Which Fruits Are High in Potassium?

Potassium is an important mineral that plays a vital role in the body. Fruits that are high in potassium include bananas, cantaloupe, oranges, avocados, grapefruit, apricots, honeydew, guava and kiwi.
Potassium is an important mineral that plays a vital role in the body. Fruits that are high in potassium include bananas, cantaloupe, oranges, avocados, grapefruit, apricots, honeydew, guava and kiwi.

Potassium is an important mineral that plays a vital role in the body. It works as anelectrolyte. When dissolved in water, it releases positively charged ions. This property of electrical conduction is vital to many processes in the body such as nerve conduction and maintenance of normalheartrhythm.

An adequate potassium intake for adults is 4,700 mg daily, but the value is different for children and people with kidney problems. Most people in the US do not meet this goal. Lower potassium levels can cause muscleweakness,crampsand cognitive problems likeconfusion. Your doctor will most probably advise you to eat a potassium-richdietprovided your kidney function is normal. A potassium-richdietis linked to several health benefits. It may help reduce官网地址bwinand fluid buildup in the body. It also acts as a preventive measure against brittle bones (osteoporosis) andkidney stones.

有时,医生也会建议你避免a lot of potassium-rich foods. Your body may retain potassium when you havekidney disease. If your kidneys are not working well, ahigh potassiumlevel might cause life-threatening heart and nerve problems.

Whether the doctor has advised you to go on a potassium-rich diet or avoid it, it is good to know which foods are high in potassium. Let us have a look at them.

The following food sources are high in potassium and contain more than 200 mg of potassium per 0.5 cup serving.

  • Fresh fruits:Bananas, avocados, oranges, grapefruit, cantaloupe, apricots, honeydew, guava and kiwi.
  • Dry fruits:Prunes, raisins and dates.
  • Vegetables:Leafy greens, artichokes, cooked spinach, cooked broccoli, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, zucchini, pumpkins, parsnips, Swiss chard, beets and beet greens and Brussels sprouts.
  • Dairy products (low-fat or fat-free):Milk and yogurt.
  • Fish:Tuna, halibut, cod, rockfish and trout.
  • Beans or legumes:Kidney beans, lima beans, pinto beans, soybeans and lentils.
  • Other foods:Bran cereal, nuts, molasses, meat, poultry, brown rice, whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat pasta and salt substitutes (read labels).

Which fruits contain a low amount of potassium?

The following foods contain less than 150 mg of potassium per 0.5 cup serving.

  • Blueberries
  • Cabbage (raw)
  • Cranberries
  • Eggplant
  • Endive
  • Raspberries
  • Watermelon
  • Applesauce
  • Onion (sliced)
  • Pineapple

Your doctor will usually tell you if you need to improve or reduce your potassium intake. For additional concerns, see a certified nutritionist to get a personalized diet plan.

What causes potassium deficiency?

Alow potassiumintake rarely causes potassium deficiency.Hypokalemiacan result from health issues such as

  • Several episodes ofvomitingand/ordiarrhea
  • Diarrheathat results fromlaxativeoveruse (abuse)
  • 过度出汗
  • Excessalcoholconsumption
  • Certain medications
  • Diuretics (causes loss of potassium throughfrequent urination)
  • Antibiotics
  • Corticosteroids
  • Diabeticketoacidosis(a serious complication ofdiabetesthat is caused by severelyhigh blood sugarlevels)
  • Hyperthyroidism(an overactive thyroid gland)
  • Poor diet (a diet low in potassium) as in cases ofanorexia nervosa
  • Overactive adrenal gland
  • Cushing’s syndrome
  • Primary aldosteronism
  • Kidney disease
  • Colon villous polyps (noncancerous extra growths in the colon)
  • Liddle syndrome (a rare hereditary disorder that often begins in childhood and causes an increase in blood pressure)
  • Bartter syndrome (a raregenetic disorderin which a defective kidney causes salt and potassium imbalance)
  • Gitelman syndrome (a rare genetic kidney disorder that causes an imbalance of ions in the body)
  • Post-surgical electrolyte disturbance

SLIDESHOW

Foods That Aren't as Healthy as You ThinkSee Slideshow

Health SolutionsFrom Our Sponsors

References
Medscape Medical Reference

EatRight.org


Baidu
map