A healthy and balanced diet supplies adequate amounts of potassium, an essential dietary mineral. The Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine recommends adults 19 years and older, including pregnant women ages 14 to 50, consume 4,700 mg of potassium daily. A potassium deficiency is called hypokalemia. This health condition is commonly caused by prolonged vomiting and use of diuretics, according to information provided by the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.
Fruit and Fruit Juice
Eat a piece of fruit or drink a glass of natural fruit juice to add milligrams of potassium to your diet. The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University provides a list of fruit and fruit juices accompanied by the amount of potassium in each, including one medium banana, 422 mg of potassium; 1/2 cup dried prunes, 637 mg of potassium; 6 fl. oz. of prune juice, 528 mg of potassium; 1/2 cup raisins, 598 mg of potassium; 6 fl. oz. of orange juice, 372 mg of potassium; and one medium tomato, 292 mg of potassium.
Vegetables
Look to root vegetables and leafy greens for high potassium content. The United States Department of Agriculture provides a list of vegetables with high potassium along with the potassium content in each, including one baked potato with the skin, 926 mg of potassium; one baked sweet potato without skin, 694 mg of potassium; 1/2 of cooked beet greens, 655 mg of potassium; 3/4 cup of carrot juice, 517 mg of potassium; 1/2 of cooked spinach, 419 mg of potassium; and 1/4 cup of dried apricots, 378 mg of potassium.
Seafood
Eat servings of seafood when you want a potassium rich meal. The amount of potassium in seafood depends on the type of fish you choose. The United States Department of Agriculture furnishes a list of seafood with high potassium and the amount of this essential mineral contained in each cooked, 3-oz. portion, including halibut with 490 mg of potassium; Pacific rockfish, 442 mg of potassium; Pacific cod, 439 mg of potassium; and farmed rainbow trout, 375 mg of potassium.
Canned Food
Fresh food offers one way to attain your daily requirement of potassium, but canned food in your daily meals supplies potassium to your diet, too. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans provides a list of common canned goods and the potassium content contained per serving, including: 1/4 cup of tomato paste, 664 mg of potassium; 1/2 cup of canned white beans, 595 mg of potassium; and 3-oz. of canned clams, 534 mg of potassium.
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