5 Foods High in Potassium plus 1 Secret Food Hack!

Potassium is a “mission critical” mineral that we must obtain from our diet. Before you go to your local health food store in search for potassium pills, you should first be aware of several common foods high in potassium. Because potassium is found naturally in fruits and vegetables, it is highly absorbable and can be used by the body in a variety of ways.

Potassium is a mineral and electrolyte that regulates blood pressure as well as muscle function. Symptoms of a potassium deficiency are muscle weakness, aches, cramps, nausea, anxiousness, drowsiness, weakness, and an irregular heart beat.

Consuming an adequate amount of potassium is simple when you add these easy-to-find foods to your diet. I have put together a compilation in no particular order of 5 (okay maybe 6) foods high in potassium plus one secret potassium rich food hack you won’t want to miss. Enjoy!

5 Foods High in Potassium

1. Bananas – 422 mg potassium

Let’s just get the most obvious food high in potassium out of the way. Bananas are famous for their potassium content. But they are also high in the vitally important mineral, manganese, vitamin C, and fiber. Here’s a tip for peeling a banana. Pinch the tip on the end opposite to the “handle” (stem) and peel from that end and you won’t have any more bruised bananas. I got this tip by watching monkeys eat bananas on the Discovery Channel.

2. Prunes – 637 mg potassium

Although commonly used in cases of ‘plumbing problems,’ prunes are also a food that is high in potassium as well as free-radical-busting antioxidants. Oh, and if you’ve ever wondered why prunes have an almost magical power to relieve constipation. It’s because they are high in a natural laxative known as dihydrophenylistatin. Remember that factoid, and later you can really impress your friends during non-dinner time conversations.

3. Potatoes – 941 mg potassium

Before you justify those frequent trips to McDonalds for a side (meal) of fries let me preface. The heart-healthy attributes of potassium in potatoes can be quickly negated if you add enough hot grease and salt. With that said, potatoes pack some pretty potent potassium (say that 5 times). As a starchy tuber, potatoes are a food high in potassium. They are a great source of other nutrients such as Vitamin B6 and manganese. Tater’s also have more Vitamin C than most citrus fruits but (unfortunately) most is denatured (destroyed) when the spud is cooked. Just in case you are tempted to try and eat the potato raw, don’t. You’ll end up with a belly ache because the starch in potatoes is only digestible when broken down by heat (cooked).

4.Tomatoes – 292 mg potassium

People love to know ‘em, grow ‘em and throw ‘em. For over a hundred years, this botanical fruit has been included in the lineup of culinary vegetables such as brussel sprouts and broccoli. It actually was an act of congress that led us all down the nomenclature path into calling tomatoes veggies. Way back in 1887, a U.S. tariff law imposed taxes on vegetables but not on fruits. Since our lawmakers weren’t really any more honest back then, they reclassified all sorts of fruits as vegetables in order to increase veggie revenue. I wonder if it was called “The Tomato Scandal of 1887”?

Regardless, to this day, such fruits as tomatoes, cucumbers, and even pumpkins, while technically botanical fruits are considered culinary vegetables. I say leave that debate in the past and focus on what’s important; tomatoes are a delicious source of potassium!

5. Spinach – 420 mg potassium

Die hard fans may be interested to know. The spinach industry was nearly bankrupt before the cartoon hero “Popeye” came to the rescue. In just a few short years, he had kids happily munching on “me spinach” again and had made spinach farmers rolling in green (money that is, not spinach). While spinach was originally chosen as Popeye’s “magic food” for its high iron content, that wasn’t the only thing transforming his strength from a wimpy weakling to a hulking hero. The high amounts of potassium in spinach caused his muscle filaments to tighten and relax at proper intervals. This gave the burley sailor the ability to lift houses, bend steel, wallop Pluto in the kisser. Most importantly, save Olive Oyl from certain doom.

How much potassium do we need each day?

An often overlooked aspect of potassium in the diet is that we should be consuming at least 4,700 mg of this mineral per day

This means eating a lot of bananas, a lot of potatoes, and probably more prunes than those around us would prefer. 🙂

A Secret Potassium Food Hack – 1000+ mg potassium

I would be hard-pressed to ever suggest alternatives to fruits and vegetables. I will offer a suggestion for upping the potassium intake of those struggling to get enough.

Goat milk is an excellent source of natural food-based minerals, such as potassium. When these minerals are gently extracted from the milk, the final product is a concentrated food called Capra Mineral Whey – Goat Milk Minerals and Electrolytes. Just 2 tablespoons of Capra Mineral Whey has over 1,000 mg of potassium, which trumps all of the foods listed above. As a mineral supplement, Capra Mineral Whey not only has high levels of potassium but also calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus.