5 Potassium Rich Foods That Are Good For Your Health

Most people will only focus on the 3 main macronutrients which are protein, fats, and carbohydrates. However, most of them tend to forget about micronutrients like potassium for instance.

The question will be what importance does potassium brings to our bodies and what are some of the examples of food that are rich in potassium?

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Why Is Potassium So Important?

For your info, potassium or kalium is one of the most crucial minerals needed by our bodies. The recommended intake should be around 100mg a day.

Our bodies can actually produce potassium naturally and 80% of them exist in our muscles whereas the rest will be in bone cells, blood, and our liver. But why is so important?

Potassium is required by our bodies for the following reasons:

• Balance the blood sugar level
• Balance our bodily fluids
• Prevent the formation of kidney stones
• Strengthen the bone density
• Increase muscle strength
• Improve our nervous system
• Reduce blood pressure

In other words, its importance is aligned with other necessary minerals like calcium, sodium, selenium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and many more. Due to that, we will need more potassium from our diet.

Examples Of Potassium Rich Foods

In an attempt to fulfill our high potassium needs, we should pay attention to the food that we eat. Some examples of potassium-rich foods will be:

1. Potato

Some might get confused about whether a potato is considered a vegetable or fruit. At the same time, most people might be unaware that potato is very rich in potassium.

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It is estimated that for every 100 grams of potato, it will contain 396mg of potassium and 2/3 of them exist on the flesh while 1/3 is from the skins. Because of this, many nutritionists suggest that you should eat potatoes together with the skin to get all that minerals from them.

2. Red Sweet Potato

Another version of potato that should try and this one is also sweet too. On top of that, red sweet potatoes provide many other health benefits to consumers.

The content of potassium in them is much more than potatoes which are around 565mg for every 100 grams. You can simply eat them by steaming them first or even grill them for that char taste.

3. Red Bean

Some people might not like this or even be allergic to them but red bean in particular is undeniably rich in potassium.

It is believed that every 100 grams of red beans, it contains 360 mg of kalium. Red bean is also rich in fibers and antioxidants that will be beneficial for our bodies.

This can ultimately help reduce inflammation, ease up our digestive tract, and reduce the risk of getting chronic diseases.

4. Milk

This is probably the most common drink to have in the morning for the lactose tolerant and milk contains around 150 mg of potassium in 100 ml of milk.

Interestingly enough, this mineral will increase further if it were processed into other dairy products like yogurt or cheese. In other dairy products, the content of potassium can go as high as 300 mg for every 100 grams.

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This can be good as it will also provide you with your calcium needs and be a source of probiotics that are good for your gut and digestion.

5. Pickle

If you like things that are sour and fermented then you should also try pickle as it is the most popular snack to have on the go. That's not all pickle is also rich in other vitamins like vitamin A, B1, B9, and other types of antioxidants.

According to the Journal of Medicinal Food, the intake of pickles together with food that is high in calcium as well as vitamin D will help make your bones stronger and denser.

In conclusion, all of the suggestions above are some of the most common examples of potassium-rich foods that are beneficial for our bodies. Nevertheless, there are still many exemplary foods out there but be sure to get advice from your doctors first before taking them especially if you have chronic diseases.

Source:

• The nutrition source

• High potassium foods

Also read: 9 Best Sweeteners For Diabetics