The Importance of Including Potassium in Your Diet

Including potassium in your diet is important

The American Heart Association suggests that potassium is important in a person's diet, in order to maintain the normal function of the heart and nervous system. (1)

When the heart is not working as well at it normally should, it cannot deliver oxygen or nutrients to the body cells, through the blood stream. The heart becomes weakened. Fatigue and shortness of breath with everyday activities like walking or climbing stairs, can occur. While this is a serious condition, which can lead to premature death, early stages of heart failure can be managed successfully, by increasing the amount of potassium in one's diet. Potassium alone does not offer a cure for heart failure, as other medications and healthy lifestyle changes may be needed, as well. (2)

A diuretic is one of the medications used in the treatment of heart failure. Diuretics or water pills help the kidneys to eliminate excess fluid from the body. When more urine is created, a lack of potassium or a potassium deficiency may occur. In this kind of a situation, an increase in the number of potassium rich foods in one's diet or a potassium supplement of some kind, may be necessary. (3)

Rather than consume large amounts of supplements, which can be quite costly, it is preferable and much easier to alter one's diet, so that it includes more foods with higher levels of potassium. Many of our everyday foods are rich in potassium.

Some of these foods are:

Fresh meats: beef, turkey and fish
Fresh vegetables: spinach, other greens, peas, tomatoes, beets, mushrooms
Fresh fruits: bananas, oranges, cantaloupe, strawberries, watermelon.
Fresh juice: orange juice
Canned fruit juices: grapefruit juice, prune juice, apricot juice.
Lentils: dried peas, dried beans
Dried fruits: prunes, dates, raisins and apricots (4)

Like any supplement, an excess of potassium can create additional problems as potassium can build up, particularly when a person has a history of kidney problems. It is a good idea to seek expert medical advice before taking any kind of a supplement on a long term basis. (5)

Maintaining a proper electrolyte balance, which includes a person's potassium level, is necessary for the proper regulation of blood pressure.

A lack of potassium, or a low potassium level (hypokalemia) in the human body, can result in damage to blood cells, nerves and muscles, with resulting loss of strength and weakness.

Normal potassium levels should be 3.5-5.0 mEq/L. (6)

The importance of potassium in one's diet must be stressed, as there are a large number of people who have low potassium levels, (under 3.5 mEq/L) for one reason or another. (7)

Many times, this deficiency is dietary and can be rectified, but not always.

Staying healthy affects a person's physical and mental energy levels, as well as one's productivity with respect to employment. It is in every person's best interest to eat the kinds of foods that promote good health and maintain a sense of well being.

Drinking just one glass of orange juice or eating one banana every day is a good habit to get into and an easy way to include more potassium in your diet. This will help you to maintain the proper potassium level for a healthy heart, as well as good health in general.

(1)http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=331

(2) http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1593

(3) http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=331

(4) Ibid.

(5) Ibid.

(6) http://www.emedicinehealth.com/low_potassium/article_em.htm

(7) Ibid.