Potassium-rich foods and their benefits
If they asked you, what is the richest food in potassium ? Surely your answer would be the banana, right? And this is one of the most ingrained beliefs when it comes to food, as well as that orange is the main source of vitamin C.
And although the banana is undoubtedly a fruit with a good potassium content, there are many other foods that also provide a large amount of this mineral, even more than the banana, if you want to know what it is, just keep reading.
What is potassium, and what is its importance?
Potassium is a mineral present in almost any food, for good body health, it is necessary to balance its levels, because excessive or reduced levels can pose risks to your health.
The importance of this mineral in the body is that it helps maintain regulated blood pressure, also stimulates muscle contractions, and allows nerves to perform their function properly.
Foods high in potassium
Some foods high in potassium, which you surely consume daily, but you did not know in depth about its benefits are:
Soy
For every 100 grams of soy, there are 1,800 mg of potassium, yes, it would be one of the foods with the highest potassium content, in addition to the fact that soy is an important source of vegetable protein, that is why it is food that you should include in your diet., not to mention the series of benefits that it can offer you such as:
Being food that contains all the amino acids that are essential for the body, it reduces the risk of contracting chronic diseases.
Thanks to the protein it contains, it can help balance the body's cholesterol levels, as well as blood pressure, which is why it is recommended for patients with hypertension.
Improves bone health, studies show that women who consume soy have fewer problems with bone loss during menopause.
Avocado
For every 100 grams of avocado you will find 485 mg of potassium, so it could not be missing in this list of foods rich in potassium, it also contains a good amount of oleic acid, fiber and minerals, the consumption of avocado provides benefits such as:
It contains a large amount of vitamins, such as; K, C, B5, B6 and E that together allow to strengthen the immune, muscular and nervous system.
Thanks to the amount of oleic acid it contains, it increases the levels of good cholesterol, and reduces bad cholesterol.
Due to its high potassium content, it is excellent to prevent a CVA (cerebrovascular accident), because it improves the communication between the nerves and the muscles.
Spinach
Spinach contains 466 mg of potassium in every 100 grams, as well as a variety of other vitamins and minerals. These are very nutritious for your body, and offer benefits among which are:
It is ideal to combat anemia problems, this due to the large amount of iron it contains.
Because it is a powerful natural antioxidant, it reduces the effect that free radicals can have on the cells of the body.
Contains zeaxanthin and lutein these can help stop macular degeneration that triggers blindness.
Salmon
Each 100 g of salmon contains 340 mg of potassium, it also contains a large amount of fatty acids such as omega 3, which help prevent hypertension problems, other benefits are:
It contains tryptophan, an amino acid that helps the body produce serotonin and melatonin, which help regulate mood and sleep.
Promotes eye health thanks to its high content of vitamin A.
It is rich in vitamin D, therefore it is essential when seeking to mitigate a deficiency of this.
Plantain
In this list we could not leave out the banana, every 100 grams has 358 grams of potassium, and also offers a significant amount of carbohydrates, the benefits of banana are:
It allows regulating hypertension problems thanks to its potassium content.
It provides a large amount of energy to the body, because it contains a compendium of vitamins, as well as folic acid, potassium.
This fruit is highly alkaline, which is why it is effective in combating acidity.
Other foods that contain a significant amount of potassium are yogurt, artichoke, broccoli, beets, melon, Brussels sprouts. In case you have a deficiency of this mineral, do not stop incorporating any of these animals in your diet.