Adults should aim to consume between 3,500 and 4,700 milligrams (mg) of potassium per day in order to maintain optimal health. Potassium is an essential mineral that helps to control high blood pressure, relax the walls of blood vessels, and is necessary for many other bodily functions. Despite its importance, most people only consume about half of the recommended 4,700 mg per day. To increase your intake, it is important to add some potassium-rich foods to your diet.
Foods that are high in potassium include spinach, sweet potatoes, avocados, bananas, and fish like salmon. These foods are important for controlling high blood pressure (hypertension) because they reduce the effects of sodium. The more potassium you consume, the more sodium you will lose through your urine. Potassium also helps to relax the walls of blood vessels, further lowering blood pressure. The recommended daily intake for an average adult is 4,700 mg.
Hypokalemia is a lack of potassium in the blood. Despite its many vital functions, most people only consume about half of the recommended 4,700 mg per day. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), even when supplements containing potassium are combined with food, most people's intake is still lower than the recommended amount. If you need to increase the amount of potassium in your diet, choose healthy foods by selecting items such as spinach, sweet potatoes, avocados, bananas, and fish like salmon. Other vitamins and minerals get a lot of attention, such as sodium, but many of these nutrients rely on a healthy balance with potassium for the body to function properly. By adding these potassium-rich foods to your diet and increasing your intake of this essential mineral, you can help maintain optimal health and reduce the risk of hypertension and other health issues.
So make sure you get enough potassium every day!.
