Potassium foods rich

Foods rich in potassium apricots, avocados, bananas, beans, beef, broccoli, brus-sels sprouts, cantaloupe, chicken, dates, fish, ham, lentils, milk, molasses, potatoes, prunes, raisins, spinach, turkey, watermelon, veal, and yams... 

The issues of starvation and malnutrition are raised again in Chapter 8, where foods rich in energy but poor in protein are discussed. Malnutrition is discussed under Sodium, Potassium, and Water in Chapter 10, w here the problem of infant diarrhea is outlined. This problem often occurs with weaning in underdeveloped countries, when pathogenic bacteria and parasites are inadvertently introduced into the infant s diet. The problem is compounded when basic supplies, such as firewood for boiling drinking water, are missing. Malnutrition and infection are also discussed under Vitamin A in Chapter. ... 

Researchers continue to study the benefits of potassium. Areas of medical study include potassium s role in improving heart health and bone health, as well as in reducing high blood pressure. Foods rich in potassium include bananas, broccoli, fish (such as tuna and salmon), green leafy vegetables, melons, potatoes, raisins, and tomatoes. 

Banana flakes Hakes made Irom dried bananas. Adding calories, flavor, and thickening to drinks and foods. Rich in calories, magnesium and potassium easily digested. May be mned in cereals, fruit drinks, or milk for infants ot invalids. 

Sodium and Potassium. Whereas sodium ion is the most abundant cation in the extracellular fluid, potassium ion is the most abundant in the intracellular fluid. Small amounts of K" are requited in the extracellular fluid to maintain normal muscle activity. Some sodium ion is also present in intracellular fluid (see Fig. 5). Common food sources rich in potassium may be found in Table 7. Those rich in sodium are Hsted in Table 8. 

Table 7. Common Food Sources Rich in Potassium...

Consumption of potassium-rich foods is the easiest and most generally advised means of counteracting a K+ deficit. Table 21.3 lists foods that are suitable for K+ supplementation. 

Avoid large quantities of potassium-rich foods oranges, bananas, salt substitutes... 

Arabs discovered the herb and named it al-facl-facah, or father of all foods, which the Spanish changed to alfalfa. It is rich in nutrients and minerals, including calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium, and zinc. A source of eight essential amino acids, alfalfa is used in China to treat fever, in India to treat ulcers, in Iraq and Turkey to treat arthritis, and in the U.S. in some natural therapies for cancer. It has also been employed for urinary infections, menopause, fatigue, and as an antibiotic and an antiasthmatic. 

Potassium-sparing diuretics, such as amiloride (Midamor), spironolactone (Aldactone), and triamterene (Dyrenium), impair the ability of the kidneys to filter potassium from the body. This can result in a condition called hyperkalemia, or excessive potassium, a potentially dangerous situation (see Harmful side effects section). Anyone taking potassium-sparing diuretics should avoid excessive dietary intake of foods high in the mineral. Bananas, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and oranges are some of the foods that are rich in potassium. 

Chilli peppers are the fruit of the Capsicumfrutescens, a plant that is native to Bolivia, where it was cultivated for more than 7,000 years before being transported to Europe - where at first it was not well received - and thence to India where it was much better appreciated. Chilli peppers are not just a spice but they are also a good source of vitamins A, C, and E. They are rich in folic acid and potassium, and low in food calories and sodium. Nevertheless, these benefits are minor compared to the major reason for adding chilli powder to our dishes, the aim being to make the food spicy hot. 

The flour made from Jerusalem artichoke tubers is a low-calorie, fat-free source of energy and fiber, which is rich in nutrients, including calcium, potassium, and iron. For the health food market, Jerusalem artichoke flour is often included in products that also contain live bacteria, especially bifidobacteria. The bacteria (probiotic) and food substrate (prebiotic) act to maintain a healthy balance of microflora in the colon (see below). 

Potassium-rich foods (e.g. bananas) can cause hyperkalaemia if the medication(s) used also tend to cause hyperkalaemia, for example potassiumsparing diuretics (triamterene, spironolactone), ACE inhibitors (captopril, enalapril, etc,), angiotensin receptor blockers and indometacin,... 

In 1991, University of Pennsylvania researchers found that just ten days of potassium restriction resulted in rises in blood pressure, whether one had normal or elevated blood pressure to begin with. A twelve-year study of California adults suggested that high potassium intake protects against stroke, the worst result of hypertension. For men in that study, those with low potassium intake had 2.6 times more stroke risk than did men with high consumption of potassium-rich foods. For women, low intake multiplied the risk by nearly five times. 

Why does this sort of diet work so well One theory is that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and nonfat and low-fat dairy foods might work as a natural diuretic, much as do certain drugs that are prescribed for lowering blood pressure. These medications have been used to fight hypertension for decades. It s still unknown whether the blood pressure effects gotten from the diet are the result of a specific food or foods or a combination of all of them. The diet is rich in potassium and calcium, both of which help the body to eliminate sodium in the urine. Yet apparently there s more to it than that because supplementation with those two minerals doesn t yield as strong a result. 

In 1987,1 introduced the notion that certain foods could actually lower cholesterol, thereby protecting the heart. The soluble fiber in oats and beans reduces LDL cholesterol without lowering the protective HDL, and fish oils prevent excessive blood clot production. Similarly, certain foods and recipes that contain soluble fiber can actively affect blood pressure. I ve included some representative recipes in this chapter to inspire you to eat more fruits and vegetables, especially those rich in potassium, such as sweet potatoes, bananas, and mangos, and more seafood, which not only affects blood clot formation but also lowers blood pressure. 

The body s ability to conserve sodium by restricting its loss in the urine is more efficient than its ability to conserve potassium As reviewed by Omt et al. (1987), the body caii restrict its K losses to 5 to 15 mmol/day in the urine the mechanisms for Na conservation can restrict urinary Na losses to less than 1 mmol per day. As detailed later, the intestine s ability to absorb Na is alscj more efficient than its ability to absorb K, Thus, a starving person may experience a K deficiency prior to the onset of an Na deficiency. It is thought that our ability to better conseiv e Na arises from the fact that plant foods are rich in potassium but highly deficient in sodium. As indicated in Table 10,1, peas contain over 300 limes more K than Na, on a per-weight basis. The difference is somewhat less extreme for potatoes and other plant foods. 

The diet of our pre-agricultural ancestors was rich in salt—not the salt now found on almost every table in small glass shakers, but potassium alkali salts, which are found in abundance in non-grain plant foods. These salts were eaten in their naturally occurring form. The salt we know today (and which some people love, to their detriment) is processed sodium chloride (NaCl), an addictive and overly used substance found in virtually every food choice in the Standard American Diet. Our SAD diet is also dangerously low in potassium alkali salts. Sodium chloride is acid-forming potassium salts are not. The combination of a sodium chloride excess with a potassium deficiency further contributes to the acid load on our systems. 

Potassium replacement therapy should accompany dietary consumption of potassium-rich foods. 

Potassium-rich foods often cannot completely replace potassium associated with chloride losses (vomiting, diuretics, or nasogastric suction) because it is almost entirely coupled to phosphate. Furthermore, increasing dietary intake of these foods may lead to unwanted weight gain. 

To date, there have been no pharmacoeconomic evaluations of the different pharmacotherapeutic alternatives to manage hypokalemia. The most economical source of potassium is from the diet. Thus patients receiving diuretic therapy should be instructed to increase their dietary intake of potassium-rich foods. By doing so, they may avert the need for exogenous potassium therapy. Additionally, oral potassium supplementation is much less expensive than intravenous supplementation by virtue of its ease of administration and lack of need... 

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