Don’t give me hypertension!
I’m sure you have heard this more than once in your lifetime.
You might have even said it, but do you really know what really causes hypertension?
Too much sodium and too little potassium!
So when an individual has high blood pressure, it means the sodium in their blood is very high and potassium is low.
When potassium is high, it pushes sodium out of the blood but when it’s low it will not be able to do this and at that point, we doctors, say the person has a high blood pressure
Potassium is important because it relaxes the walls of the blood vessels and reduces the amount of sodium in blood.
Potassium and sodium in the right quantity make blood pressure stable.
So how do we get more potassium into our blood?
By eating foods that are rich in potassium.
Did you know an average sized banana gives you about 500mg of potassium?
Banana is the most popular fruit that’s rich in potassium but it’s not the only one.
Other foods include:
1. Avocado
2. Coconut
3. Potatoe
4. Plain yoghurt
5. Watermelon
6. Tomatoes
7. Tuna fish
8. Peas
9. Mushrooms
10. Oranges
11. Spinach
12. Grapefruit
You might also be wondering, if potassium can be gotten through supplements? The answer is YES but don’t forget that the kidney retains potassium and too much potassium in the kidney can affect the health of the kidney.
It is advisable to eat foods that are rich in potassium.
Here is a list of how much potassium in mg you can get from each fruits and vegetables.
This is for every 100g of the fruit, vegetable or protein
Avocado 485mg
Banana. 358mg
Beans. 454mg
Watermelon 112mg
Tomatoes 237mg
Raisins and date 825mg
Potatoes 337mg
Mushrooms 318mg
Grapefruit 135mg
Oranges 181mg
Spinach 558mg
Plain yoghurt 255mg
Fish 252mg
FYI, there are many other important minerals that help to lower the blood pressure. Potassium is just one of them.
Your job is to make sure your meals contain as many as possible.
So how do you make sure all of the important minerals you need is part of your diet?
…eat more plant-based foods as part of your diet.
To learn more about eating plant-based diets click Here.