Why You Need Plenty of Potassium

It is important for our bodies to receive all of the necessary nutrients and vitamins in order to stay healthy and strong, especially as we age. Potassium is easily overlooked and many people do not get as much Potassium as they need for their bodies to stay strong. The recommended daily dose of Potassium is 4,700 mg.  Less than 2% of Americans consume the recommended dose of potassium.

Potassium helps your body excrete sodium.   Potassium also helps blood vessels relax.   Reducing sodium and relaxing blood vessels will result in lowering your blood pressure.

Too much potassium can lead to abnormal heart rhythms.   So only take a supplement on a doctor’s recommendation.   Those with kidney disease, type 2 Diabetes, or on some medications make taking a potassium supplement tricky.   So do check with your doctor if you fall into any of these categories.

FDA will require future Nutrition Fact labels to list potassium to help consumers understand this vital mineral.

Potassium can be found in many fruits and vegetables.   Increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat is always a good idea.  Some foods that contain a great amount of potassium are included in the following: Swiss cheese, acorn squash, spinach, baked potatoes, lentil beans, salmon, white beans, low-fat plain yogurts, sun-dried tomatoes, cantaloupes, bananas, carrots, crushed tomatoes, sweet potatoes, avocados, raisins, quinoa, pistachios, prunes, oranges, and dried apricots.

Key Points:

  • 1Potassium helps lower blood pressure by helping your body lower sodium.
  • 2Most Americans ingest less than 2 percent of the daily recommended potassium.
  • 3You should try to get potassium from fruits and vegetables, instead of from vitamins.


“But if you just ­focus on eating fruits and vegetables with every meal and snacks, you will easily get enough,” ­Murad says.
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Written by HealthStatus
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our health risk assessment, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years.

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