Foods With Potassium

Foods rich in potassium are important mainly to prevent muscle weakness and cramps during intense physical exercise. In addition to this, eating foods rich in potassium is a way to complement treatment for hypertension, because this mineral helps regulate blood pressure by increasing urinary sodium excretion. 

Potassium is found mainly in plant foods such as fruits and vegetables, and the daily requirement of potassium intake for adults is 4700 mg per day, which is easily achieved through food. 

Foods with potassium

Food list

Below is a list of foods high in potassium:

Artichoke Heart

How to decrease potassium in food

To decrease potassium in food follow these steps:

  • Shell and cut the food into thin slices and then rinse;
  • Place the food in a pot filled with water and let it soak for 2 hours;
  • Drain, rinse and drain the food again (this procedure can be repeated 2 or 3 times);
  • Refill the pot with water and cook the food;
  • After cooked, the food should be drained and the water discarded. 

    • This method is also recommended for those people who have kidney problems and who are in the process of hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis, since in these situations potassium is usually elevated in blood, and it is a way to consume foods high in potassium avoiding excess. 

    If you do not want to do this procedure with the food every time, you can prepare a larger amount and freeze it until you need it.

    See a sample menu of a low potassium diet.

    Daily potassium requirement

    The amount of potassium to be ingested in a day varies by age, as shown in the table below:

    A lack of potassium called hypokalemia can cause loss of appetite, cramps, muscle paralysis or confusion. This situation can occur in cases of vomiting, diarrhea, when using diuretics or with regular intake of some high blood pressure medications. Although less common, it can also occur in athletes who sweat a lot.

    Potassium excess is also rare but can occur mainly when some high blood pressure medications are ingested and can cause cardiac arrhythmias.

    See more details on potassium deficit or excess.

    Comments

    Post a Comment

    Popular posts from this blog

    Working out with a cut finger on the gym: What should you do?

    Image
    You’re looking to get your body in shape, and maybe even lose some weight. You’ve been working hard at it for months now and so far you’ve had good results. But then this morning while shaving you nicked yourself. Now there’s a cut on your index finger that is starting to throb and bleed again after having stopped for awhile. All of sudden things are not going as planned, but what should you do? Should you go ahead with your workout or will it only make things worse? There are three options available: Continue Working Out, Work Out With Protective Gear, Skip The Workout Altogether . Continue Working out with a cut finger. You can continue to work out with a cut finger on the gym. The risk of getting an infection is very low, and if you’re careful to disinfect the skin after each work out it’s not going to be a problem. Of course there are other things to consider as well: The healing process will take longer, so you’ll probably have some scarrin...
    Read more

    Function And Classification Of Carbohydrates

    Image
    Carbohydrates, also known as carbohydrates, glucides or saccharides, are molecules whose structure is composed of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen and whose main function is to provide energy to the organism, since 1 gram of carbohydrates provides 4 kcals, constituting 50 to 60% of the diet. Some foods containing carbohydrates are rice, oatmeal, honey, table sugar, potatoes, among others, and can be classified according to the composition of their molecules in complex and simple carbohydrates.  Functions in the organism Carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the organism because during their digestion glucose is generated, being this the preferred fuel for the cells of the organism, since they degrade this molecule and ATP is produced, which is used in the various metabolic processes for the proper functioning of the organism. Glucose is mainly used by the brain, using 120 g per day, which represents the majority of the 160 g of glucose that the body needs daily.  In addition to th...
    Read more

    Bariatric Surgery: What It Is, Types And Risks

    Image
    Bariatric surgery is a set of surgical techniques used to treat excess weight, where the digestive system is altered in order to reduce the amount of food that enters the body and to modify the natural process of digestion, facilitating weight loss and improving or curing diseases associated with obesity.  There are several surgical techniques which can be restrictive or restrictive and malabsorptive at the same time. The restrictive techniques will only allow to reduce the amount of food ingested due to the reduction of the stomach volume. In the case of restrictive and malabsorptive techniques, in addition to reducing the size of the stomach, the intestine is also modified to reduce the absorption of nutrients, thus reducing the calories that enter the body. Because it is an invasive type of surgery, bariatric surgery is only indicated when the person has already tried to lose weight using other methods without obtaining any results, or when the excess weight puts the individual...
    Read more