Potassium is a mineral found in about every food group that we eat. However, a deficiency can occur due to bad eating habits, e.g., not eating enough of the right portions and foods, and eating too much refined sugar, which destroys vitamins and nutrients including potassium.

High levels of salt can have the adverse effect and cause you to lose potassium. Many prescription and OTC medications can destroy potassium. Processed flour and foods often decrease the amount of potassium that you get in foods. So can foods high in fat content such as cakes, pies, chicken and pork.

Proper levels of Potassium have several benefits. They decrease the amount of calcium that is washed out in our urine. This can aid in the prevention of kidney stones.
Potassium also helps to strengthen bones and can prevent osteoporosis. It maintains the proper levels of PH in your body.

It enhances the action of insulin in our bodies and can really aide in high blood pressure control and heart disease. It lowers the risk of stroke and prevents many negative changes in your blood vessels that can damage blood vessels in the brain and heart.

Its deficiency can leave you feeling weak and fatigued with severe muscle cramping.
It keeps muscles strong, controls the water balance in your cells, prevents heart disease, hypoglycemia, diabetes, kidney disease, keeps bowels regular and helps to eliminate irritability, confusion and stress. Research has shown that it can even counteract the high blood pressure properties of sodium and salt.

If your sodium or salt intake is high, your potassium will be low. Processed foods are very high in sodium; vegetables, canned soups, frozen foods and entrees are all high in sodium. What is downright shocking is that many weight loss centers that sell processed and frozen foods, have packed their entrees with high amounts of sodium, defeating any nutritional value. Since Potassium is one of the minerals important in maintaining weight, one has to wonder, do they really want you to eat their food because you aren't going to lose weight on something that is processed to the point to where there are no nutrients except for sodium. The next time that you are at the grocery, check out the ingredients and nutrients on the packages of frozen weight loss meals and soups. It will shock you.

If you have kidney damage or disease, liver disease, suffer from mental or emotional stress, take cortisone or diuretics or over-exercise you are also at a higher risk for a potassium deficiency.

The average daily dose of Potassium is between 2500mg and 35020mg a day, but most adults consume less in their diets. The latest federal dietary recommendations claim that 4700mg a day is the correct dosage. A completely balanced diet would provide up to 6000mg a day.

Potassium is found in foods such as citrus fruits, apples, raisins, apricots, dates, beans, almonds, watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries and bananas, beets, leafy greens, tomatoes, potatoes, spinach and mushrooms, whole milk, beans, peas, soy products and soybeans, salmon and other fish like cod, beef, turkey and chicken.

As with any vitamin or mineral supplement, either too much or not enough potassium can have adverse effects, especially on your heart, so have your doctor to do a vitamin and mineral workup of your blood to see where your nutrients are lacking. I guarantee that you will be surprised by the findings.

Learn more about this author, M. L. Kiser.
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