The Potassium-salt Balance

Potassium and sodium, a mineral that you get mostly from dietary salt, help your body achieve metabolic balance in many ways. In addition to regulating some muscle and nerve functions, the correct ratio of potassium and sodium allows your body to shift fluids to and from cells and the bloodstream as needed to maintain homeostasis, the condition needed to sustain life. The average American diet, however, does not encourage healthy potassium-salt proportions. Use food label information to control your dietary potassium and sodium intakes.

Recommended Potassium Amounts

In order to complete all of its potassium-assisted processes and suffer no adverse health problems, your body needs a daily intake of 4,700 mg of potassium, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The National Institutes of Health, however, notes that fewer than 1 in 20 Americans get the required amounts. Insufficient potassium levels in the blood are exacerbated by the presence of large amounts of sodium from excessive salt that is typically consumed. These two minerals have a reciprocal relationship in which potassium is crucial to mitigating the effects of sodium on increasing blood pressure. Nutrition facts regarding the potassium contents of foods are expressed on package labels in milligrams and as percentages of the total daily value, or DV, per serving.

Recommended Sodium Amounts

Sodium harms cardiovascular health when consumed in amounts that go beyond a certain threshold, so the Institute of Medicine suggests an adequate intake amount that you shouldn't exceed. If you don't have blood pressure issues, you should consume 2,300 mg of sodium or less, and if you do have high blood pressure, aim for less than 1,500 mg of sodium per day. You'll find sodium amounts listed on food labels in milligrams and percent DVs for easy food comparisons, but percentages are based on a higher intake of 2,400 mg that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers safe.

Foods to Encourage and Avoid

Given the nature of the usual dietary imbalance, it is more critical to limit sodium from salt than to increase potassium consumption, although both steps will benefit your health. The Harvard School of Public Health advises choosing foods that have 300 mg of sodium or less per suggested serving. This means avoiding many fast foods and commercially processed foods, such as canned soups and processed meats. Many foods contain potassium to use toward your full DV, including minimally processed meats, fish, dairy products, vegetables, fruits and whole grains, all of which are likely to contain less sodium.

Significance

Sodium intake is directly tied to blood pressure levels. If your use of salt goes unchecked and you have insufficient potassium to provide sodium control, you may develop high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a primary risk factor for heart disease and stroke, which are leading causes of death in America, according to the National Institutes of Health.