Fight Fatigue, Muscle Cramps, & More: Potassium-Rich Foods You Need (90% Don’t Get Enough)

In this potassium-rich foods chart, you will find natural fruits and vegetables and plant-based foods that are good sources of this all-important mineral. They also have the advantage of being low in sodium, a benefit that protects against arterial hypertension instead of meat derivatives, preserves, and salt-preserved foods.

People with a healthy diet consisting of meals on the following potassium-rich food chart should naturally get plenty of this vital mineral. Failure to get adequate amounts of potassium can result in heart disease, stroke, cancer, digestive disorders, infertility, arthritis, and high blood pressure. Your physician may recommend supplements and an improved diet consisting of meals high in potassium.

Chemical composition of potassium: mineral element.

Sources of potassium: Potassium is widely distributed throughout all foods, both plant and animal-based, although plant-based foods predominate.

Potassium absorption: Potassium is absorbed quickly in the small intestine. Typically, 90% of potassium in foods is absorbed.

Potassium function: Potassium is the third most abundant mineral in the body after calcium and phosphorus and is the ion in the highest concentration within the cells. It is involved mainly in the following processes:

• Acid-base balance,
• Muscular relaxation,
• Secretion of insulin in the pancreas.

Deficiency symptoms: muscle weakness and cardiac rhythm disorders. When there is a sodium-potassium imbalance with predominant sodium, arterial hypertension is the result. A potassium deficiency is more likely to arise in the following situations:

1. The use of a variety of different medicines, such as diuretics.
2. Physically demanding careers.
3. Sweating profusely while exercising in hot climates.
4. Conditions that affect the digestive absorption of the mineral, such as Crohn’s disease.
5. Eating disorders.
6. Smoking
7. Alcohol and drug abuse.

Increased need:

• Excess sodium: when a great deal of sodium is taken in due to a diet rich in meat derivatives, preserves, and salt-preserved foods, the need for potassium increases. This is because there must be a sodium-potassium balance in the blood, all body fluids, and, by extension, foods.
• Loss through body fluids rich in potassium: intense vomiting or diarrhea, polyuria (excess urine production).

Potassium loss during the processing of foods: Only that dissolved in the cooking water.

Potassium-Rich Foods Chart

How Much Potassium Per Day

The amount of potassium daily depends on various factors, including how healthy you are, ethnicity, and activity level. However, this mineral has no RDI, so health officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) and other countries such as Spain, Mexico, Belgium, and the UK recommend ingesting at least 3500 mg daily with high potassium foods.

On the other hand, countries such as Canada, South Korea, Bulgaria, and the USA recommend ingesting at least 4700 mg per day via meals on the potassium-rich foods chart. However, consuming more than 4700 mg daily has no added health benefits.

However, there are quite a few groups of individuals that can benefit immensely from meeting the higher recommendation, such as:

• African Americans: According to studies, consuming 4700 mg of potassium daily can eliminate salt sensitivity, a common condition among African Americans.
• Athletes: These people are susceptible to significant potassium loss through excessive sweating.
• High-risk groups: People suffering from kidney stones, osteoporosis, stroke, or high blood pressure can benefit immensely from consuming 4700 mg of potassium daily.

DISCLAIMER: All content on this website is presented solely for educational and informational objectives. It would be best to not rely on the information provided as a replacement for advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a qualified medical expert. If you are pregnant, nursing, or have any preexisting medical concerns, you should talk to your doctor before using any herbal or natural medicines.

REFERENCES

1. George D. Pamplona-Roger, M.D. “Encyclopedia of Foods and Their Healing Power.” George D. Pamplona-Roger, M.D. Encyclopedia of Foods and Their Healing Power. Trans. Annette Melgosa. Vol. 1. Chai Wan: Editorial Safeliz, 2005. 402. Print. [Potassium-rich foods chart]
2. Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet: This research-backed diet plan emphasizes potassium-rich foods for blood pressure control. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/education/dash-eating-plan
3. Meta-analysis of potassium supplementation: Example: Aburto, Nancy J., et al. “Effect of increased potassium intake on cardiovascular risk factors and disease: systematic review and meta-analyses.” BMJ 346 (2013): f1378.
4. Potassium bicarbonate studies: Example: Dawson-Hughes, Bess, et al. “Dietary potassium and osteopenia in postmenopausal women.” The American journal of clinical nutrition 79.1 (2004): 90-95.
5. Longitudinal observational studies: Example: New, Susan A., et al. “Dietary influences on bone mass and bone metabolism: further evidence of a positive link between fruit and vegetable consumption and bone health?.” The American journal of clinical nutrition 71.1 (2000): 142-151.