium at a healthy level, but it may help people obtain a variety of other vitamins and nutrients that occur in whole foods and contribute to better health.
Maybe look into Jerusalem Artichokes. They aren’t listed, but pack a lot of potassium.
BTTT
Does that mean that Chiquita lied to me when they said
I will have to try a banana in the evening when I have tomato products. I LOVE me tomato products, but for the last few years it has been very frustrating to me (and uncomfortable) that I get acid reflux if I have them past about 4 PM. I still do it, of course, but always end up taking a Tums to avoid the acid reflux. I don’t think that this is ideal, because you need acid in your stomach for proper digestion...so perhaps the banana will solve the problem.
Thanks!
Wow...I never heard of that before. My mother used to say they bind you up, but that's not true. Bananas actually help to neutralize the acid in your stomach, and help with digestion, and can work on certain bacteria in the stomach.
I have a hiatal hernia too, and am not supposed to drink soda, coffee, citric juices, or eat chocolate. I do drink diet-caffeine-free Pepsi, have two cups a coffee each day, and do eat chocolate, although I'm diabetic, so I do it sparingly. Juices like orange or pineapple have way too much sugar in them. I've found that Ocean Spray makes a diet 1G sugar cranberry juice that comes in various flavors like Cran-Grape, Cran-Cherry, etc., that I have in the morning to take my pills with. It's perfect, as it doesn't add a lot of sugar to the diet.
If my doctor told me not to have coffee or chocolate, I’d just ask him for a prescription for strychnine on the spot. I definitely see why you don’t listen...you make a couple of adjustments, but you cannot give up those two basic food groups.
Yup. The average anti-nuke protester will get more radiation from food in (his/her/its) lifetime than from airborne particles outside a nuke plant.
I’ve never had those and looked them up. Interesting that they are a native North American species and domesticate, low carb to boot. I’ll have to try some. thanks
I had heartburn for 20 years, and lived on Rolaids. It got so that I had to pop a Rolaids every 20-30 minutes because the heartburn kept coming back. The doctor I had at the time didn’t think I needed any medication, so I got a new doctor, and he put me on Nexium, which took care of the problem. That was back in the 90’s, and I’ve been on acid reflux medication since then. Because I have Barrett’s esophagus (precursor to cancer), I am supposed to go for a Bronchoscopy once a year, but I don’t if I can help it. With all the bronchoscopies and colonoscopies that I’ve had over the years, I told my Gastroenterologist that he needs to set up a Rewards program for his long-time patients...like free hotel rooms or something.
The funny thing is that I never drank coffee everyday until I retired in 2003. I worked the 3-11 p.m. shift for most of my 25 years, and the only time I'd have coffee is if I had to report to work first thing in the morning for training, and then I'd stop at Dunkin' Donuts, and get an extra-large, and a donut for my breakfast.
Banana trees draw rattlesnakes... Avocado trees don’t...
Time flies like an arrow.
Fruit flies like a banana......................
I like them. The cultivated version can get quite large, though wild are small. As a warning, if you decide to plant them, they are extremely aggressive, give them their own space. Also, go easy on them the first time you eat them. They tend to make you gassy the first time or so you have them, until your gut flora adjusts
Duck liver has 230 mg/ 100 grams.
4 oz. of Pate de fois gras a day should fix you right up!
Wild salmon is generally considered to be the best salmon to eat.
Since wild Atlantic salmon isn’t sold, this means that the healthiest salmon is wild Pacific salmon.Dec 2, 2019
“liver”....shutters.
“Despite taking meds, and watching what I eat, I have still had a couple of episodes of waking up with acid reflux in the middle of the night this past year. One was so bad, the crap was coming out of my nose, and my throat was on fire. I was also coughing up small bits of pus for about a week, so I must have aspirated the reflux as well. I have Barrett’s esophagus, so that was a concern for me. I called my doctor, and he told me to call him if I developed a fever. I didn’t, but it was an experience I’d never had before in my life.”
My wife’s best west coast friend, she is like a sister, had your problem two nights in a row after dinner and after bed time.
Her Doctor at our big HMO lives about a quarter of a mile away from her home, and he walked over to her home during her reflux event and gave her 2 Zantacs. In about an hour she was better.
He believes that she has Barrett’s esophagus. Since she is 84, he feels the Zantac is safer than a GI scope.
He told her to take a 150 mg tab of Zantac about 30-45 minutes after her dinner. Then, take a 300 mg Zantac tab at 30 minutes before bedtime. Also, to limit her wine to one 6-8 ounce glass during her evening meal. No wine before nor after her dinner.
She is doing fine with that simple and easy to follow regimen.
If our doctor told us not to have coffee or chocolate, we would ignore him and find another doctor.
Great information!!
Potatoes...what if you made fries in an instapot or whatever they are called? If you make fries, they can be sprayed with EVOO or avocado oil?
I bet other items can be made to taste pretty good and offer a much healthier choice vs frying????
Too much potassium can cause heart palpitations, irregular heartbeat......................
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It can also cause a trip to the ER to drink some potassium-absorbing sludge so you avoid V-Tach and/or heart attack. Saw the movie, didn’t get a T-shirt, got a few bills.
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