Want to hear a joke about potassium? K!
I can feel the eye-rolling all the way from Colorado (for those of you without a chemistry background, the symbol for potassium on the Periodic Table of Elements is “K,” easily lending itself to corny jokes).
Potassium is an element that serves several very important roles in a healthy, functioning body. Potassium is critical for muscle movement, hormone regulation, normal fluid levels, digestion, regular heart rhythms, and healthy blood pressure levels. Getting adequate levels of potassium as part of a regular diet has proven difficult for much of the American public, and the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans list it as one of their nutrients of concern. A nutrient of concern is defined by the Dietary Guideline committee as, “under consumed relative to the Estimated Average Requirement or Adequate Intake levels set by the Institute of Medicine (IOM).” The IOM has set the recommended daily intake of potassium at 4,700 mg, which is nearly double what most Americans usually consume on a daily basis. The daily value of potassium (which is what you’d find on the nutrient facts panel of a packaged food) is set at 3,500 mg.
While bananas have found themselves as the poster child of high-potassium foods, they aren’t the only source out there. All fruits and vegetables contain some amount of potassium, and it’s also found in meat, poultry, seafood, nuts, and fortified dairy. Here are some of the most notable sources of dietary potassium, given by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics:
- 1 cup of cooked spinach equals 840 mg
- A medium baked potato provides 800 mg
- 8 ounces of yogurt contains 490 mg
- 1 cup of cooked broccoli equals 460 mg
- A medium-size banana contains 450 mg
- 1 cup of cantaloupe has 430 mg
- 8 ounces of low-fat milk contains 366 mg
- A medium tomato has 290 mg
- ½ cup of strawberries contains 230 mg
Of all potassium’s essential regulatory roles in the body, one in particular has brought it into the spotlight in recent years. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, occurs when the blood is pushing too hard on the walls of arteries and can lead to serious complications such as heart disease and stroke. Potassium is important because it can help dampen the negative effects that sodium has on blood pressure, which leads to lower BP levels. While potassium alone can’t combat high blood pressure, it’s certainly an important player in a heart-healthy diet.
For someone with high blood pressure or who is looking to eat more potassium for another medical reason, a popular diet to follow is DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). It focuses on eating mostly fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, low-fat and fat-free dairy, fish and skinless poultry. For a restaurateur looking to provides dishes that accommodate those on the DASH diet or a similar eating plan, there are endless meal possibilities. The most important place to start for a restaurant of similar establishment looking to attract diners eating out with specific health requirements is to conduct a full nutritional analysis of their menu. Having nutrition information available for guests is a magnet for those looking to reduce or increase their consumption of certain nutrients. Plus, once the analysis is done it’s much easier to create new menu items or tweak existing recipes to fit diets like DASH, or meet other nutrition guidelines and attract a whole new group of diners.
