If you know just one thing about potassium, it’s probably that it’s found in bananas. Bananas are a portable, tasty source of potassium, but there other great foods that can help you reach your recommended daily intake, too.
Potassium plays many important roles in the human body. You don’t hear as much about potassium as you do with say, vitamin C, fiber or even omega-3s, but 100,000 times every day, this electrolyte helps to trigger your heart to pump blood to the rest of of you body. It helps your muscles to move, your bones to stay strong and your nervous system to communicate. Low potassium intake has been linked with high blood pressure and kidney stones, according the National Institutes of Health.
Less than two percent of people in the U.S. get the recommended 4,700 mg daily recommendation of potassium, according to The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Yes, that means a whopping 98 percent of Americans are potassium deficient — and women, on average, consume even less than men.
Here are 10 foods with even more potassium than a banana (about 362 mg for a small fruit) that can help you give your body what it needs.
1. Baked potato with skin
Next time you bake that potato, leave the skin on and add a whopping 919 mg of potassium to your diet. A medium potato will only set you back 163 calories.
2. Cantaloupe, 1 cup
Just one cup (60 calories) of this delicious orange fruit raw can deliver 417 mg of potassium.
3. Yogurt, low fat, plain
A simple 6 oz. container contains 107 calories and 398 mg of potassium.
4. 1% Milk, 1 cup
Don’t let that milk go sour. Consume it and get 366 mg of potassium in just 102 calories.
5. Salmon
Just 3 oz. of this tender, cooked protein will supply you with 534 mg of potassium for a mere 155 calories.
6. White beans
One half cup of beans will bring 595 mg of potassium along with 149 calories.
7. Sweet potato, with skin
Bake a medium sweet potato in the skin for 542 mg of potassium and just 103 calories.
8. Tomato Juice, canned
One cup of tomato juice will add 527 mg of protein to your diet for just 41 calories.
9. Edamame
Soy beans can make for a great high-potassium snack. Get 485 mg for 127 calories in 1/2 cup of soybeans.
10. Beets and greens, cooked
Both beets and beet greens are high in potassium. A cup of cooked beets delivers 518 mg of potassium, while a 1/2 cup of their greens contains 650 mg with just 59 calories.
Also see, Ricotta and spinach stuffed peppers.
