Potassium – Mineral of Function
Following our backwards alphabet of nutrients brings us to a powerful and functional mineral – Potassium. This functional nutrient hangs out with the other electrolytes in our bodies to help as a basis for nerve impulses and helps to regulate blood pressure. It is absolutely vital in fluid balance and helps to maintain blood pressure… even helping to reduce higher blood pressure. It’s myriad function in the body helps to protect against osteoporosis (“holy bones”!) and is integral in protecting against kidney disorders including kidney stones, which are more and more common.
Potassium works in the body with a few other “friends” of the electrolyte family, including magnesium, chloride, calcium, sodium as mentioned, as well as phosphate. This little powerful team is highly functional to maintain your electrolyte “balance” in your body. Together with potassium, the “team” helps to balance the amount of water in your body, moves wastes out of the cells, and balance your acid/alkaline state – your pH.
Potassium is found in SO MANY foods, it’s hard to imagine that in Western societies, about 80% of the population is actually deficient! Look for potassium in colourful foods – especially ORANGE and YELLOW foods like butternut squash, oranges, banana’s apricots, pumpkin, cantaloup, sweet potatoes and then merge on into the greens foods such as avocado, leafy greens, beet greens, honeydew, zucchini and edamame. Keep motoring right into the red foods such as beets, pomegranates, watermelon and right into the raisins.
Pick up some extra potassium with navy beans (white beans) and black beans while you get a little protein in there too. Feeling sluggish, fatigued and achy… sore muscles, stiffness, tingling, numbness (this just keeps getting worse Erin…), heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, muscle cramps and spasms… YOU need more potassium. If you are dehydrated or don’t replenish your electrolytes after exercise, you can experience many of these symptoms. I love COCONUT water for it’s flood of potassium. A nice, cold coconut water after a long bike ride in the summer is so refreshing and it really helps with leg cramps, fatigue and stiffness. Better than water! Low levels of potassium can affect mood, digestion and sleep (due to muscle aches and cramping). Potassium helps keep blood vessels healthy, and reduces the risk of stroke. Specifically, it helps conduct nerve signals from the brain to the muscles helping with muscle contraction. Low potassium is called Hypokalemia and a simple blood test can help you understand if your potassium is low and contributing to any symptoms you may be experiencing.
So abundant in our foods, potassium is very easy to incorporate into your daily nourishment. Consider this long list of potassium rich foods and add them each day to keep this mighty mineral in peak function in your body.
Eat a RAINBOW!
EnJOY!
Erin-Michelle
