5 potassium-rich foods

Potassium is a mineral that is very necessary in our body to properly carry out many of its usual functions. Additionally, potassium is considered a type of electrolyte, making it an indispensable element even more so during the recovery after physical exercise. This is because there is a significant loss of mineral salts that must be replenished, always depending on the type and intensity of the exercise.

Furthermore, in addition to the aforementioned benefits, potassium also helps maintain the normal functioning of our nervous system and the proper contraction of our muscles.

On the other hand, potassium also facilitates the steady heartbeat over time and participates in many physiological functions related to the balance between sodium and potassium within the human body, two minerals of utmost importance.

What foods are rich in potassium?

When it comes to potassium, it’s clear that plant-based foods are winners in terms of the total content of this important mineral.

Especially, there is a food traditionally linked to potassium, and that is the banana. The banana has always been associated with a high percentage of potassium. In fact, we usually think that the banana is the food with the highest potassium content.

And it’s true, the banana contains very interesting amounts of potassium, specifically about 350 mg of potassium per 100 grams of banana, approximately, in addition to other vitamins and minerals of interest such as folic acid, vitamin C, or phosphorus.

However, there are other commonly consumed foods with a higher proportion of potassium that are worth highlighting. For example, broccoli contains approximately 370 mg of potassium per 100 grams of food, a higher amount than what the banana contains. Other foods with interesting potassium amounts include:

  • Potato: the famous tuber has a quantity of 525 mg of potassium per 100 grams of potato.
  • Beans: these legumes have a very interesting amount of potassium, specifically up to 1718 mg of potassium per 100 grams of beans.
  • Mushroom: in this case, we return to a food where it is relatively easy to reach 100 grams of consumption. The mushroom has 470 mg of potassium per 100 grams of food.
  • Pistachios: changing to the nut sector, pistachios have up to 811 mg of potassium per 100 grams, which is also quite interesting.
  • Olives: this pickled food has approximately 432 mg of potassium per 100 grams of food, not bad.

Broccoli has more potassium than a banana

However, it’s not about competing between foods. It matters little if one food contains a few micrograms more potassium than another, as the difference is imperceptible to our health.

What is important is to know the nutritional composition of foods because often we are surprised by curious details when we analyze in detail. For example, as we have discovered today, broccoli contains more potassium than a banana, which is an interesting anecdote.

Source: BEDCA (Spanish Database of Food Composition).

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