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Potassium People, Potassium!

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 04:30:00 -0700

Potassium is so much more than bananas. Many delicious foods contain potassium, so to find out which ones and see why this mineral is important to our health, take this little quiz.

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Got High Blood Pressure? Could Be Potassium Deficiency

FitSugar — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:00:00 -0800

When you go to the doctor and the nurse shakes her head at your high blood pressure (also called hypertension), you may not be able to blame it on your salt bagel cravings or your old Aunt Thelma. New research shows it could be caused by your lack of potassium. Of the over 3,000 women who were tested, the ones with high blood pressure had low levels of potassium in their urine. It turns out these women were also older, heavier, and more likely to be African-American, so those factors play a part too.

While there's an emphasis on losing weight and decreasing sodium intake to help lower blood pressure, this study also proves that there should be an increase in dietary potassium. If you suffer from hypertension, it looks like you better start eating more bananas, avocado, and sweet potatoes.

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How to Eat For Your Daily Dose of Potassium

FitSugar — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 03:00:00 -0800

Bananas are great sources of potassium, but eating one of these yellow fruits won't be enough to supply your body with the recommended daily intake (RDI) of this important mineral. Every day, you need to make sure to get 4,200 mg of potassium for digestion, to maintain healthy blood pressure, to carry out muscle contractions, and also for proper nerve, kidney, and heart functions. Since potassium is found in so many nutritious foods, you shouldn't have any problems getting your RDI. If you're not sure you're hitting the mark, I made a chart of what I ate yesterday to consume my daily potassium. To see it, read more.

Meal	Food	Potassium (mg)
Breakfast	6 oz. Stonyfield Farms low-fat vanilla yogurt	367
	1 cup of GoLean Crunch cereal	300
	1 small sliced banana	362
	6 oz. orange juice	332
Lunch	2 outer leaves of romaine lettuce, chopped	140
	8 baby carrots, sliced	190
	1/2 cup sliced cucumber	76
	1 small celery stalk, sliced	44
	1/4 medium red pepper, diced	63
	1 plum tomato, sliced	147
	1/2 avocado	487
	7 walnuts, chopped	123
	1/2 cup garbanzo beans	206
	25 raisins	24
Optional Snack (for pre-workout)	4-oz. cup of lowfat cottage cheese	109
	1/2 cup diced cantaloupe	208
Dinner	3 oz. grilled halibut	490
	2 cups spinach, steamed	335
	1 small baked sweet potato	285
	Total potassium intake	4,288 mg

It really isn't that hard to get enough potassium, as long as you include a variety of fruits, veggies, and lean protein. If you're interested in knowing what other foods contain potassium, check out this list.

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Healthy Cooking Tip: Boil Potatoes Whole

FitSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:30:00 -0700

Potatoes, reviled during the low-carb days of yore, are once again showing up on many American plates.

Labor Day means potato salad, and potato salad means boiling potatoes. I just read in the Berkeley Wellness Letter that you should boil your potatoes unpeeled and whole, which is easy to do if you buy the small red-skinned variety. Potatoes are a great source of potassium, especially the skin, which is why you should always eat the skin. But when cut for boiling, potatoes lose 50 percent of this valuable mineral as it leaches out into the water.

Save the potassium - boil your potatoes whole.

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What Does Your RDI Look Like: Potassium

FitSugar — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 09:00:00 -0700

I'm sure when you hear the word potassium, you automatically think of bananas. While it's true that they're great sources of this valuable mineral, many other foods contain potassium too.

Before I get into that you should know how much you need everyday and why you need it. The RDI of potassium is 4,200 mg. Potassium is necessary for maintaining blood pressure, proper nerve, kidney, and heart functions, muscle contractions, and also digestion. Not getting enough could cause muscle cramps.

Humans should have no problem getting enough potassium in their diets because it's found in so many whole foods. Want to know what are great sources? Then read more

Food	Serving Size	Amount of Potassium (in mg)
Banana	1 medium	422
Baked sweet potato	1 medium	655
Steamed beet greens	1/2 cup	655
Baked potato	1 medium	610
Halibut	3 oz.	490
Lima beans	1/2 cup	484
Skim milk	1 cup	382
Yogurt	6 oz.	399
Cantaloupe	1/4 medium	368
Orange juice	3/4 cup	355
Steamed swiss chard	1 cup.	961
Molasses	2 tsp	340
Steamed broccoli	1 cup	505
Boiled beets	1 cup	518
Avocado	1 cup	874
Lentils	1/2 cup	365
Brussels sprouts	1 cup	495
Carrots	1 cup	394
Winter squash	1 cup	896
Steamed spinach	1 cup	839

As you can see you have plenty of choices when it comes finding sources for potassium. Which one is your fave?

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Misconceptions About Mushrooms

FitSugar — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 07:30:00 -0800

I know there are many people out there who go out of their way to avoid eating mushrooms. They feel they are not missing anything, nutritionally speaking, by picking out the edible fungus from their meals. Things couldn't be farther from the truth, so I thought I should clear up some misconceptions concerning mushrooms.

