Why is potassium good for you?
Sunday, August 15th, 2010 at
2:41 PM
i know you can get it from eating bananas but why is it good for you?
Filed under: Potassium Questions
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Potassium is an element (and an electrolyte) that’s essential for the body’s growth and maintenance. It’s necessary to keep a normal water balance between the cells and body fluids. Potassium also plays an essential role in the response of nerves to stimulation and in the contraction of muscles. Cellular enzymes need potassium to work properly.
Other foods high in potassium include cantaloupe, grapefruit, oranges, tomato or prune juice, honeydew melons, prunes, molasses and potatoes
It’s an electrolyte that your body needs to perform basic functions
It provides nutrients to your body and helps your metabolism. It also reduces stress and helps you retain water. Banana potassium is better for you than sweet potato potassium for better memory, but sweet potato potassium is better for strong muscles and sex life.
Interesting fact: Kazakstan is a world leader in potassium.
Sufficient amounts in the diet helps keep your muscles strong (including that hard-working muscle, your heart) and helps control blood pressure and the water balance in your cells.
It also helps keep nerve impulses firing in top form, and releases energy from protein, fat and carbohydrates during metabolism.
Sufficient amounts in the diet helps protect you against heart disease, hypoglycemia, diabetes, obesity and kidney disease. It helps keep muscles strong, bowels regular and works to eliminate irritability, confusion and stress. And it may help to lower high blood pressure, as well as protecting against the blood pressure-boosting properties of sodium.
When on a diuretic, your potassium level is depleted through urination, which can sometimes cause muscle pain around the heart and leg cramping. It is important to maintain a good potassium level through food like bananas or in tab. form. I take a 99 mg tab a day.