Red cherries come as two species: The sweet cherry tree produces fruit that is high in sugar and low in acidity, making them an ideal fruit for fresh consumption. The crop on sour cherry trees is tart and usually used for baking and other cooking. Both types of cherries contain potassium, but in different amounts.
Potassium in Red Cherries
Eight ounces of sweet red cherries contain 503.94 mg of potassium, corresponding to 11 percent of the recommended daily intake -- RDI -- for the mineral. This value is based on an adult’s 2,000-calorie diet. The same amount of sour cherries gives you 392.71 mg of potassium, or 8 percent of the RDI.
Complementing Red Cherries
One bowl of red cherries does not fulfill your daily requirement for potassium. Rather than eating the fruit by the gallon, vary your diet, including other items that provide the mineral, as well as nutrients that cherries lack. Acorn squash, plums and potatoes baked with the skin on have good amounts of potassium. Tomato juice, bananas and spinach provide fewer milligrams of the mineral. But the servings add up when you combine several potassium sources in your daily meals.
Potassium’s Function
As an electrolyte, potassium sends electrical pulses to power your organs, cells and tissue. Without the mineral, it becomes impossible for your intestines to move to expel stools. Likewise, the muscles surrounding your skeleton can let you walk, dance or reach only if potassium is available. The nutrient is also vital for your heart to pump blood.
Potassium Deficiency
Taking in less potassium than the recommended daily intake for the mineral may lead to a deficiency. The problem, known as hypokalemia, causes bloating, constipation and abdominal pain as your intestines become unable to move. Muscle paralysis also occurs elsewhere in your body. When it reaches your heart, the organ begins to beat abnormally, a condition that can prove fatal without treatment. Supplementing that bowl of cherries with other foods prevents such dire situation.
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