11 Potassium Rich Foods: Lowering Blood Pressure, Boosting Heart Health Naturally
A resurgent interest in treating hypertension and high blood pressure with natural methods has shown an inverse correlation between dietary potassium intake and arterial blood pressure. In short, if enough potassium is included in the diet, the arteries are less clogged, and blood can pass through them with ease and efficiency to be recirculated to the heart. In short again, research shows that eating more potassium-rich foods can lower blood pressure and boost heart health.
Other evidence also proves that there may be a link between potassium and the modification of the central or peripheral neural mechanism that regulates blood pressure. Eating more potassium may even be more effective than lowering sodium intake (which isn’t accurate anyway) to control high blood pressure. The recommended daily allowance is at least 4700 mg for both women and men.
Potassium is a mineral which supports the liver, the heart, kidneys and other organs to work properly, so it is important for more than just controlling hypertension. Here are 11 foods rich in potassium which you should incorporate into your diet regularly:
11 Potassium-Rich Foods
- 1. Sweet Potatoes – Just one medium sweet potato contains about 550 mg of potassium. They also happen to be full of beta carotene and vitamin A.
- 2. Beet Greens – Not only are these greens full of Vitmains A and K, there is a whopping 655 mg in just a ½ cup of beet greens.
- 3. Potatoes with the Skin On – Leaving the skin on your potatoes and eating just one medium potato will offer you more than 610 mg of potassium.
- 4. Oranges and Orange Juice (Fresh Squeezed, not GMO) – In 6 ounces of OJ, you can find around 280 mg of potassium.
- 5. Apples and Apple Juice – A single small apple or ½ a cup of apple juice has more than 150 mg of potassium.
- 6. White Beans – These great little beans offer a source of protein, fiber and 595 mg of potassium per ½ cup.
- 7. Medjool Dates – Although you can choose dates of many varieties, Medjool dates offer more than 550 mg per ½ cup of potassium. (Check out some other health benefits of dates here).
- 8. Apricots – These delicious little fruits, which you can eat fresh or dried, contain 204 mg of potassium per 1 fruit or 5 dried pieces.
- 9. Papaya – A delicious orange-yellow fruit, papayas will yield 391 mg of potassium with just half a piece of fruit.
- 10. Prune Juice – Just 5 little prunes offers 313 mg of potassium.
- 11. Honey Dew Melon – Among other potassium-rich foods, this fruit offers 365 mg of potassium with just 1/8 of a piece.
Additional Sources:
And bananas!!!!!!
Yes, I was surprised that bananas were not mentioned.
As you say, bananas have potassium, but not as much as a potato.
If neither is organic they are both highly pesticide sprayed. Bananas for spiders, and potatoes for everything else.
can a person be in danger of too much natural potassium?
A person can be in danger of too much of most anything.
900mg a day is plenty, but check with your doctor.
A large baked potato, and a banana, and a glass of tomato juice taken all at once will go over 900 mg, but it is highly unlikely you will die from it.
You forgot to mention tomato juice, which has 920mg of potassium per glass.
Indeed, the problem usually isn’t too much sodium in the diet (we need it to function); the problem is that people aren’t getting enough potassium to balance it, and they’re ingesting the wrong kind of salt (white processed table salt).
There have been hundreds of studies done in the 1950’s and 60’s proving that potassium lowered high blood pressure. The thing is that we need over 650mgs a day.
Check with your doctor on potassium if you need to lower your blood pressure; even though they are not trained in food nutrition.
Over 55 million people worldwide come to hospitals with diet related health problems, and doctors are not trained in medical school in regards to food health….go figure? They take the Hippocratic oath, and Hippocrates said, “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. We can thank the drug companies for this cover up a health information.
At the same time get off of all processed sugars, processed foods and high fructose corn syrup, that acerbates the problem, which ages the arteries and hardens them.
Fish oils, helps to clean out the arteries and keep them young. Cod liver oil this time of year will help you avoid the flu, while others around you are getting sick.
By the way, sugars causes the body to create insulin, and excessive insulin shortens your life by shortening your telomeres’.