Fruits And Vegetables With A Lot Of Potassium
Potassium has an important function in the body and should therefore not be disregarded in the diet.
Among other things, potassium contributes to the healthy function of the heart muscle and should therefore be supplied to the body in sufficient quantities with the diet.
Some fruits and vegetables in particular are high in potassium , which is why you should make sure to consume them often.
What do we need potassium for?
Potassium is a particularly important substance for you and your body because you can only ingest it with food and it cannot be produced by the body itself.
You need it for the correct transmission of stimuli to the muscles (muscle cramps also occur with a potassium deficiency, not just with a magnesium deficiency!), It is important for optimal stimulation of the heart and can thus prevent cardiac arrhythmias.
Potassium also regulates cell growth, regulates your blood pressure and the acid-base balance, influences the release of certain hormones (e.g. insulin) and is important for carbohydrate utilization and protein synthesis.
Increasing potassium intake can therefore lower blood pressure.
Potassium deficiency is also possible with a balanced diet, for example in summer when you sweat a lot, vomit because of an illness or suffer from diarrhea.
Laxatives can also lead to potassium deficiency. People who eat too much salt (sodium chloride) also tend to be potassium deficient.
Please make sure not to take any dietary supplements that contain potassium, because an increased potassium intake in combination with, for example, some high blood pressure drugs or other medications can lead to life-threatening complications such as ventricular fibrillation!
Nobody needs vitamin and mineral tablets; with a normal, balanced diet it is possible to consume everything the body needs in sufficient quantities!
For potassium this means: 3.5 to 4.7 grams per day. Today we introduce you to fruits and vegetables that are rich in potassium:
Melons
Melons are not only delicious, they are also rich in potassium and low in calories : 100g melon contains only approx. 35 calories and many healthy minerals!
A 100g piece of melon contains 228mg of potassium. How about a smoothie with fresh melon or a delicious fruit salad made from different types of melon?
Cucumber
100g cucumber is even lower in calories, at 16 kcal / 100g it contains only half the calories of melon! Cucumbers also contain less potassium: 100g of cucumber contains 147mg.
A fresh cucumber salad, a green smoothie with a cucumber as a base or a cold yogurt-cucumber souee are delicious ways to consume cucumbers.
whole grain products
Whole grains are a good idea not only in terms of potassium intake, but also in terms of other positive properties.
Whole grain products make the blood sugar level rise slowly, satiate for a long time and ensure good digestion.
They also contain a lot of fiber, which helps lower cholesterol and prevent colon cancer.
Therefore, prefer baked goods such as bread, rolls and biscuits made from whole grain more, cook whole wheat pasta or whole grain rice and use cereal flakes instead of breakfast cereals for a healthy breakfast!
Oilseeds
Sesame oil is not only a good thing in cosmetics, high-quality, vegetable oils are also useful in the kitchen.
Not only with regard to the potassium content, make sure that the oils come from controlled organic cultivation and are cold-pressed.
The local linseed also contains as much potassium as the well-traveled sesame. If you don’t like linseed oil, just sprinkle some flaxseed over your muesli!
nuts
If there is a lot of potassium in oilseeds, one thing is clear: nuts are also a good source!
Whether you use your daily handful of nuts as an ingredient in your muesli or consume it as a delicious nut oil is up to you. Only as a nut cake or nut biscuit do nuts lose their healthy character …
Dried fruit
Whether dried apricots, dried plums, apple rings or other dried fruit: the lower the water content of a fruit or vegetable, the higher the potassium content.
It is logical that the values for dried fruit are quite high! When it comes to dried fruit, not only pay attention to organic quality (because the peel is dried with it), but also to ensure that the dried fruit has not been sulphurized.
legumes
Whether beans, lentils or peas: there is a good portion of this important mineral in all legumes !
The same applies here: the higher the water content, the less there is! Soy milk contains much less than a lentil stew or pea soup.
Mushrooms
The type of mushroom does not matter, all types contain potassium. As with any type of fruit or vegetable, the content naturally fluctuates depending on the soil in the region of cultivation.
Whether you choose mushrooms, oyster mushrooms or chanterelles is up to you.
Potatoes
With potatoes and all other vegetables rich in potassium: the less water you use for cooking, the better, because otherwise many important nutrients will be extracted from the vegetables during cooking.
Make sure you only steam vegetables or stew them in very little water!
