Are you getting enough potassium? If you are not then below you will find a list of foods that are naturally high in potassium that will help you boost your daily potassium intake.
What is potassium?
It is an essential mineral found in every cell in the body. It has a strong relationship with sodium, calcium, and magnesium. It is important to have a balance between all of these minerals for good health. It is the third most abundant mineral in the body.
Potassium is used for muscle contractions including the heart muscle, helping to keep blood pressure stable (along with sodium), and many other functions.
If potassium is adversely high or low it can dramatically affect the nervous system and increase the chance of irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias).
- An increased level of Potassium is called hyperkalemia.
- A decreased level is called hypokalemia.
Note the hypER vs hyPO in those definitions.
Potassium is an essential nutrient required for fluid and electrolyte balance in the body.
Keeping the right amount of it in your body is a balancing act done by the work of healthy kidneys. If the kidneys are not healthy, there will be a need to limit high potassium foods that can increase the potassium in your blood to a dangerous level.
Recommended Amounts of Potassium For Adults
- “For women 14-18 years of age, the AI is 2,300 mg daily; for women 19+, 2,600 mg. For pregnant and lactating women, the AI ranges from 2,500-2,900 depending on age.
- For men 14-18 years of age, the AI is 3,000 mg; for men 19+, 3,400 mg.” ~ Harvard
To ensure we get enough potassium in our diet, in balance, here is a list of the foods that are high in potassium.
20 Foods High in Potassium
Information compiled from the Harvard Nutrient Database
Potassium Per measure mg.
FRUITS
- Apricots dried 814 10 medium
Get Sun-Dried Organic Apricots Unsulphured - Raisins 1089 1 cup
JUICES (1 cup)
- Prune juice 707
- Carrot juice 689
BEANS (all 1 cup)
- Beans, baked 752
- Beans, Kidney 713
- Beans, refried 673
- Lima beans 955
- Beans, white 1,189
- Black-eyed peas 690
VEGETABLES Containing Potassium (all 1 cup except potatoes)
- Jerusalem Artichokes 644
- Lentils 731
- Soybeans 886
- Spinach 839
- Squash, Winter 896
- 1 Potato 1,081 most are found in the skin
- Beet Greens 1,309
- Swiss chard 960
GRAINS (1 cup)
- Wheat Bran, Crude 1182
- Wheat Germ, Crude 892
34 Second Highest
FRUITS
- Avocados 540 3 oz.
- Banana 467 1 med.
- Dates 542 10 dates
- Figs, dried 542 4 figs
- Kiwi 504 2 med.
- Cantaloupe 494 1 cup
JUICES (1 cup)
- Orange juice 496
- Tomato juice 535 Added salt
NUTS & Seeds
- Almonds 412 2 oz.
- Pumpkin Seeds 588 1 cup
OTHER
Molasses, blackstrap 498 1 Tbsp
VEGETABLES (All 1 cup cooked)
- Artichoke 595
- Broccoli 456
- Brussels Sprouts 504
- Chick Peas 477
- Parsnips 573
- Sweet Potatoes 508 with the skin
- Tomatoes, raw 400
GRAINS (all 1 cup, uncooked)
- Amaranth 508
- Barley, Hulled 452
- Buckwheat 460
- Buckwheat Flour, Groat 577
- Bulgur, Dry 410
- Rye 510
- Rye Flour, Dark 717
- Teff 427
- Wheat, Durum 431
- Wheat, Soft White 435
MEAT DAIRY
- Yogurt, low fat 531 8 oz.
- Mollusk clams 534 3 oz. canned
- Cod 39 3 oz.
- Halibut 490 3 oz.
- Tuna 484 3 oz.
Potassium is an incredibly important electrolyte, along with salt, calcium, and magnesium. We need four times as much Potassium as sodium (salt), so finding foods high in potassium, and including them in your daily meals is not only a great idea but is very important.
Now that you have learned about the foods high in potassium, time to create some healthy recipes.
Healthy Balanced Recipes
Orange and Spinach Salad with Pecans is Delicious and Healthy – This orange spinach salad is a sneaky way to get that superfood into your diet. Also, all the ingredients are very healthy. It is very easy to make and very tasty; everyone I have served it to always enjoys it very much.
Creamy Swiss Chard Soup with Almonds is Delicious – This delicious Swiss chard soup is hearty with the addition of potatoes and is very nutritious too. I love that it is so creamy without the addition of cow’s milk so that it is creamy and vegan. The crunchy almonds on top add an extra tastiness.
Tasty Vegan Sandwich with Avocado, Cucumber and Pumpkin Seeds – This vegan sandwich is great for a quick simple lunch or snack, some even like having it for breakfast. The avocado adds creaminess, the cucumber is juicy and the pumpkin seeds add a salty crunch. It is so tasty and I like how easy it is to make. YUM.
Power Salad with Spinach – This spinach salad is full of healthy greens that is one of the highest alkaline-forming foods and spinach is full of vitamins A, K, and D. This is a very simple and tasty salad to make and is full of superfoods; everyone I have served it to enjoys it very much.
Miso Soup With Spinach & Mushrooms – We have come to think of Japanese food as being tempura, teriyaki, and sushi but it is miso soup that the Japanese will not want to live without. Originally, miso soup was actually served as a breakfast food.
Spring White Bean and Asparagus Stew – I created and tried this White Bean Asparagus Stew recipe out for the first time on two dinner guests. That was rather brave! They were good friends, and you never know how some people react to beans. Sometimes people get gas unless they take the proper steps.
I had taken all the precautions though, and they loved it!
Creamy Vegan Potato Leek Soup with Carrots – I created this potato leek soup at the end of September here in Edmonton, AB it felt like winter was almost here! This filling and warming soup is perfect for a yummy lunch. The recipe makes a big pot of soup which fed two of us for two lunches. It tastes so good that we also enjoyed it the second day too. Not only is it delicious it is full of healthy real foods too, making it a very nutritious meal and full of foods high in potassium.
Yummy Molasses/Tahini Cookies Are Good for You – These molasses tahini cookies are Middle Eastern-inspired, delicious, and easy to make! Also, they are vegan, and gluten-free too! And have many foods full of potassium in them.
Authentic Middle Eastern Hummus – This is a traditional Middle Eastern Hummus dip; it is a blend of garbanzo beans, garlic, olive oil, and tahini. A great dip for your next party or picnic. Who doesn’t enjoy delicious hummus? The other great thing about this dip is that it is dairy-free and gluten-free too. And it is full of foods high in potassium.
I purchased a “Healthy 8 chopped veggie mix,” at Trader Joe’s. It contained Red & Green Cabbage, Broccoli, carrots,jicama, green bell pepper, radish, celery. It left an extremely salty taste in my mouth after eating the mix. The label stated “Sodium 25mg.” Was this amount of sodium added by the prepare-rs of the mix at Trader Joe’s or does this sodium come from its contents? I ate it raw since I’m a raw vegan. By the way, what is “Jicama?”
Forme i eat bananas and beans for everyday, You can help me to eat well