Top 7 best foods for Potassium?
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| Best foods for Potassium - Photo: Health.harvard.edu |
Potassium, the most abundant intracellular cation, is an essential nutrient that is naturally present in many foods and available as a dietary supplement. Potassium is present in all body tissues and is required for normal cell function because of its role in maintaining intracellular fluid volume and transmembrane electrochemical gradients. Potassium has a strong relationship with sodium, the main regulator of extracellular fluid volume, including plasma volume, ods.od.nih.gov reported.
Below are 7 foods that are good sources of potassium.
1. Avocados
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One half of an avocado contains 487 mg of potassium, or 10% of the AI. If you eat a whole avocado, you’d get 20% of your daily potassium needs at once. What’s more, avocados may help people with high blood pressure, who are often told to increase their potassium and reduce their salt (sodium) intake. This advice stems from a study called Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. Further research has verified the benefits of potassium in reducing blood pressure.
2. Sweet potatoes
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Like avocados, sweet potatoes have become increasingly popular and are often used as an alternative to potatoes. They’re an especially nutritious way of supporting your potassium intake — one medium-sized sweet potato contains 541 mg or 12% of your potassium AI. What’s more, sweet potatoes are low in fat, pack a small amount of protein and are a good source of complex carbohydrates and fiber, Healthline expressed.
3. Kidney beans
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If you enjoy kidney beans, finding more ways to add them to your meals may be just what you need to get more potassium into your diet. “Kidney beans are a great source of potassium, with more than 600 mg per cup,” says Largeman-Roth. “They’re also high in fiber.” She recommends adding them to your salads or mashing them up with salt and pepper to use as a burrito filling. Other beans high in potassium include white beans, lima beans, and pinto beans.
4. Bananas
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If you’ve heard about any potassium-rich foods, you probably know that bananas are a good source, containing more than 400 mg of potassium each. Bananas make a healthy high-energy snack that's also high in vitamin B6 and a good source of fiber and vitamin C. Other high-potassium fresh fruits to enjoy are cantaloupe, kiwi, oranges, and strawberries, as noted in Everydayhealth.
5. Dried apricots
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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, Medicalnewstoday reported.
6. Watermelon
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Watermelon is a large, delicious fruit with a high water content. Just two wedges of watermelon (about 1/8 of a melon or 572 grams) will give you 640 mg of potassium, just under 14% of the AI.
The same serving size also contains 172 calories, 44 grams of carbohydrates, 3.4 grams of protein, 0.8 grams of fat and 2.2 grams of fiber. What’s more, this lush, red melon is a great source of vitamins A and C, as well as magnesium.
7. Raisins
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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.
What if we absorb too much Potassium?
Your body uses the potassium it needs. The extra potassium that your body does not need is removed from your blood by your kidneys. When you have kidney disease, your kidneys cannot remove extra potassium in the right way, and too much potassium can stay in your blood.
| When you have too much potassium in your blood, it is called high potassium, or hyperkalemia. Having too much potassium in your blood can be dangerous. High potassium can even cause a heart attack or death! Unfortunately, many people do not feel symptoms of high potassium until it’s too late and their heart health worsens, Kidneyfund warned. |
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