In addition to mashing it for toast and guac, you can add slices to tacos, sandwiches (use it in place of butter or mayo, suggests Roach), burgers, and even smoothies. High levels of HDL cholesterol can lower your risk for heart disease and stroke, notes the CDC.Īvocado is so versatile, you can incorporate it into any meal of the day. Incorporating healthier monounsaturated fats into your diet via avocados may benefit your heart by raising “good” high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels, according to a review published April 2018 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. That makes it twice as good for your heart. This creamy, green-fleshed fruit isn’t just high in fiber and heart-healthy fats, it’s also loaded with 690 mg of potassium, per the USDA. We rounded up 10 other colorful, tasty, and potassium-rich foods to add to your diet, and provided serving suggestions that will keep you coming back for more. To be considered to be high in potassium, however, a food needs 20 percent or more of the daily recommended value, or 940 mg per serving. And yes, that includes bananas, which have 422 mg per medium-sized fruit, according to U.S. “Potassium comes from various foods we eat, especially fruits and vegetables,” says Nicole Roach, RD, a registered dietitian with Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Meeting the recommended daily intake of potassium means reevaluating your diet. Research has found that a variety of medications, such as ACE inhibitors, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and certain diuretics, can also raise potassium levels too high. The kidneys help regulate the amount of potassium in your body, but if they’re not functioning properly, too much potassium can get into the bloodstream, causing weakness or numbness, and potentially, arrhythmia and heart attack. This is something you need to be especially aware of if you have kidney problems, according to the National Kidney Foundation. It’s also possible to get too much potassium, which can lead to a condition called hyperkalemia. In fact, the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans raised the recommended daily intake for potassium to 4,700 milligrams (mg) a day.įor that reason, Largeman-Roth says, “Focusing on adding potassium-rich foods to our diets is smart for overall health.” If your potassium levels are too low, a condition known as hypokalemia, it can result in fatigue, muscle weakness or cramping, and cardiovascular issues such as an abnormal heart rhythm, according to MedlinePlus.
Most Americans, however, consume too much sodium and not enough potassium. Potassium and sodium are the main electrolytes involved in regulating fluid balance, and keeping them in balance can be crucial for reducing the risk of hypertension, heart disease, and stroke, according to the CDC. You often hear about electrolytes in sports drinks because they aid with fluid balance and we tend to lose them when we sweat, according to MedlinePlus. It is also one of a group of electrically charged minerals - magnesium, calcium, and sodium are others - known as electrolytes.
Research shows that potassium reduces blood pressure in people with hypertension and may lower the risk for stroke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Potassium is essential for maintaining normal blood pressure and keeping your heart beating regularly,” says Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, a New York Times bestselling author and nutrition expert in Brooklyn, New York. It also plays a key role in cardiovascular health. But potassium plays a vital role in health: It helps regulate your body’s fluid levels, aids in muscle function, and keeps your nervous system functioning properly, among other functions, according to MedlinePlus.
Outside of chemists, athletes, and anyone with high blood pressure, most people don’t give a lot of thought to potassium, a mineral you probably last heard of when learning the periodic table in chemistry class (where its abbreviation is the letter K).
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