Food sources of potassium include fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as meats, poultry and milk products. One large orange will supply you with 250 mg of potassium, one-eighth of your daily need. Besides oranges; bananas, potatoes, avocados, lima beans, cantaloupes, peaches, tomatoes, flounder, salmon, cod, chicken, milk and yogurt can also provide you with potassium.

A healthy tip: when cooking these foods, remember this: steaming helps to lock in nutrients that are otherwise lost through cooking techniques, such as boiling. If you boil a potato you will lose about 50% of its potassium content by the time you're done cooking it. Steaming the same potato will result in only a 6% loss of valuable potassium, as well as helping to lock in other yummy nutrients.

What are the Safety Issues Surrounding Potassium?
 

Since it's so easy to get enough potassium in your diet, deficiency of potassium is rare, but it can occur if you're taking

a diuretic or have excessive diarrhoea or vomiting. Each of these conditions causes a loss of body fluids, thus an unbalanced electrolyte level in the body. The first sign of potassium deficiency is weak muscles and nausea. If fluid and electrolyte balance is not restored, risk of heart failure increases dramatically.

Toxicity of potassium is highly unlikely as well, occurring only if you have a kidney disorder and are ingesting too much potassium. In healthy people, if you ingest too much potassium your kidneys will simply excrete the excess amount in the urine. However, those with kidney disease cannot process electrolytes normally and potassium can build up in the body and cause problems. Irregular heart beat and muscle fatigue are two signs of toxic potassium levels.

Caution: If you are taking an ACE-inhibitor for high blood pressure or for a heart condition, or if you have a kidney disorder, you should not take a potassium supplement, as it can interact with your medication. I

If you found these tips helpful, here's the most important advice of all I can give you: A healthy lifestyle begins with a healthy body. Don't leave your health to chance. Get your Personalized Hair and Mineral Analysis Profile (Australia only) today to find out which vitamins are right for your lifestyle, risk factors and nutrient needs.

A healthy tip: when cooking these foods, remember this: steaming helps to lock in nutrients that are otherwise lost through cooking techniques, such as boiling. If you boil a potato you will lose about 50% of its potassium content by the time you're done cooking it. Steaming the same potato will result in only a 6% loss of valuable potassium, as well as helping to lock in other yummy nutrients.

What are the Safety Issues Surrounding Potassium?
 

Since it's so easy to get enough potassium in your diet, deficiency of potassium is rare, but it can occur if you're taking a diuretic or have excessive diarrhoea or vomiting. Each of these conditions causes a loss of body fluids, thus an unbalanced electrolyte level in the body. The first sign of potassium deficiency is weak muscles and nausea. If fluid and electrolyte balance is not restored, risk of heart failure increases dramatically.

Toxicity of potassium is highly unlikely as well, occurring only if you have a kidney disorder and are ingesting too much potassium. In healthy people, if you ingest too much potassium your kidneys will simply excrete the excess amount in the urine. However, those with kidney disease cannot process electrolytes normally and potassium can build up in the body and cause problems. Irregular heart beat and muscle fatigue are two signs of toxic potassium levels.

Caution: If you are taking an ACE-inhibitor for high blood pressure or for a heart condition, or if you have a kidney disorder, you should not take a potassium supplement, as it can interact with your medication. I

If you found these tips helpful, here's the most important advice of all I can give you: A healthy lifestyle begins with a healthy body. Don't leave your health to chance:      Personalized Hair and Mineral Analysis Profile