Consuming potassium rich foods brings to your body a number of important health benefits.

Potassium is a very important nutrient which serves to keep the electrolyte balance in your body as it should be. If you are persistently potassium deficient, you may develop various health problems, for example hypertension, fatigue, and irritability.

What’s really important to remember is that supplementing with potassium shouldn’t be your priority:

• there are plenty of food sources and natural foods you can consume for enriching your body with this important mineral.
• for faster and better nutrient assimilation, you can include these foods when you prepare your healthful juices and smoothies.

Besides, if you take potassium as a supplement, you may take too much of it, which would then lead to vomiting, nausea, or even heart problems.

Still, the recommended daily allowance is between 3,500 and 4,700 milligrams per day is not to be taken lightly. This recommendation is much lower for people with chronic kidney disease, who need less than 2000 mg per day.

Therefore, it is important to see what the natural foods rich in potassium are, and to include them in your meals.

Avocado (1 medium avocado contains about 950 mg)

Avocados are hand down among the healthiest foods on planet Earth. Not surprisingly, they are also rich is potassium. If you were to eat 5 of them, which is way too much for an average person, you would reach the recommended daily allowance for this essential element.

Besides, Avocado has a lot of healthy fats, primarily in the form of saturated and mono-saturated fatty acids with a number of cardiovascular health benefits. In it, you can also find a lot of vitamin C, magnesium, vitamin B, and a lot of fiber.

If you stay on a low-carb diet, avocados will meet the nutritional needs of your body and the needs for a good energy source. And, it will help you lose weight.

Use avocados in place of mayo or other unhealthy spreads on sandwiches, wraps and for dipping. Satisfy your sweet tooth by combining an avocado with 2 teaspoons cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon honey and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Blend into a creamy mousse and enjoy a nutritious, delicious guilt-free dessert.

Spinach (1 cup cooked about 850 mg)

While raw spinach is not that high in potassium, cooked spinach really excels with an astonishing 850 mg of potassium per cup. You should know, however, that the trick is in the volume taken by raw vs cooked spinach.

When you cook spinach, it shrinks, which is why the potassium density is increased and you get more of it. In addition, cooking spinach will help you eliminate the harmful oxalates found in this veggie.

You may add some yogurt to it (also a potassium abundant food, see below), which will help with this oxalic acid problem as well. Don’t forget to throw the cooking water.

Besides potassium, this vegetable has a lot of vitamin A, vitamin K1, and folate. This is not to say that you can’t use raw spinach from time to time to prepare your favorite smoothies and green juices.

Sweet Potato (one medium sweet potato about 750 mg)

Although rich in carbs, Sweet Potato is good for you. Unlike ordinary potato or pasta, the type of starch contained in Sweet Potato will make your gut microbiom happy, which will translate into better immunity and general health. Not to mention, it is very nutritive, with almost 20 percent of your daily needs for potassium. It is also abundant in vitamin B and beta carboline (that is vitamin A).

Prunes (half a cup about 600 mg)

Prunes (prune juice) are great source of potassium. And they are delicious too. But, a word of caution: as with all dried fruits, prunes are rich in fructose. And you should go easy with this dangerous type of sugar. So if you are obese or have health issues, it is better to resort to other sources of potassium. If you disregard this problem, prunes are really nutrient rich food and may contribute to bone health.

Coconut Water (1 cup about 600 mg)

There are many brands of coconut water, and some of them are really tasty and nutritional. They are often advertised as the best type of drink to be used after a workout. This is very much true as one cup of coconut water contains as much as 600 milligrams of potassium together with other nutrients.

Brussels Sprouts (1 cup about 500 mg)

Who doesn’t love Brussels Sprouts? Some people don’t, but it is a matter of habit. Once you get used to their taste, you will enjoy them. And even more so knowing how useful they are. One cup of Brussels sprouts contains about 500 mg of potassium, and only about 50 calories. As an added bonus, they are rich in vitamin K, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin B6. You can even eat them raw if you have trouble adapting to their characteristic flavor profile.

Winter Squash (1 cup contains about 400 mg )

Winter squash, in any of its varieties (pumpkin, butterntut, or acorn) can be an affordable and delicious treat.

Winter squash is known for having a very long shelf life and thus helps a food budget stretch. In addition to the flesh portion of squash, the seeds provide loads of nutrition as well, including potassium!

Cantaloupe (1 cup contains about 500 mg)

Cantaloupe is a variety of melon that contains a lot of vitamin C and carotenoids, along with potassium. Be careful when consuming cantaloupe. While it has a number of nutrients, it is overly sweet, containing too much fructose. You should aim at reducing your fructose intake below 25 grams a day, so I cannot recommend it as a source of potassium, even if it is organic and in its natural form.

Milk (1 cup contains about 500 mg)

I am not a milk lover, and I don’t consider milk a healthy drink (unless you can find raw milk from pastured cows). But it has to be given the credit of being potassium rich as well as calcium rich beverage. One glass of milk contains about half a gram of potassium.

Beet root (1 cup contains about 450 mg)

Beets are low in calories and contain a lot of potassium. They are also rich in iron, magnesium, vitamin B6, and a lot of fiber. I suggest using them raw, for example to prepare delicious smoothies. Be careful when you roast them, as they tend to increase their sugar content. Too much sugar may defeat the purpose of using them as potassium rich source.

Tomatoes (1 cup contains about 420 mg)

Fresh tomatoes are famous for being a great source of potassium. However, as they belong to the family of night shades, they are also abundant in harmful lectins. So be careful, especially if you have lectin intolerance. In addition, they offer a lot of vitamin C and magnesium.

Bananas (1 banana contains about 420 mg)

Even though not at the top of the lists, bananas are probably among the most famous foods rich in potassium. One medium sized banana contains about 10 percent of the RDA for potassium. It also has decent amounts of fiber, manganese, and vitamin C. However, it is also rich in sugar, so consume in moderation, unless you eat it after working out.

Dried Apricots (5 apricots about 410 mg)

Although relatively rich in potassium, I wouldn’t recommend taking too many dried fruits. Just like prunes, dried apricots are very much abundant in fruit sugar, fructose. And their vitamin C levels drop down significantly during the drying process. Although the remaining nutrients that can survive the process may be present in higher concentrations than usual, the excess of fructose make this source problematic.

Honeydew Melon (1 cup about 390 mg)

This is another type of food that can’t really be recommended because of the high sugar content. If you count calories, there is not too much calories, only about 60, but the nutrition profile can be problematic. One cup won’t make a great difference in terms of potassium, but it will make a difference in terms of sugar, especially fructose. One medium melon may contain up to 50 grams of fructose. So, better avoid altogether.

Yogurt (1 cup about 380 mg)

8 ounces of yogurt contain a little bit less than 400 mg of potassium. In addition, yogurt, like the other forms of diary, contains a lot of calcium. And for many people yogurt is a good probiotic too. It will help you maintain the health of the beneficial gut bacteria. Just make sure the type of yogurt you are buying is without any added sugar, or other types of sweeteners. Choose plain yogurt without fruits or vegetables. And avoid the brands with low fat content. This fat is not your enemy, the sugars are.

The Bottom Line

Whatever your diet, make sure it includes some of the above ingredients, preferably in their raw organic form. That’s the best way to ensure your body is getting enough of this vital nutrient.

To your health!