Foods Containing The Vitamin Potassium

Potassium plays a critical role in maintaining muscle function, including proper heart function. Every cell in your body needs potassium to work correctly. The recommended dietary intake of potassium for adults and children over 10 years old is 2,000mg. Most people get sufficient potassium from eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. But taking diuretics may deplete your potassium levels, and if you're under stress, you may need more potassium, according to "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC.

Fruits

A number of fruits are high in potassium, including prunes, apricots, figs, bananas, avocados, cantaloupes, tomatoes, papaya and raisins. A 6-oz. serving of orange juice, according to the USDA, contains 1,436mg of potassium -- almost your entire recommended dietary intake for any given day. A cup of deglet dates contains 1,168mg of potassium.

Vegetables

Many vegetables are rich in potassium, too. Dietary sources include beet greens, Swiss chard, spinach, iceberg lettuce, kale, okra, celery, Chinese cabbage, kohlrabi and artichokes. If you eat a lot of foods from the first two categories in this list, odds are good that you're not experiencing the symptoms of a possible potassium deficiency. These include dry skin, acne, low blood pressure, fluctuating heartbeat and glucose intolerance, according to Balch.

Legumes, Roots and Squash

Legumes, roots and squash are uniformly high in potassium. Particularly rich sources include white beans, which contain 1,189mg of potassium per cup, or green soybeans, which contain 970mg per cup, according to the USDA. Yams, sweet potatoes, kidney beans, navy beans, lima beans, winter squash, soybeans, pinto beans, lentils, potatoes, parsnips and pumpkin are all sources of potassium, too.

Meat and Seafood

Many types of saltwater fish are high in potassium, including rockfish, flounder, salmon, yellowfin tuna, flounder, sole and cod. According to the USDA, 1/2 fillet of halibut contains 916mg of potassium. Clams and blue crab are also potassium-rich. Duck, chicken, ham, pork and beef are all sources of potassium, too. A 3-oz. top sirloin steak contains 320mg of potassium.

Other

Other food sources for potassium include blackstrap molasses, brown rice, dulse, garlic, wheat bran and dairy foods. According to the USDA, 1 cup of 2 percent milk, fortified with vitamins A and D, contains 342mg of potassium. An 8-oz. container of plain skim milk yogurt, by comparison, contains 579mg of potassium. Some nuts also contain potassium -- roasted chestnuts have 847mg per cup. Some herbs also contain potassium, according to Balch. These include catnip, hops, horsetail, nettle, plantain, red clover, sage and skullcap.