Not only are mushrooms a low calorie food, containing only 18 calories per cup, but they are also 90 percent water. Most importantly, all varieties of 'shrooms contain large amounts of an antioxidant called L-ergothioneine, which is only found in fungi. This is a powerful antioxidant that fortunately is not destroyed when mushrooms are cooked.

A variety of animal studies have also found that compounds found in mushrooms may bolster the immune system as well as work to prevent both breast and prostate cancers. Mushrooms are also high in the mineral potassium, which can help lower blood pressure. In fact, five white button mushrooms have as much potassium as an orange.

So where do you fall in the mushroom debate. Do you love them or hate them? Tell me how you feel about fungi in the comments section below.

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Swiss Chard Fills the Holes in Your Diet

FitSugar — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 03:00:00 -0700

I crave greens, no matter the season. When it is cold outside, I often choose a cooked green over salads. I just want to eat warm food. One of my favorites greens to cook is swiss chard, and it comes in colors too. The leaves are green, but the stems and veins can be white, yellow or red. The red is my favorite since the color combination is quite dramatic.

Not only is it tasty, and similar to spinach and beet greens, but chard is also loaded with nutrients. It is a great source of vitamin K and vitamin A. One cup of cooked chard contains half of your daily recommended intake of vitamin C and 3.5 grams of fiber. It also provides 30 percent of your RDI for magnesium and 25 percent of the valuable mineral potassium.

Are you convinced yet? This is a super food. Don't know what to do to the chard? Just rip the leaves from the stems. Chop up the stems and sauté the leaves and stems with olive oil and garlic. Or you could try out this recipe: Whole Wheat Pasta with Chicken, Chard and Peppers. It is delish!

Are you a fan of Swiss chard? Tell me your favorite way to prepare it in the comments section below.

Puzzled About Potassium?

FitSugar — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:00:00 -0700

I don't know about you, but when I think of potassium, I think of bananas. That's all that really comes to mind.

Do you know what it does for our bodies or how much we're supposed to get? Can you get too much potassium? Take this quiz to find out.

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You Asked: Potassium and Sodium, What Is the Connection?

FitSugar — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:00:00 -0700

Dear FitSugar,
Since you have been covering a lot of ground on sodium and potassium, I heard that sodium and potassium levels compete with each other, so if the presence of one mineral rises, the amount of the other drops. Is that true?

I thought this was an interesting question, but a little out of my league, so I asked my friend, nutritionist Rania Batayneh, MPH of Essential Nutrition For You.

Here's what she had to say:

With regards to sodium and potassium in the body, the first thing to know is they are key electrolytes in the body- the third of importance is chloride. These electrolytes found in the body have a great influence on the flow of water between the various fluid compartments because of something referred to as osmotic pressure. They also influence the contraction of muscles and the transmission of nerve impulses by the nervous system. With regards to your question, it is seen in cells, for example, that potassium is constantly pumped into cells and sodium is constantly pumped out of the cell. This maintains our Na+/K+ (sodium/potassium) balance. Furthermore, it is often said that sodium (salt) is considered to be the dietary factor most related to blood pressure, but is appears that the sodium/potassium ratio is more important that the absolute amount of sodium.

I find that all very interesting and it reinforces the notion what you put in your body affects your body on a cellular level. Rania is a wealth of knowledge! If you have some specific questions for her, I encourage you to take advantage of her free 15 minute consultation. Especially if you would like to talk about creating an eating strategy that is right for you.

Food for Thought: 20 somethings

FitSugar — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 02:30:00 -0700

The folks at Fitness, the magazine that is, are savvy to our changing nutritional needs. As we age our bodies and our lifestyles change. Curious if you are meeting the nutritional challenges of your generation? If you're a 20 something here's some food for thought.

Eat Protein
Since your life is likely to be hectic, you are generally looking for food on the run. Make sure that you are making healthy choices and not skimping when it comes to protein. Missed meals and dieting can lead to falling short of meeting the RDI for protein - the building block of muscle. So don't short change yourself and fill your quota with chicken, fish, eggs and lean meat. Here's a helpful breakdown of protein amounts in popular foods.

Eat Potassium
According to the USDA, the majority of women in their 20's eat less than 50% of the RDI of potassium. Potassium is an essential mineral that helps muscles, including the heart, function properly. If you are eating your 5 fruits and veggies a day, you are getting enough potassium. So eat your veggies!!!

Eat Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Since women are especially susceptible to depression in their 20's, it is a good idea to boost your serotonin levels. Once way to do this is by eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids. This is really the fat you should love. Find it in salmon and other cold water fatty fish, as well as walnuts and flax seeds. If you eat beef, go grass fed - it is higher in omega-3s than conventionally raised beef.

No longer 20? Check back soon to see what you should eat in your 30's and 40's.