Stay Healthy And Feel Good With The Help Of Potassium Rich Foods

Including potassium rich foods in your diet every day is very important to your overall health and well being. This is because this mineral plays a pivotal role in a number of your body's system functions. Potassium aids in converting glucose to glycogen, which is necessary for your body to be able to use glucose to stimulate muscle energy. It also regulates your heart functions, reduces your blood pressure, and helps your lungs eliminate carbon dioxide. Potassium is key in maintaining normal muscle and nerve function and a healthy acid/alkali balance.

What to Eat

The good news is that foods rich in potassium are plentiful, easy to find, and good to eat. Some fruits with high levels of potassium include papayas, prunes, cantaloupe, bananas, and raisins. Excellent vegetable sources include sweet potatoes, avocadoes, potatoes, asparagus, and pumpkin. There are more foods that have high or moderately high levels of this all important mineral. Consult the library or the internet for a more exhaustive list.

Symptoms of Potassium Deficiency

A diet that does not include enough potassium rich foods or dietary supplements will soon lead to health complications. Symptoms of a deficiency of potassium in the body include water retention, heart arrhythmias, continual thirst, high blood pressure, nerve and muscle dysfunction, confusion, and vomiting. The vomiting will lead to a further deficiency in the mineral. These symptoms, affecting numerous body functions are caused by the electrolyte imbalance brought on by potassium deficiency.

How Much Potassium do you Need?

As you grow older, your daily consumption of potassium should increase. Children from ages 0 to 3 need about 750 to 800 milligrams of potassium every day, while children ranging from 4 to 10 years old should consume 1,100 to 2,000 milligrams. From 11 years old through adulthood, the recommended daily allowance of potassium is from 3,100 to 3,500 milligrams every day. These numbers are easy to reach if you include a variety of potassium rich foods in your diet every day. For example, one cup of cubed cantaloupe contains 494 milligrams of potassium, and a medium avocado contains 450. If you are not getting enough potassium in your diet, you should consider adding a supplement.

Mitigating Factors

The recommended amounts of daily potassium intake may increase if any of these mitigating factors apply to you. Those who exercise heavily and sweat often will need to increase their consumption of potassium rich foods. Additionally, diuretic medications and some antibiotics, vomiting and diarrhea, and excessive intake of caffeine may also deplete potassium supplies in the body.