Foods With Potassium Citrate

Foods With Potassium Citrate
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Potassium citrate is the supplemental form of potassium. Potassium is a mineral and electrolyte that the body needs for normal heart function, digestion, muscle contractions, pH balance, protein synthesis and metabolism. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), potassium has been linked to reduced blood pressure, reduced risk of kidney stones and bone-loss prevention associated with aging. Most healthy adults need 4.7g per day, and the USDA encourages getting potassium primarily from food sources and supplementing with potassium citrate only if necessary. Potassium citrate supplements can negatively interact with other medications, so the University of Maryland Medical Center recommends consulting a physician before taking a potassium supplement.

Fruits

The Linus Pauling Institute of Oregon State University says the best food sources of potassium are fruits and vegetables. Bananas, peaches, nectarines, prunes, cantaloupe, honeydew, orange juice, kiwi, avocado, tomato and tomato products, raisins and prunes all contain potassium. According to Medline Plus, dried apricots have more potassium than fresh apricots.

Vegetables

Consume leafy green vegetables and orange and yellow vegetables. Sweet potatoes, beet greens, potatoes with skin, soybeans, winter squash, spinach, plantains, beans, chard, lima beans, carrot juice, zucchinis, eggplants and artichokes have the highest amounts of potassium.

Meat & Poultry

Medline Plus states that all meats, including red meat and poultry, contain potassium.

Seafood

According to the USDA's "Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005," the seafoods with the highest amounts of potassium are clams, halibut, tuna, cod, rockfish and rainbow trout. Salmon, flounder and sardines also have potassium.

Dairy

Milk, yogurt and buttermilk have potassium, and according to the "Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005," non-fat milk has more potassium than 1 percent, 2 percent or whole milk.

Other Foods

Less obvious foods that contain potassium are sunflower seeds, almonds, blackstrap molasses, unsweetened chocolate and canned beans. Cereals like bran flakes and shredded wheat are often fortified with potassium, a process that adds potassium to foods that do not normally contain it, which makes them a common source of the mineral.

References

Article reviewed by Eric Lochridge Last updated on: Apr 8, 2010

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