Potassium not only helps the body's muscle and nervous systems, but it also helps minimize the effects of salt on blood pressure and thus reduces your risk of stroke and heart disease, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a joint publication of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, and the United States Department of Agriculture, or USDA. Because potassium helps balance the water level in the blood and tissues, it effectively dilutes excess sodium. KidsHealth.org notes that potassium should come from food and sets the recommended daily amount for teens and adults at 4,700 mg each day.
Fruits
Everyone knows that bananas are a prime source of potassium, with 450 mg for a medium banana, according to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, or PAMF. But dried apricots have even more potassium--with 895 mg for 1/2 cup. Other dried fruit, such as dates, figs, prunes and raisins, are also very high in potassium. Fruits with what the PAMF calls a medium level of potassium include grapefruit, oranges, pears and strawberries. Its website notes that apples, grapes and blueberries have low levels of potassium.
Vegetables
According to the PAMF, potatoes have high levels of potassium, with a large, skin-on baked potato containing 844 mg. Other vegetables with high potassium level for 1/2 cup include Swiss chard at 483 mg, Boston lettuce at 419, cooked spinach at 420 and winter squash at 448. Artichokes, cooked cabbage, bok choy, Brussels sprouts, canned pumpkin, sweet potatoes and tomatoes are similarly high. Vegetables on the low end of the potassium level include green beans, cauliflower, carrots, collard greens, eggplant, iceberg lettuce, onions and sweet peppers.
Other Foods
Meat, milk and cereals are listed by HHS as containing potassium, but it cautions that these foods may not do the body as much good as fruits and vegetables. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans does list a number of other foods high in potassium, such as white beans, containing 595 mg for 1/2 cup; plain yogurt with 579 mg for an 8-oz. portion; tomato paste and tomato puree with high levels; fish, such as clams, halibut, tuna and rockfish at high levels; and beans, including soy beans at high levels.
References
- U. S. Department of Health and Human Services: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005: Sodium and Potassium
- Kids Health: Minerals
- Palo Alto Medical Foundation: Potassium Content in Foods and Drinks
- U. S. Department of Health and Human Services: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005: Food Sources of Potassium
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