There are more reasons than one why you should incorporate a healthy dose of potassium in your daily diet. It is quite unfortunate though that most people in the US do not have enough potassium in their diets. This means they are vulnerable to symptoms such as muscle weakness, fatigue, abnormal heartbeat, headaches, anemia, and so on. You really don’t want any of that. Do you?
Do you know the rate of people that suffer fatigue in the US today? Or constant headaches? Or anemia? The number is on the rise. A report has it that a normal potassium intake can reduce the mortality rate by a whopping 20%! (We are talking about just potassium here!). Experts are of the opinion that we need to consume a healthy dose of 4700 mg of potassium on a daily basis. That’s about a dozen fingers of medium-sized banana, which is like the number one “go-to” source of potassium for most peeps.
But bananas are not the only common sources of potassium there is. Here are 10 foods that contain a healthy dose of potassium for your daily consumption.
1. Avocado
A normal-sized avocado will give you about 20% of your daily potassium need. Also, eating avocado supplies the body with vitamin K, fiber, healthy fats, and carbs.
What’s more? Avocado is effective in treating and preventing health complications like high blood pressure, eye impairment, cancer, arthritis, and obesity. So, you should have an avocado in your diet everyday to meet the need for the potassium of your body.
2. Spinach
This is another potassium-rich food that can help you meet your nutrient need every day. It is a healthy vegetable with benefits such as body weight control, treatment of eye defects, prevention and treatment of cancer, hypertension, and heart diseases. It is also effective in promoting gastrointestinal health, relaxing the body, reducing inflammation, and protecting the bones.
We’ll probably do a guide that will explore the health benefits of spinach because just one or two paragraphs will not be enough. Spinach is one of the most nutritious foods out there, and you’ll be getting way beyond potassium if you make it a part of your daily diet. Spinach contains a good quantity of potassium in addition to other nutrients. Some of them are manganese, magnesium, folate, iron, copper, and some vitamins.
All these great contents of spinach make it great for the skin and hair. It helps to relieve the symptoms of hemophilia, maintains blood pressure, strengthens the muscles, etc. There are different varieties of spinach, including the modern variety. But that’s okay. They are all rich in potassium and other necessary body nutrients. So, the variety you take does not really matter.
3. Pomegranate
Pomegranate is tasty, potassium-rich and healthy citrus. It has some seeds in it and is about the size of an orange. Just one fruit of pomegranate contains over 600 mg of potassium. It also contains vitamin C (as is the case with all citrus fruits), vitamin K, folate, and other nutrients.
You may not know this, but most fruits contain protein, and pomegranate contains more protein than most fruits. So, yes, it is also a source of plant protein.
4. Swiss Chard
Swiss chard is a good substitute for kale and a rich source of potassium. Just like its name implies, it originated from Switzerland, but it’s now grown worldwide. One great thing about it is that it can do well on poor soil. So you’re not going to need put in so much of an effort if you decide to have a swiss chard garden.
Swiss chard contains a lot of nutrients aside from potassium including vitamins, carbs, protein, manganese, magnesium, iron, and copper.
5. Potatoes
This tasty thanksgiving special is also a great source of potassium, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. If you know potatoes, then you’ll know it is one of the superfoods nature has blessed the human kind with. Somewhat like eggs, potatoes contain plenty of nutrients. Potassium just happens to be one of them.
One potato of about 130 mg provides as much as over 500 mg of potassium, and that so far is the highest on this list.
6. Tomato
You can eat tomato anyhow you want it, but most people will make a paste out of it before cooking with it. Tomato paste (or just tomato) has been serving as a base to a variety of sauces and dishes, and it has been “uping” people’s potassium levels in the process.
50 g of tomato paste contains 486 mg of potassium, and that’s just 3 tablespoons. You can take more than that in a day for a higher cut. Tomato also contains nutrients like vitamins and lycopene which are of great benefits to your health.
7. Black and White Beans
There are different types of beans, and all of them are good for your body. The white and black ones are super rich in potassium, in addition to the other great nutrients. 179 grams of white beans contains 14% of your required potassium need per day. And black beans can offer 13% for every 172 grams.
8. Coconut Water
To those of you who may be looking for a healthy and natural type of energy drink, coconut water is what you need. It has deep hydrating capabilities like drawing water in the cells of the body in as little time as possible.
So far as potassium is concerned, you can also count on coconut water to give you some. A cup of coconut water contains 600 mg of potassium in addition to a lot of other nutrients that your body can’t help but fall in love with.
9. Watermelon
This is a lot of people’s favorite fruit, and that’s not surprising. It looks good for one, with its luscious red and juicy flesh and it is a super source of hydration. You don’t have to throw away the rind of the watermelon; it’s also nutritious. But, it may not be your favorite part of this big fruit.
10. Banana
We shouldn’t exclude banana from our list as it contains 422 mg or 12% of the daily recommended potassium intake for an adult. Apart from just potassium, this delicious, cheap food contains portions of vitamin C, vitamin B6, manganese, magnesium, fiber, and other antioxidants. So, you should eat a banana whenever you see it in your fridge.
You see! Bananas are not the only common, rich, and affordable sources of potassium. There are all these 10 foods and even more. A whole lot of these food items can give you plenty of potassium that your body needs; so you don’t have to stick to a dozen fingers of bananas every day. You can also go for any of the other food items listed above. Staying healthy is not that much of an uphill task if you know these things.