Along with magnesium, sodium, chloride, calcium, bicarbonate and phosphate, potassium is one of the major electrolytes that carries electrical charges through the body. As such, potassium helps regulate the amount of water in the body, the blood's pH (or acid-to-base) balance, muscle and nerve actions and other basic processes. Potassium is also essential to heart functions. The Food and Nutrition Board recommends male and female adolescents and adults get 4,700 milligrams of potassium a day, Oregon State University's Linus Pauling Institute reports.
Vegetables
Vegetables account for many of the foods with the highest levels of potassium. Potatoes are one of the single best sources of the mineral, with one medium-sized, unpeeled potato providing, on average, 926 mg of potassium, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Sweet potatoes are a good sources as well, as are squash, eggplant, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, artichokes, beets and celery. Dark, leafy greens such as kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, spinach and Swiss chard are all high in potassium as well, the World's Healthiest Foods website reports. Soybeans, peas, lima beans, lentils and pinto beans are legumes high in potassium, and most other types of beans have moderate to high levels, too.
Fruit
Bananas are often associated with high potassium, and rightly so, as they provide around 420 mg each on average, notes the Linus Pauling Institute. However, prunes and raisins both beat bananas out, with a 1/2 cup providing 637 mg and 598 mg, respectively. Tomatoes contain about 400 mg of potassium, the World's Healthiest Foods adds. The University of Maryland Medical Center recommends citrus fruit juices, cantaloupe and avocado for potassium, while the Cleveland Clinic identifies plantains, kiwi, apricot, papaya, and coconut as other potassium-rich fruits. Dried apricots contain more potassium than fresh ones, MedlinePlus points out.
Animal Products
Many animal products contain moderate to high levels of potassium. Red meat, poultry and fish are all good sources of the mineral, notes MedlinePlus. Salmon, sardines, cod, flounder, tuna and halibut are widely consumed fish with noteworthy levels of potassium. Dairy products also provide potassium. The Cleveland Clinic singles out milk and yogurt as dairy products with particularly high levels.
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