Potassium – You’re Not Getting Enough

98 percent of Americans don’t get enough of the micro-nutrient potassium in their diet. Potassium is an important mineral because it:

1. helps to build muscles,
2. balances fluid and electrolytes in the body
3. controls the electrical activity of the heart
4. regulates blood pressure
The current recommendation is to consume 4,700mg of potassium every day, but as mentioned above, only 2 out of 100 Americans actually do. The average intake is 3,200mg for men, and 2,400mg for women.

While everyone knows the best sources of vitamin C, few people can list the best sources for potassium. The FDA has recognized this problem, and has proposed mandatory labeling of potassium content in food products.

As usual, the best sources for nutrients are whole foods. This is no different with potassium. Here is a list of potassium levels for your perusal:

Winter squash (1 cup, cooked) – 900 mg
Spinach (1 cup, cooked) – 840 mg
Avocado (1 cup) – 700 mg
Sweet potato (baked, medium, with skin) – 700 mg
Potato (baked, medium, with skin) – 600 mg
White beans (baked, half cup) – 600 mg
Broccoli (1 cup, cooked) – 450 mg
Banana – 425 mg
Mushrooms (1 cup, diced, raw) – 420 mg
Yogurt (5.3 oz container) – 400 mg
Pork (3 oz, cooked) – 380 mg
Lentils (1/2 cup, cooked) – 350 mg
Milk (1 cup) – 350 mg
Salmon (3 oz, cooked) – 325 mg

Reference: http://blog.fooducate.com/2015/05/01/potassium-youre-not-getting-enough/