What is potassium?
Potassium is an essential mineral and an electrolyte which has several important functions in the body. It is important for supporting the functions of our heart, nervous system and kidneys as well as being essential for bone health – just a few key areas then!
It works alongside another electrolyte, sodium, in order to help maintain our blood pressure. The trouble is though, with not enough potassium in our diet, or too much sodium (both of which are likely if we eat a diet low in fresh foods and crammed full of processed ones instead – which a typical Western diet is definitely guilty of!) then we can risk throwing that delicate balance off and as a result, we can run into problems.
What happens if you don’t get enough?
New research1 has suggested that a diet low in potassium could put your cardiovascular health at risk. When compared to those with a diet high in potassium, those with a lower intake were at a greater risk of developing stiffened arteries.
Stiffer arteries put us more at risk of developing atherosclerosis – a condition which involves the arteries becoming clogged and inflamed which is readily associated with cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and stroke.
Other symptoms such as fatigue, high blood pressure, muscle aches and pains, palpitations, feeling dizzy or experiencing tingling could indicate that your levels are low, so these are all signs to watch out for and be sure to take a trip to your GP for a check up if any of these are troubling you.
Plus, let’s not forget that potassium is only found in fresh foods. Therefore, if you aren’t getting enough potassium, it’s likely that you may not be getting enough of other essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants either. Antioxidants, especially, are also super important when it comes to supporting your cardiovascular system.
How can you make sure you get enough?
If you suspect you could be low in potassium why not make that extra effort to increase your intake and see how you feel.
We don’t want unnaturally high amounts; remember we need to try and maintain a nice balance in those electrolytes, so generally one of the best ways to up your potassium intake and ensure the balance is just right, is through your diet, and fresh foods – lots of them – are the way to go about it.
Now, we should be aiming for around 3.5g of potassium daily, and to give you some idea of what this looks like, I’ve outlined some examples of food sources below:
1 avocado – provides approx. 1g potassium
30g raw spinach – provides approx. 0.8g potassium
1 fillet of salmon – provides approx. 0.7g potassium
A baked potato or sweet potato – provides approx. 0.6g potassium
100g of organic chicken – provides approx. 0.5g potassium
1 medium banana – provides approx. 0.4g potassium
100ml Beetroot Juice – provides approx. 0.3g potassium
1 orange – provides approx. 0.2g potassium
1 tablespoon of pinto beans – provide approx. 0.1g potassium
As you can see, with a diet rich in fresh foods you should be able to easily reach the recommended daily amount with no problems at all!
Some recipe inspiration to get you started...
A potassium-rich diet should allow for a varied diet full of tasty, colourful, fresh foods. Below you’ll find links to some of my favourite recipes – think breakfast, lunch and dinner!
Mixed Avocado and Bean Burrito
Still need a little helping hand?
It comes in powder form, has a delicious, natural strawberry flavour and can make a great addition to a fruity smoothie recipe or it even tastes great just mixed in some still or sparkling water if you are short on time.
Providing 15% NRV of potassium, together with a healthy balanced diet, Balance can really help to give your potassium intake a well needed boost!
Sun Y, Hyun Byon C and Yang Y et al. Dietary potassium regulates vascular calcification and arterial stiffness. JCI insight, 2017, 2(19) :e94920. doi:10.1172/jci.insight.94920.
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