hummingwolf | (no subject)

Because a few of us have been discussing (and experiencing) potassium deficiency recently, here's a list of some foods and their potassium content, taken from the book Prevention's Food & Nutrition, 1993.

Food	Portion	Potassium (mg.)
Avocado	1	1,204
Raisins	1 cup	1,089
Acorn squash, baked	1 cup	891
Potato, baked	1	844
Spinach, cooked	1 cup	838
Cauliflower florets, raw	1 cup	795
Navy beans, cooked	1 cup	719
Apricots, fresh	1 cup	628
Plain nonfat yogurt	1 cup	579
Asparagus, cooked	1 cup	558
Mushrooms, fresh	1 cup	555
Orange juice	1 cup	496
Cantaloupe	1 cup cubes	494
Apricots, dried	10 halves	482
Lima beans	1/2 cup	478
Banana	1	451
Skim milk	1 cup	447
Chicken breast, broiler/fryer	1	440
Sockeye salmon, fresh, cooked	3 oz.	319
Flounder, cooked	3 oz.	292
Ground beef, extra-lean	3 oz.	266
Turkey white meat	3 oz.	259
Turkey dark meat	3 oz.	247
Chicken breast, roasted	3 oz.	220

This month, I have craved every food on this list. Well, everything except raisins, which I'm still convinced are demon spawn disguised as dried fruit.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Raisins are dead fruit with a good PR department.

California Raisins singin' "Heard It Through the Grapevine!" Cute commercials. I still hate raisins.

Since several of my favorite foods are on that list, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say I probably don't have a potassium problem - avocados, potatoes, spinach, asparagus, mushrooms, orange juice, bananas - all regular staples in my diet. :)

Yeah, I've got a pretty high potassium diet usually. Thing is, I sweat a lot, and you do lose potassium in your perspiration. Plus, some medications can lower your potassium levels... But yeah, if you're eating plenty of the right fruits & veggies, you *shouldn't* have a problem!

that's very nifty - I usually grab a banana for potassium but I'd much rather eat asparagus or mushrooms!

I'm glad somebody besides me finds this post interesting! When I posted the list, I wondered if it might be voted "Most Boring LJ Entry Ever," but then I remembered that at least this wasn't a quiz result. :-)

Not that I have anything against posting quiz results, just that if "Which Harry Potter Character Will You Marry?" is a valid post, a list of nutritious foods probably is too. Then again, the average 17-year-old LJer may not appreciate that line of reasoning.

Anyway, glad this entry gives you a reason to eat asparagus when you want it!

Thanks, I'm tucking this in Memories, hope you don't mind.

No problem. I can't imagine why I'd mind!

*curious* What are the symptoms of potassium defficiency?

Some signs of potassium deficiency are weakness, paralysis, low blood pressure, irregular or rapid heartbeat. (Paralysis isn't a problem I've been having, but everything else on the list fits the way I've been feeling lately. Of course, anemia has a lot of the same symptoms too.) Another possible sign is water retention, which can give you *high* blood pressure. It's one of the nutrients that comes out when you sweat, which is why some sports drinks have potassium in them.

Hmm, well, I guess I should force myself to eat more avocadoes. :))
Oh, the horror! ;)))
(I really like avocado)

I'm happy to give you the excuse. :-)

Speaking of important nutritional information, there's growing evidence that dark chocolate is a great source of antioxidants. Guess you'll have to eat more chocolate, too!

Thank you. I had been wanting to research this lately, as I tend to run quite low on potassium / burn through it faster / retain less of it than the average bear or something, and become tired of bananas rather quickly.

You're welcome! I seem to run out of potassium quickly too, so this is good stuff to know.

Oh, if you're not averse to drinking V8, the Low Sodium V8 is a good source of potassium as well.