Most of us know that bananas are a great source of potassium but not many of us know why we need this very important mineral or that there are many more foods that are better sources of potassium than bananas.
Why is potassium so important? For one thing it’s part of the calcium-magnesium-potassium partnership that helps conduct electrical charges in the body and also helps manage blood pressure. If potassium levels get too low (or too high) heart and nervous system problems often result. Sufficient levels of potassium also prevent calcium loss from our bones giving us a head start in hopefully preventing osteoporosis.
Leafy greens, especially Swiss chard and spinach, are the richest source of potassium followed closely by sweet potatoes, lentils and tuna. Most people in the U.S. are deficient in potassium (as well as many other nutrients critical to a healthy body) because they don’t eat sufficient amounts of real, fresh, whole foods.
So just how much potassium do you need? We should aim for about 4700 milligrams of potassium daily. If you’re depending on bananas to get your potassium you’d need to eat about 11 bananas to achieve your daily requirement. I like bananas but that’s a bit much even for my notorious sweet tooth!
Following are some of the best sources of potassium. Incorporate a few servings daily and you’ll easily reach your minimum daily requirement:
- 1 cup very lightly cooked (about 1 min in boiling water) Swiss chard (961mg = 27%)…see yummy recipe below
- 1 medium baked sweet potato or white potato, eaten with skin (950 mg = 27%)
- 1 cup very lightly cooked (about 1 min in boiling water) spinach (839mg = 24%)
- 1 cup lentils (710 mg = 20%)
- 1 cup Bok choy (631mg = 18%)
- 4 oz. of tuna (598 mg = 17%)
- 1 cup cooked beets (519mg = 15%)
- 1 cup Brussel sprouts or 4 oz. salmon (495mg = 14%)
- 1 cup broccoli (457mg = 13%)
- 1 cup cantaloupe (427mg = 12%)
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes (427mg = 12%)
- 1 medium banana (422 mg = 12%)
- 1 cup carrots (390mg = 11%)
- 1 cup squash (345mg = 10%)
- 1 cup crimini mushrooms (322mg = 9%)
