Including healthy, high-potassium foods in your diet is the best way to reap the heart-healthy benefits of this electrolyte. Potassium plays an important role in the maintenance of a healthy heart rate, and it protects against the development of hypertension.Potassium is also responsible for maintaining healthy muscles and nerves. If a healthy level of serum potassium is your goal, understanding what foods contain high amounts of it will help you make sound dietary choices.
Meat and Fish
Ground beef, sirloin steak and most other beef products are high in potassium according to UpToDate.com. Drugs.com also lists turkey -- especially dark-meat turkey -- as a good choice. High-potassium fish and seafood options include salmon, scallops, clams and lobster. A normal serving of most fish contains beneficial amounts of potassium.
Dairy
Most dairy products contain some amount of potassium. Some dairy contains more than others. Yogurt has the most potassium, followed by 2-percent milk and 2-percent cottage cheese, according to Drugs.com. Ricotta cheese and vanilla ice cream also contain 100 to 200 mg per serving of potassium.
Fruits
The USDA provides a comprehensive list of high-potassium fruits. The agency lists dates, seedless raisins, plantains, papayas and bananas as containing high levels of potassium. Incorporating these fruits into your diet will help you maintain a healthy potassium level.
Vegetables
The USDA also provides an exhaustive lists of vegetables sorted by potassium content. Although technically a fruit, most people consider tomatoes to be a vegetable, and canned tomatoes and tomato paste top the USDA's list of high-potassium foods. Skin-on baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, lettuce and spinach are also rich in potassium.
Beans and Grains
Most beans, such as white beans, lima beans, pinto beans and kidney beans, are smart high-potassium dietary choices. The USDA lists canned white beans as the most potassium-rich bean. Refined grains, such as white rice and wheat flour, do not contain beneficial levels of potassium. However, whole grains like popcorn, oatmeal, barley and brown rice are rich in potassium, according to MayoClinic.com.
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