Potassium is an essential mineral that plays a crucial role in bone development and height growth in children, as well as maintaining bone health in adults. Adequate potassium intake from potassium-rich natural foods will maximally support the body’s height growth. This article will focus on the role of potassium, potassium-rich food sources, and how to build a healthy diet to support height growth.

1. The Role of Potassium in the Body

Potassium is an essential mineral that plays an important role in many vital functions of the body. Here are some important roles of Potassium:
Supporting Blood Pressure Reduction: Potassium helps regulate water and electrolyte balance in the body. High potassium levels in the body help excrete excess sodium (salt) through urine. Excess sodium is one of the main causes of high blood pressure. Besides, potassium also dilates blood vessels, reduces blood flow resistance, and lowers blood pressure.
Maintaining Bone Health: Potassium also plays an important role in maintaining bone structure and strength. Potassium helps reduce bone loss and increases bone density by supporting the formation of new bones and reducing bone breakdown. This helps prevent osteoporosis and reduces the risk of fractures.
Preventing Stroke: Potassium plays an important role in regulating blood pressure – a major risk factor for stroke. The mineral enhances the activity of the fibrinolytic system, which helps break down blood clots.
Preventing Kidney Stones: Potassium helps reduce calcium excretion in urine, lowering the risk of forming calcium stones, the most common type of kidney stone. It also increases citrate excretion in urine, which can bind with calcium to form soluble complexes, preventing stone formation.
Supporting Nerves and Muscles: Potassium is an essential component for the normal functioning of the nervous and muscular systems. Potassium helps transmit nerve impulses, activates muscle contractions, and maintains a stable heartbeat. A lack of potassium can lead to muscle weakness, cramps, and irregular heartbeats.
potassium-rich food
Potassium plays an important role in the body

2. Daily Potassium Requirements for the Body

The average human body needs about 4,700mg of potassium per day to maintain normal life functions and activities. Potassium is primarily supplied through daily food sources. However, for those with kidney disease, the potassium requirement is often lower than that of normal individuals and requires specific directions from a doctor. This is because impaired kidney function leads to the risk of excess potassium accumulation in the body, adversely affecting the nervous and muscular systems.
Moreover, potassium levels in the body are also influenced by hormones and medications that the patient is using. In this case, doctors need to provide specific advice and guidance on the appropriate potassium dosage to supplement, as well as adjust the patient’s diet, to ensure balanced potassium levels and stable health.
potassium-rich food
The daily potassium requirement for the body is 4,700mg/day

3. Potassium-Rich Foods That Are Good for Health

Nutrition experts recommend that supplementing potassium through naturally potassium-rich food sources is a more optimal choice than using functional food products. Therefore, those experiencing potassium deficiency should learn about and add potassium-rich foods to their daily diet.

3.1 Tomatoes

Fresh tomatoes are one of the natural sources of potassium, with an average content of about 292mg of potassium per fruit. Notably, the potassium content in tomatoes is significantly increased when they are concentrated into powder or sauce. Additionally, sun-drying tomatoes also contributes to increasing their potassium content.
potassium-rich food
Tomatoes provide a rich amount of potassium

3.2 Watermelon

Watermelon is also a great choice for supplementing potassium for the body. Eating just 2 slices of fresh watermelon after a meal can provide 641mg of potassium, equivalent to 14% of the total daily potassium requirement.
potassium-rich food
Watermelon is a potassium-rich food that you should consider choosing

3.3 Beets

Beets top the list of potassium-rich foods. 150g of cooked beets contain up to 518mg of potassium, meeting 11% of the body’s daily potassium requirement. Besides being rich in potassium, beets are also an abundant source of folate – an essential nutrient for DNA synthesis and repair.
potassium-rich food
White radish is one of the foods rich in potassium

3.4 Sweet Potatoes and Potatoes

Baked sweet potatoes and potatoes are also nutritious choices to increase potassium intake. One baked sweet potato contains 542mg of potassium, equivalent to 12% of the total daily potassium requirement. Meanwhile, an average baked potato contains up to 941mg of potassium, providing 20% of the daily potassium requirement.
potassium-rich food
You can add potatoes and sweet potatoes to your daily menu

3.5 Salmon

Salmon is known for being heart-healthy due to its high omega-3 content. Additionally, 28.34g of canned salmon contains 487mg of potassium, equivalent to 10% of the daily potassium requirement.
potassium-rich food
Salmon is not only good for the heart but also contains a lot of healthy potassium

3.6 Black Beans and White Beans

Black beans are rich in protein, fiber, and potassium. 165g of black beans contain up to 739mg of potassium (equivalent to 16% of the total daily potassium requirement).
In addition to black beans, white beans are also among the potassium-rich foods. 262g of white beans contain up to 1,189mg of potassium, 20g of protein, and 13g of beneficial fiber.
potassium-rich food
Thành phần của đậu đen và đậu trắng chứa nhiều kali, chất xơ và protein
As known, potassium is a mineral that plays an important role in many body functions. However, many people do not get the recommended daily potassium intake from their diet. Height growth milk is an effective choice for supplementing potassium to support effective height growth. With an appropriate potassium content, HIUP milk helps you easily meet your daily potassium needs.

4. Symptoms of Potassium Deficiency

Fatigue and Weakness: Potassium deficiency can cause fatigue and weakness. When the body lacks potassium, cells cannot function efficiently, leading to feelings of fatigue and low energy. If potassium deficiency persists, it can affect quality of life and daily activity capability.
Muscle Weakness and Cramps: Potassium deficiency can also cause muscle weakness and cramps. Potassium plays an important role in maintaining normal muscle function. When potassium levels in the body are low, muscles can become weak and prone to cramps, causing pain and discomfort.
Irregular Heartbeat: Potassium deficiency can lead to irregular heartbeats. Potassium helps maintain a regular and stable heartbeat. When potassium levels in the body are low, the heartbeat can become irregular, causing symptoms like palpitations, anxiety, and shortness of breath. Irregular heartbeat can cause serious complications if not treated promptly.
High Blood Pressure: Potassium deficiency can also contribute to high blood pressure. Potassium helps regulate blood pressure by dilating blood vessels and reducing blood flow resistance. When the body lacks potassium, blood vessels can constrict, leading to increased blood pressure. Maintaining adequate potassium levels in the body can help control blood pressure and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

5. Some Notes When Supplementing Potassium Through Foods

Choosing potassium-rich foods to add to the diet is necessary. However, you need to be aware of some notes when supplementing potassium to ensure health safety:
People with kidney, heart diseases, or those using certain medications need to consult a doctor before supplementing potassium through foods.
Some cases require regular potassium supplementation such as: people using thiazide diuretics for treating high blood pressure, people using ACE inhibitors, and beta-blockers.
According to the American Kidney Organization’s recommendation, the daily potassium intake in the diet should be 2,000mg. Regardless of whether you eat low or high potassium foods, you should limit each meal to about 100g. Exceeding this amount can lead to potassium overload and some harmful health consequences.
Besides potassium supplementation, a balanced and diverse diet also plays an important role in height growth. In addition to the potassium-rich foods mentioned in this article, there are many other foods that also support height growth. To explore more about height growth foods, you can read the article “Foods That Help Increase Height” from HIUP.
Thus, HIUP’s article has introduced you to potassium-rich foods to add to your diet to avoid long-term deficiency. Those with potassium deficiency should consult a doctor for the best advice.
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